The Leadership Opportunity
In a moment of tremendous opportunity for impact in higher education, scientific discovery, and research excellence, and with a historic investment from New York State to support the growth of its research enterprise, Stony Brook University seeks a compelling and visionary leader to serve as its next Vice President for Research and Innovation (VPRI). Reporting directly to President Andrea Goldsmith, and working in close collaboration with Provost Carl Lejuez, Executive Vice President for Stony…
Brook Medicine William Wertheim, the Deans of Stony Brook's Schools and Colleges, and the leadership of its academic health system, the next VPRI will work to elevate and amplify the reach and impact of the entirety of Stony Brook’s research enterprise and advance its deep ties with key partners such as Brookhaven National Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, the New York Climate Exchange, and industry and community organizations in the region. The next VPRI will also be charged with bolstering Stony Brook’s notable state, federal, and foundation funding with private-sector partnerships, expanding clinical research and trials, and significantly accelerating commercialization and innovation activity. This leader will be pivotal in advancing Stony Brook’s position as New York’s #1 public university, with a particular focus on reimagining how a top-tier public research institution can collaborate with industry, national labs, and state partners to drive breakthrough discoveries, innovations, new enterprise creation, and significant economic development.
The role calls for an ambitious, collaborative, and strategic leader with the capacity to inspire a broad range of stakeholders around the future possibilities for Stony Brook’s research excellence and impact. Stony Brook’s next VPRI will be capable of fostering novel interdisciplinary collaborations and delivering results across a complex ecosystem of cross-sector partnerships that spans the entirety of Stony Brook’s research enterprise, from clinical trials to basic science, foundational discovery to translational impact, and disciplines that range across and between medicine, engineering, the humanities, and physical, life, and social sciences. To meet its ambitions and unlock its full potential, Stony Brook’s next VPRI will strive to evolve its operating model, ensuring that Stony Brook's research and innovation enterprise can better serve and support its faculty, researchers, students, and staff to foster a new phase of growth and impact.
This is an opportunity to lead a research enterprise that is poised to make significant investments through New York State’s bold agenda and at an institution that prizes ambition, collaboration, and excellence. Stony Brook seeks a VPRI who will truly elevate its research mission, positioning the university as a global leader in research and innovation.
Stony Brook University Today
Stony Brook University is a flagship of the State University of New York (SUNY) system and is the top public university in New York State. With nearly 26,000 students, more than 2,900 faculty members, over 200,000 alumni, and a premier academic healthcare system, Stony Brook is a distinguished center of innovation dedicated to addressing the world’s biggest challenges. Stony Brook is internationally recognized for its research and medical programs and is a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU). In 2026, U.S. News & World Report ranked Stony Brook as the #59 overall university and #26 among public universities.
Stony Brook University is located approximately 60 miles east of Manhattan on Long Island’s beautiful North Shore. Situated on 1,454 acres, the campus encompasses 12 schools and colleges; a Research and Development Park; a host of centers and institutes that range in focus from education, arts, and culture to STEM, business, and medicine. The University also includes Stony Brook Medicine, Long Island’s premier academic health system, encompassing five health sciences schools, four hospitals, 200 community-based healthcare settings, and a growing number of clinical affiliations. Stony Brook University has an additional teaching and research campus in Southampton, New York, which is home to graduate arts programs, health sciences professional programs, and the Marine Sciences Center. Since 1998, Stony Brook, in partnership with Battelle, has managed Brookhaven National Laboratory, one of only 17 Department of Energy national labs, with many faculty members holding joint appointments.
Stony Brook is nationally recognized for academic excellence and for promoting student social mobility with a proud history of undergraduate student success. The University’s distinguished faculty have earned esteemed awards such as the Nobel Prize, the Fields Medal, the Pulitzer Prize, the Indianapolis Prize for Animal Conservation, the Abel Prize, and the Breakthrough Prize in Mathematics. In 2023, Stony Brook was named the anchor institution for The New York Climate Exchange, a historic partnership to build an international climate solutions center on Governors Island in New York City.
