Dean, Courant Institute School of Mathematics, Computing, and Data Science New York University

New York University, the largest private university in the United States, seeks a Dean for the Courant Institute School of Mathematics, Computing, and Data Science, a newly formed school ("Courant") with a renowned institutional history. The University invites applications and nominations for a Dean with a dynamic vision, high academic standards, the ability to collaborate across the institution, and strategic skills to build on Courant’s impressive trajectory and leverage the spirit of innovation and excellence that defines Courant.

The creation of the Courant Institute School of Mathematics, Computing, and Data Science represents the next chapter in NYU’s longtime preeminence in computer science, data sciences, and mathematics. With science and technology as a major strategic priority for NYU, the Courant Institute School will build on areas of renowned strength and further accelerate the University’s rise in research and innovation. The School will prepare students more broadly for careers in mathematical and computational fields; contribute to the growth of the tech sector in New York and across the world; and accelerate NYU’s ascent as a national leader in scientific and technological impact.

The Dean serves as an integral part of NYU’s senior leadership team. The Dean reports directly to the President and Provost; moreover, in order to ensure optimal alignments across Science and Tech, one of the University’s strategic pathways, the Dean also has a reporting relationship to the Executive Vice President for Global Science and Technology. In addition to academic leadership, the Dean has oversight of Courant finances and staff and participates actively in development. The successful candidate will be a distinguished scholar of international stature, demonstrating a compelling vision for the future of computational, data, and mathematical sciences, and bringing proven administrative and fundraising abilities through experience in a significant leadership role.

ABOUT NEW YORK UNIVERSITY

In 1831, NYU’s founders set out to create a new kind of university, one that matched New York City’s growing demands and demographics; a university that was different by design and open to all. NYU has soared since then — in reputation, academic breadth and depth, and cosmopolitanism. No other university engages the world like NYU does, with its own campuses, faculty members, students, and staff generating knowledge and discoveries in intellectual hubs around the globe. NYU is an unmatched leader in global education.

Today, that trailblazing spirit makes NYU one of the most prominent and respected research universities in the world. Anchored in New York City, NYU is adventurous and ambitious. It rewards entrepreneurship, inspires philanthropy, and is determined to continue its remarkable upward trajectory. At the heart of the University are its more than 3,000 full-time faculty whose research and teaching have placed them at the forefront of their disciplines and its dedicated staff. Among the faculty at NYU are Nobel laureates and Abel laureates; Guggenheim Fellows and MacArthur Fellows; Academy Award, Tony Award, and Emmy Award winners; Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigators; members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Science, the National Academy of Inventors, the National Academy of Engineering and the Turing Award; and winners of the Pulitzer Prize, the National Humanities Medal, the National Medal of Science, and the National Medal of Technology.

The research enterprise at NYU has achieved new heights, nearly tripling since 2014 to $1.5 billion in annual R&D expenditures in FY 2024, making NYU the fastest-growing research university among its peers. Per the National Science Foundation’s Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) report, NYU’s research expenditures rank it as the top research university in New York City, the seventh among private universities nationally, and among the top 20 institutions in the U.S. NYU is a top producer of patents and revenue from licensing among US universities.

As the largest private research university in the US, NYU provides a rigorous education to over 60,000 students. For 16 straight years, NYU has been a "dream school," according to Princeton Review. It received over 120,000 undergraduate student applications this year which yielded an overall 7.7% acceptance rate in 2025. At the same time, NYU is dedicated to increasing access across socioeconomic status. In October 2023, NYU President Linda Mills announced the NYU Promise: starting in fall 2024, all undergraduates who begin as full-time first-year students in New York will not have to pay tuition if their family income is under $100,000. NYU students come from nearly every state and 133 countries, and the University draws upon the varied backgrounds of its faculty, staff, and students, ensuring its scholarship and teaching benefit from a wide range of perspectives. Arts and Science is home to over 40 doctoral programs, the majority of which provide full funding for doctoral students. The graduates of these programs are leaders in a wide range of fields. More than 25,000 graduate and professional students enroll in full- and part-time programs in New York City and around the globe. Offerings span a wide range of courses and degrees that offer culturally vibrant communities, innovative programming, and often include opportunities for meaningful engagement with community partners in New York or the local geography. NYU has a vast network of alumni who have gone on to succeed across professions, from the sciences to the arts and government, throughout the world.

STRATEGIC PATHWAYS

As NYU approaches its bicentennial in 2031, President Mills has established a set of strategic pathways to align the work of its global community.

