Dean - College of Science

About the Opportunity

THE SEARCH

Northeastern University - renowned for its innovative and entrepreneurial model of education and research - welcomes applications and nominations for the position of Dean of the College of Science. Northeastern's unique value proposition is grounded in several key tenets: an experiential education that prepares graduates to thrive in a technology-driven world; a global network of campuses and partners for students and faculty to leverage for learning and research; a deep investment in lifelong and experiential learning; a premium placed on pedagogical innovation; and a highly collaborative, partner-fueled research enterprise focused on high-impact solutions.

Northeastern has embarked on a new academic plan, Beyond 2025, that presents a unique vision of the future of education rooted in experience, emphasizing impact through education and research, and promoting deeply held values of service and respect. The Dean of the College of Science will lead the college's efforts to rethink the way education is delivered, with a greater focus on technology, personalization, and lifelong learning. They will build productive and creative partnerships across the whole of the university, including its global network, to leverage the strengths and experience of other academic units. As the college continues to grow, the dean will recruit and retain the best faculty and students, expanding the breadth of academic offerings and increasing the research productivity. The dean will engage outside partners-one of the hallmarks of the Northeastern model-to identify ways the college can coalesce academia and industry around greater societal challenges.

Finally, the dean will strengthen Northeastern's position as a truly global university, shaping its activities and fostering integrated education and research enterprise systems across all campuses around the world.

Northeastern has experienced unprecedented growth over the last 20 years. Annual external research funding has increased dramatically, fueled by its highly collaborative, interdisciplinary institutes and centers and the hiring of more than 1,000 tenured and tenure-track faculty. Northeastern's experiential model, with its signature co-op program, has expanded to include a vast array of real-world projects and experiences that attract top students at all stages of learning from around the world.

Over the past decade, Northeastern has also established 12 campuses outside Boston, across North America and in the U.K., that offer diverse opportunities in undergraduate and graduate learning, research, and entrepreneurship. This global network provides faculty and students a myriad of ways to learn and discover in new contexts, enriching education and maximizing the ability to make an impact. Northeastern is deeply committed to expanding global education, partnerships, and research, enabling learners to become leaders equipped to navigate and influence an interconnected world.

Northeastern has retained Isaacson, Miller, a national executive search firm, to assist in this search. All applications, inquiries, and nominations, which will remain confidential, should be directed to the search firm as indicated at the end of this document.

NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY

Trajectory

Founded in Boston in 1898, Northeastern is renowned for its experiential learning model, high-impact research, deep partnerships, and worldwide reach. From day one, the university has pursued innovative ways of teaching and research that place a premium on experience and engagement with the world. Today, its signature approach spans the world, empowering not only students, but faculty, alumni, partners, and innovators to explore ideas, solve problems, and scale impact.

Our global university provides our community and academic, government, and industry partners with unique opportunities to think locally and act globally. It includes 13 campuses across the U.S., U.K., and Canada, 320,000-plus alumni, and more than 3,800 employer partners worldwide, serving as a platform for scaling ideas, talent, and solutions.

THE ROLE OF THE DEAN

As the chief academic and executive officer of the college, the Dean of the College of Science reports to the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and serves alongside the other deans and the Chancellor as a member of Northeastern's academic leadership team. The dean holds ultimate responsibility for the college‘s human capital - its faculty, staff, students - as well as its long-term planning and material resources, both physical and fiscal. The dean operates in a hybrid responsibility center management (RCM) university-wide budgeting model, and as such is responsible for the college's revenue streams, fundraising, and overall financial health, while sharing some central services at the university level.

QUALIFICATIONS AND CHARACTERISTICS

• A deep appreciation for Northeastern University's mission, and for a liberal arts education that includes core technological, data, and human literacies.
• A proven record of strategic and effective leadership and project management in a complex, decentralized environment with confidence and diplomacy, preferably at a major research institution; a demonstrated ability to execute ambitious, fiscally responsible, entrepreneurial initiatives.
• A distinguished record of credentials and achievements that demonstrate scholarly and research excellence.
• An earned terminal degree in a field represented within the college and a record of scholarly and research achievement appropriate for appointment as a tenured full professor.

APPLICATIONS, INQUIRIES, AND NOMINATIONS

Screening of complete applications will begin immediately and continue on a confidential basis until the completion of the search process. Inquiries, nominations, referrals, and CVs with cover letters should be sent via the Isaacson, Miller website: https://www.imsearch.com/open-searches/northeastern-university-college-science/dean. Electronic submission of materials is strongly encouraged.

Andy Lee, Managing Partner
Vijay Saraswat, Partner