The Leadership Opportunity:

In an era of unprecedented opportunity for higher education, scientific discovery, and research excellence—and with growing potential for collaboration both within and beyond the university—Vanderbilt University seeks a visionary Vice Provost for Research and Innovation (VPRI). This leader will help advance Vanderbilt’s bold vision for transformative growth and impact, creating new pathways for discovery, translation, and partnership.

Reporting directly to Provost C. Cybele Raver and working collaboratively with Vanderbilt’s Chancellor, Daniel Diermeier, the deans of Vanderbilt’s Schools and Colleges, the next VPRI will be charged with uniting federal and foundation funding with private-sector partnerships, accelerating translational research, and amplifying the reach and impact of Vanderbilt’s research enterprise. This leader will be pivotal in advancing Vanderbilt’s ambition to be the premier research institution in American higher education, with a particular focus on reimagining how universities collaborate with industry to drive breakthrough discoveries and innovations.

The role demands an ambitious, strategic thinker, and relational change agent—someone who can build trust, foster collaboration, and deliver results across a complex and diverse research ecosystem. While the University has established a highly respected research operation that consistently punches above its weight, its current systems and structures were developed for a smaller, less complex enterprise. Today’s ambitions require an evolved operational model, and under the next VPRI, Vanderbilt’s research enterprise will better serve and support its faculty, researchers, students, and staff to enter a new phase of growth and impact.

This is an opportunity to lead the research enterprise at a University that prizes ambition and excellence, is well-positioned to make significant investments, and is poised to become the defining institution of higher education for the 21st century. Vanderbilt seeks a leader who will not only steward its research mission but also elevate it—transforming ideas into impact and positioning the University as a global leader in innovation.

Candidate Profile:

The next Vice Provost for Research and Innovation will play a pivotal role in positioning Vanderbilt as a premier research institution. This leader will accelerate sponsored research growth, foster bold interdisciplinary initiatives, and advance commercialization, entrepreneurship, and industry partnerships. They will build a modern, data-driven research infrastructure that bridges centralized and decentralized activity, reduces administrative friction, and ensures compliance in a complex environment. Just as importantly, the next VPRI must be a trusted partner and strategist—able to articulate a compelling vision, lead cultural and structural change, and forge collaborations that translate discovery into impact.

Vanderbilt’s next Vice Provost for Research and Innovation will be a successful leader with many of the following attributes, characteristics, and experiences:

• Intellectual stature and curiosity, with the ability to both articulate a vision for the future of research in a leading university and to develop a pragmatic strategy in support of realizing that vision.
• Strong communication and interpersonal engagement skills, with the ability to effectively partner and build trust with a broad range of stakeholder constituencies.
• 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.
• Proven ability to develop and advance effective and fruitful internal and external collaborations.
• Demonstrated understanding of corporate partnerships, innovation ecosystems, and venture creation.
• Familiarity with federal research, foundation, and grant funding programs and processes, including federal research regulations, compliance, sponsored programs, and post-award processes; prior engagement with research development, technology transfer, and commercialization is preferred.

The Office of the Vice Provost for Research and Innovation

Vanderbilt stands at a transformational moment in the evolution of its research enterprise. Although the Office of Research shifted to VUMC following the 2016 separation, Vanderbilt’s research infrastructure—reinfused with strong support from the Provost and Chancellor—has rapidly rebuilt into a high-impact, nationally competitive operation.

Today, Vanderbilt is an R1 university with more than $1 billion in annual R&D expenditures and consistently rising rankings, recently climbing to 10th among private U.S. institutions and 24th overall in R&D spending. The Office of the Vice Provost for Research & Innovation (OVPRI) underpins this revitalized ecosystem, offering robust internal funding, proposal development, technology transfer, and partnerships spanning centers and institutes across campus. Highlights include:

• Historic Research Growth – R&D expenditures (VU + VUMC) now exceed $1B annually, with strong year-over-year growth in proposals, awards, and licensing activity.
• Building Innovation Momentum – FY2025 saw 298 invention disclosures, 226 licenses/options, and 53 U.S. patents—clear indicators of a robust and engaged faculty innovation ecosystem.
• High-Profile Federal Partnerships – Vanderbilt is a trusted partner to ARPA-H, the U.S. Army, Oak Ridge National Lab, and the Air Force Research Lab—relationships that give the university a seat at the table for major national research priorities.
• Competitive Internal Investment – Programs like Seeding Success, Scaling Success, and the Innovation Catalyst Fund have injected over $10M into faculty-led, high-potential research in the last four years alone, resulting in significant follow-on funding.

The University continues to deliver world-class multidisciplinary research—from biomedical breakthroughs and AI advances to space and defense electronics—while preserving seamless collaboration with VUMC in research, teaching, and innovation. Click here to learn more about Vanderbilt’s Office of the Vice Provost for Research and Innovation.

Research Portfolio: Broad and Competitive:

The breadth of our funding strengthens Vanderbilt’s position as a premier research university—nationally competitive, resilient across funding landscapes, and advancing innovation that spans medicine, engineering, education, and beyond.

• Broad Funding Portfolio: Vanderbilt’s research enterprise is powered by a diverse portfolio. Our faculty consistently secure highly competitive awards from across the federal landscape, demonstrating strength in every major research domain.
• National Reputation for Excellence: The NIH is our largest funder, reflecting Vanderbilt’s leadership in biomedical discovery. We also sustain robust support from the National Science Foundation, Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Department of Education, and state and local partners.
• Notable Research Strengths:
  • Biomedical discovery – imaging, neuroscience, pharmacology
  • Engineering – nanoscale materials, robotics
  • Computer science – cybersecurity, artificial intelligence
  • Education – leadership, policy, practice
  • Interdisciplinary research – climate and energy, health and society, anthropology and data science

Vanderbilt University Today

Vanderbilt University is a world-class research institution in Nashville, Tennessee, known for its innovative teaching, groundbreaking discoveries, and civic leadership. Its 11 schools and colleges offer students more than 65 undergraduate majors, a full range of graduate and professional degrees, and faculty who are acclaimed leaders in their fields. The 340-acre campus—an accredited arboretum just 1.5 miles from downtown—is home to groundbreaking interdisciplinary research, SEC athletics, and a community dedicated to free expression and civil discourse that lives by its motto, Crescere aude: dare to grow.

As a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities since 1950, Vanderbilt University is revered as a tight-knit academic community that punches well above its weight. Despite its modest size, it has achieved external research funding exceeding $1 billion, surpassing MIT and Stanford in research output while still delivering the highest caliber standards of undergraduate education in a strongly collaborative environment. This success stems from its core value of radical collaboration, a culture Chancellor Daniel Diermeier describes as “no sharp elbows,” where faculty, staff, and students both challenge and support one another. The One Vanderbilt spirit can also be seen in the enthusiastic support from Vanderbilt's global community of alumni and partners, which recently helped the University exceed a $3.2 billion fundraising goal.

Building on 150 years of achievement, Vanderbilt has launched its first new college in more than 40 years—the College of Connected Computing—and is expanding its reach through bold partnerships in New York City, West Palm Beach, and beyond. Its ambition is simple: to define and become the great university of the 21st century. Learn more about Vanderbilt’s ambitious growth initiatives here.