Develop a distinctive profile in science and technology that makes NYU the world’s premier institution for discovery, innovation, and entrepreneurship with a global perspective: NYU will leverage its significant strengths in science, technology, design, entrepreneurship, and global convening to create a distinctive world-class ecosystem that draws in talent and makes NYU a preferred partner for academic institutions, industry, and government on large-scale research efforts. Drawing upon deep assets across the University, including those in the arts and humanities, social sciences, and policy, will multiply NYU’s real-world impact and help make NYU a champion of progress on key global challenges.

Lead the world in interdisciplinary collaboration and impact: Distinguished by its combination of scale, breadth, and global network, NYU has a significant opportunity to lead the world in interdisciplinary collaboration in the form of multi-school and multi-location research and educational programs that generate high-impact practices and offer novel opportunities for students.

Lead the world in global education and research: NYU will be the world’s leader in global education and research, featuring a vibrant network of academic locations around the world; strong support for globally oriented research and creative work; a large and thriving population of international students, faculty, and staff; and global study experiences and program offerings that distinguish an NYU education and give students a unique edge relative to their peers.

Build and sustain a welcoming and supportive community in which students, faculty, and staff can flourish, and timely graduation is a top priority: NYU will be a vibrant, diverse, welcoming, and accessible global community where all feel supported, connected, and inspired to do their best work. Diligent and persistent attention will be paid to reducing and eliminating barriers to success, improving on-time graduation rates for students, efficiently and effectively providing research and teaching support for faculty, and providing robust opportunities for professional development and growth for staff.

THE COURANT INSTITUTE SCHOOL OF MATHEMATICS, COMPUTING, AND DATA SCIENCE

In the 1930s, Richard Courant brought together a group of elite mathematicians around a vision to blend deep research with practical problem-solving. At NYU, they laid the foundation for the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, a globally recognized leader in mathematical research and education. A creative and nimble institution, often ahead of its time, the Courant Institute broadened its intellectual reach into computer science, launching the new department in 1969 and promoting an integrated approach to these disciplines. This legacy of innovation continues today, integrating NYU’s Center for Data Science and creating the Courant Institute School of Mathematics, Computing, and Data Science.

Faculty, alumni, and students of the Courant Institute School have been recipients of the Turing Prize, the Crafoord Prize, the Fields Medal, the National Medal of Science, and the Abel Prize, among many other top international awards, while contributing extraordinary advances to mathematical, computer, and data sciences. Throughout its history, the Courant Institute has advanced discovery in its core disciplines and leveraged its expertise to address critical global challenges, blending approaches across computer science, data science, and mathematics to engage in cross-disciplinary areas such as biophysics, genomics, atmospheric and oceanic science, computer vision, fluid mechanics, materials science, and financial mathematics.

The Courant Institute School is composed of the Department of Computer Science; the Center for Data Science (now a tenure-granting department), and the Department of Mathematics. Increasingly, Computer Science at Courant and the Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) department at the Tandon School of Engineering are engaged in shared strategic planning as well as academic programming with the goal of becoming a single department across two schools. Substantial growth of faculty, student enrollment, research activity, and budgetary resources are all projected as Courant transitions from an Institute to a School.

ROLE OF THE DEAN

The Dean is the principal academic, community, and administrative leader for the Courant Institute School and is responsible for strategic planning, research and academic affairs, operations, finances, fundraising, and external relations. Working closely with all of Courant's stakeholders (students, faculty, staff, community members, industrial leaders, donors), the Dean is responsible for advancing a cohesive vision and message for integrating and advancing computer science, data science, and mathematics across research and education. The Dean is supported by three vice deans: the Vice Dean for Academic Affairs, the Vice Dean for Research, and the Vice Dean for Faculty Affairs, as well as the department chairs and leaders for key functional areas.

KEY OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE DEAN

A Unified Vision for the School: The Dean will catalyze and advance a shared mission and vision for the Courant Institute School, one that boldly embraces emerging opportunities in computation, data science, and mathematics, and builds substantially on the school’s existing strengths and a long legacy of being fearless and modern. Guiding the strategic development and integration of existing units into the School, the Dean will help strengthen each department—Computer Science (which will span Courant and Tandon School of Engineering), Data Science, and Mathematics—by nurturing their unique strengths and identities, while forging a cohesive and interdisciplinary new entity that transcends the sum of its parts. The formation of the School requires pragmatism, transparency, clear communication, and a focus on academic excellence and organizational effectiveness. The Dean must be an effective, inclusive, and empathetic leader committed to building a cohesive community—including faculty, staff, and students. By acting as a tireless champion for the School, the Dean will forge a vibrant ecosystem fulfilling its external mission as a world leader in the computational, data, and mathematical sciences.

