Assistant Research Professor

Occupational Summary: We are seeking applications for Associate Director/Asst Professor for Duke University’s “Harnessing AI for Understanding & Designing Materials (aiM)” program as assistant research professor level (a regular rank non-tenure track appointment), a position initially funded through a National Science Foundation Research Traineeship (NRT). The aiM program is a convergent research training program addressing the NSF Big Idea of Harnessing the Data Revolution to train a diverse group of students as the next generation materials workforce through integration of artificial intelligence methods to enable data-driven discovery and design of new materials. The Associate Director will be responsible for overseeing the planning, communication, implementation, and evaluation of the training program in close collaboration with the faculty team and internal/external program evaluators. The Associate Director is responsible for managing all recruiting, educational, and training activities, and builds and maintains positive and effective working relationships with stakeholders crucial to the success of the aiM NRT program. The successful candidate should demonstrate a strong previous research record and be ready to collaborate on and lead educational research efforts. They should also be committed to facilitating learning and acting as a mentor and advisor for research. This position offers an opportunity that integrates creativity and leadership at the intersection of graduate education, physical science, and data science. The position has an initial appointment funded for three years. The position may be renewed and achieve promotion from Assistant to Associate to Full Research Professor based on performance metrics and availability of funding.

Work Performed

Project Management (30%)

Work collaboratively and effectively to promote teamwork, diversity, equality and inclusiveness. In the performance of duties, take initiative and operate with self-direction in a fast-paced environment. Work in partnership with colleagues within the Duke community and across the campus to support the aiM NRT program’s priorities. Perform other duties as assigned in support of the mission and goals of the program. The Associate Director works under the direct supervision of the aiM NRT program leadership. The Associate Director may supervise part-time student assistants. Manage administrative support and accounting for the PI, Co-PIs, Senior Personnel, and the budget for the aiM NRT program. This includes student appointments, P-Card management, travel management, and procurement processes. Assist in collecting project data, inputting data into the NSF reporting website, and writing of required NRT annual reports in collaboration with the Program Evaluator. Assist the aiM internal and external Evaluators with program evaluation, including recruitment, research and training highlights, and assessment data. Specific tasks may include collecting items such as trainee lists with contact info, manuscripts, theses, and presentations, communicating with the internal evaluator on upcoming training events, and scheduling interviews with program participants.

Program Management (40%)

Manage day-to-day program functions of the NRT program. Program management will be aimed at coordinating a busy, diverse, and growing population of graduate student trainees as they move through an innovative, collaboration-rich and assessment-intensive program over a multi-year period, and seeing that they receive quality, safe and productive training experiences both within and outside of the campus environment. Organize the preparation/distribution of documents associated with the NRT program, and more particularly, items such as traineeship documents and records (student IDPs, internship agreements, outreach opportunities, research and training highlights, etc.), informational materials for program marketing and for the advisory boards. Organize and create the agenda for on-campus and off-campus NRT meetings for program research groups and committees (Leadership Team, Steering Committee, Duke Internal Advisory Board, External Advisory Board). The Associate Director may be expected to participate in conferences, seminars, and other relevant meetings to promote the NRT program. Maintain active student recruitment efforts, especially for underrepresented minority and women populations. This includes managing the program’s own marketing tools: ●a program website designed to be attractive and helpful to college students seeking a challenging transdisciplinary graduate program in materials and data science; ●posters sent to relevant departments nationwide for STEM undergraduates at various colleges and universities; ●active recruitment through aiM hosted summer bootcamps at Duke for interested undergraduate upperclassmen; ●active recruitment through professional society events (both disciplinary and those serving demographic segments) such as IEEE, RSS, ACS, ASME, etc.; ●a master database of all interested students maintained by the NRT coordinator.

Educational Responsibilities (15%)

Develop and facilitate courses and student activities, including development and distribution of outreach, professional development, and education materials and opportunities to NRT Fellows. AD may also act as instructor or co-instructor for project base coursework for the program. Work with students in development and annual review of student educational Individual Development Plans (IDPs) to ensure both broad and deep progress toward individual training and professional goals. Provide direct mentoring for poster and verbal presentations. Develop and coordinate an array of short workshop-like professional and technical skill development programs for trainees, which supplement formal coursework and continue for the duration of each student’s PhD. Organize and run program activities, including speaker invitations, boot camps, regular workshops and seminars, and potential NRT retreats. Coordinate with industry and national labs for the development of internship opportunities, participation in the annual Industry Day, and placement of students in internships.

Research Activities (15%)

Conduct materials science or educational research with science and engineering students and program community. Contribute to seeking and submitting grant proposals to support research activities associated with the program or more broadly in the department.

Physical Demands/Working Conditions: •Typical office environment. •This position may require working some evenings and weekends, as well as travel (including the annual NRT program meeting)

A conferred Ph.D. degree in Education, Public Administration, Materials Science, Computer Science, or related field is required with extensive experience with graduate education and grants management. Training in Duke specific systems for administration of fellowships and project management will be provided in the first 12 months of hire and continuously updated as needed.

Experience

Expertise in fields related to education, physics, chemistry, engineering, mathematics, statistics, or computer science is desirable.

Experience in field-based education, hands-on experiential teaching, curriculum development, and/or program assessment are a plus.

Experience with electronic and web-based workflows to collaborate with other Duke staff is a plus Experience in coordinating large interdisciplinary research projects/programs is preferred. Experience in marketing and communications for academic or technology activities is preferred. Experience in writing and/or coordinating reports for multifaceted research programs or consulting studies is preferred.

Skills:

Successful candidates must have excellent organizational, planning, written and verbal communication, and interpersonal skills to work with a broad range of professionals. •Proficiency with the use of computers, including working with databases, spreadsheets, and cloud file systems, is required.

Knowledge of university and government policies and procedures regarding research and education is preferred.

Additional Details:

The official Duke Title for this position will be Assistant Research Professor

Interested candidates should upload a letter of interest, a CV (including relevant course work, research experience, administrative experience, and teaching experience), and contact information for 2-3 professional references with their applications.

Term Limited Position: This is a 3-year position, which will begin with a 52-week appointment, funded for one year from the date of appointment, with intention to renew for up to 3 years pending satisfactory performance. This position is fully funded through a targeted end date of 2026.

Additional information about the aiM NRT program can be found at https://aim-nrt.pratt.duke.edu . The intent of this job description is to provide a representative and level of the types of duties and responsibilities that will be required of positions given this title and shall not be construed as a declaration of the total of the specific duties and responsibilities of any particular position. Employees may be directed to perform job-related tasks other than those specifically presented in this description. Essential Physical Job Functions Certain jobs at Duke University and Duke University Health System may include essential job functions that require specific physical and/or mental abilities. Additional information and provision for requests for reasonable accommodation will be provided by each hiring department.
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