Stony Brook’s growing endowment, nearing $1 billion, will propel the University’s efforts in education, research, and service. Since the historic $500 million Simons Infinity Investment was announced in June 2023, (10) endowed chairs and professorships, (1) endowed dean, and (24) new endowed scholarships and fellowships have been established.
Stony Brook’s Research and Innovation Portfolio
As one of two designated flagship universities of the State University of New York (SUNY) system and as a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), Stony Brook University stands among the nation's leading public research institutions. A Tier 1 research university and the largest single-site employer on Long Island, Stony Brook's research and innovation enterprise is a vital catalyst for the region's economy, health, and culture, translating discovery into impact across the life sciences, quantum information, clean energy, artificial intelligence, and beyond.
Research by the Numbers
- $372M in annual research and development expenditures
- $8.93B in annual economic impact on Long Island
- 3,000+ research faculty
- 2,000+ sponsored awards
- 900+ U.S. patents issued
- 259 active clinical trials
- ~$280M in all-time royalty income received
- 4 Nobel Prizes linked to Stony Brook research
Strategic Partnership with Brookhaven National Laboratory
For nearly three decades, Stony Brook has cultivated a singular relationship with Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), a U.S. Department of Energy national lab located less than 20 miles from campus. The partnership encompasses joint faculty appointments, shared access to world-class instrumentation, and a long-running SBU–BNL Seed Grant Program, which in 2025 awarded nearly nine collaborative projects spanning agentic AI, quantum networking, atmospheric science, and advanced materials. This proximity and integration give Stony Brook researchers a competitive edge in pursuing high-impact, mission-critical science.
The Candidate Profile
The next Vice President for Research and Innovation will play a pivotal role in positioning Stony Brook as one of the nation's most impactful research universities. This leader will accelerate sponsored research growth, diversify Stony Brook’s funding portfolio, and elevate translational, clinical, and basic science capabilities. They will advance a modern, data-driven research infrastructure that spans the entirety of Stony Brook’s research enterprise, shared core facilities, and the academic medical center, reducing administrative friction and ensuring the highest level of compliance across a range of complex regulatory environments. Just as importantly, the next VPRI will serve as a trusted partner and strategist with the ability to articulate a compelling vision, guide cultural and structural change, and forge collaborations that translate discovery into impact.
Stony Brook’s next Vice President for Research and Innovation will be a successful leader with many of the following attributes, characteristics, and experiences:
- Intellectual stature and curiosity, with a distinguished record of scholarship and funded research or other meaningful exposure to the dynamics of a top-tier research enterprise, alongside the ability to articulate a vision for the future of research. Prior engagement with biomedical and/or clinical research is preferred.
- Demonstrated success as an administrative, executive, and/or operational leader in a context of significant complexity and commensurate scope and scale, with the ability to build and lead high-performing teams across a broad area of oversight.
- A deep understanding of and passion for the research process, faculty and researcher needs, and an academically rigorous culture rooted in excellence and impact.
- Strong communication and interpersonal engagement skills, with the ability to effectively partner and build trust with a broad range of stakeholder constituencies.
- Proven ability to develop and advance effective collaborations, with experience fostering both internal and external partnerships.
- Demonstrated understanding of corporate partnerships, innovation ecosystems, and venture creation, with the judgment to engage the private sector in ways that drive impact while protecting academic values; prior engagement with research development, technology transfer, and commercialization is preferred.
- Familiarity with federal, foundation, and industry-funded research processes and structures, including federal research regulations, compliance, sponsored programs, and post-award processes.
The Search Process
Spencer Stuart, a global executive search and leadership advisory firm, has been retained by Stony Brook University to help identify and recruit the new Vice President for Research and Innovation. All inquiries, nominations, and applications (CVs and letters of interest) should be sent electronically and in confidence to: StonyBrookVPRI@SpencerStuart.com.
This is a Preview Listing…
You must sign in to see the full job description, and to apply.
Manage / Upgrade this job to a Full Job Listing.
Find Your Best Opportunity
Tell them AcademicJobs.com sent you!
 jobs.svg){kind=logo}