Research Excellence: The Dean will spearhead an ambitious strategy to recruit and retain world-leading talent, fostering a vibrant research community that pushes boundaries while remaining uncompromising in its dedication to foundational research. The Dean will help the School harness its commitment to science and technology, leveraging unique opportunities and developments in mathematical, computational, and data sciences to address many of the world’s challenges. The Courant School has long been a pioneer of the AI Revolution and is uniquely positioned to bridge the gap between theoretical breakthroughs and transformative global impact. The Dean will ensure Courant remains a primary engine for innovation across the University and beyond, sustaining research excellence, and integrating high-impact interdisciplinary ventures

Transformative Education: The Dean will articulate and coalesce innovative ideas and bold changes in the School’s educational mission, ensuring that its programs remain at the vanguard of a rapidly shifting global landscape. In an era defined by the ever-present influence of AI and rapid technological change, the Dean will ensure that the educational experience across all levels—undergraduate, master’s, doctoral, and postdoctoral—continues to embody academic excellence, rigor, and professional agility. By bridging disciplines and fostering a culture of breadth and depth, this education will empower the next generation of leaders to solve high-impact, real-world problems.

Fundraising and Resource Stewardship: To ensure the Courant School achieves its full potential as a world leader in research and education, the Dean will aggressively expand the School's resource base and secure diverse revenue streams, including philanthropy, industrial partnerships, programmatic income, and sponsored research. The Dean serves as the School's chief advocate and must articulate a compelling narrative that attracts high-impact investment, including transformative gifts, while ensuring that the School remains financially resilient. Central to this role is the responsible stewardship of these resources. By fostering strategic collaborations with both private and public entities, the Dean will create new opportunities that empower the entire community to pursue bold basic and applied research without compromising scientific integrity.

Strategic Collaborations and Global Impact: Building on a rich history of interdisciplinary excellence, the Dean will serve as a visionary architect of connections both within NYU and across the University’s global footprint. Internally, the Dean will deepen the School's integration with other schools at NYU, building, maintaining, and reimagining relationships with units such as Arts and Science, the Grossman School of Medicine, and the Tandon School of Engineering, ensuring that Courant's expertise in mathematical, computational, and data sciences is vital to University-wide scientific initiatives. The Dean will work in close partnership with the President, Provost, and the Executive Vice President for Global Science and Technology to elevate Courant as a premier driver of NYU's global research footprint. Externally, the Dean will maximize the strategic advantages of our New York City location, cultivating transformative partnerships with the tech, finance, and biotech sectors to catalyze innovation.

Administration and Infrastructure: In transitioning to an independent School, Courant has assumed new administrative authority and responsibility. The Dean will ensure that the School has the resources, infrastructure, staffing, and processes to flourish and support future growth and expansion. At the same time, the Dean will work collaboratively with the President, Provost, and other senior leaders of NYU to advance institutional priorities such as the strategic pathways.

QUALIFICATIONS AND CHARACTERISTICS

The Courant Institute School seeks in its new Dean an inspiring leader who combines a strong academic background, an appreciation for Courant’s unique strengths, as well as the passion and energy to chart its future. In addition to scholarly distinction and administrative experience, the successful candidate will be an enterprising and collaborative leader, who is committed to building up the School, and strengthening its connections to the rest of NYU and the global community, alongside a strong and competent team. Nominees or applicants must hold an earned doctorate with scholarly credentials suitable for tenure at the rank of Professor in a department within the Courant Institute School. The search committee understands that no single candidate may have all of the ideal qualifications, but it seeks candidates with the following experience and abilities:

A Distinguished Scholar and Leader

• An excellent record of scholarly achievement and commitment to education to earn credibility within the Courant community.
• Impeccable academic judgment with a record of appreciating and nurturing excellence across the three disciplines at the heart of the school.
• Ability to think strategically and catalyze ambitious goals, with evidence of seeding and nurturing large-scale initiatives.
• A future-oriented view of research and teaching, in particular, on the use of emerging technologies and AI.

A Skilled Organizational Leader

• A successful track record in administrative leadership, commensurate with leading an entity such as the new Courant School; strong management and financial acumen.
• A robust record of participating in the recruitment and retention of exceptional faculty across multiple disciplines.
• The ability to delegate, prioritize, make difficult decisions, and build a strong team.
• Outstanding listening and communication skills; experience in building consensus and nurturing a cohesive community.

A Champion and Fundraiser for the School

• Ability and commitment to vigorously raise funds from a variety of sources, public and private.
• Record of building relationships with donors and partners, including industry.

A University Citizen and a Citizen of the World

• Commitment to building connections across the school, the University and with its partners.
• Evidence of developing cross-disciplinary initiatives.
• Ability to leverage partnerships around the world to advance NYU’s and the School’s missions.