Executive Director of Industry Research and Research Strategy

The Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) is dedicated to fostering a dynamic research environment that enables approximately 100 tenure-track and tenured faculty, and their research groups, to pursue groundbreaking science and innovation. 

Reporting to the SEAS Dean for Research, SEAS seeks an Executive Director of Industry Research and Research Strategy to develop strategic research collaborations and facilitate the development of large-scale interdisciplinary research alliances with industry and foundations. 

The Executive Director’s primary role will be to enhance SEAS’s industry research funding portfolio, including industry-sponsored research and industry gifts for research. The Executive Director will also engage with foundations that fund research through grants or gifts and with individual donors seeking to fund SEAS research. This will be done in coordination with various SEAS and University offices, including the SEAS dean’s office, Office of the Vice Provost for Research (OVPR), Office of Technology Development (OTD), and relevant development offices.

This position plays a critical role in strengthening SEAS’s research enterprise by supporting faculty in securing industry research funding, building research capacity, and promoting interdisciplinary collaboration. The Executive Director will foster SEAS’s partnerships with industry partners, external entities, and internal stakeholders to advance the school’s research mission. The Executive Director will also oversee the SEAS Office of Industry Research and Research Strategy.

Job-Specific Responsibilities:

• Create proactive strategic plan for research engagement with industry, including a prioritized group of companies and an engagement plan for each. 
• Engage with industry to develop research opportunities, building long-term research relationships with industry stakeholders in senior leadership, research and development, and advanced science/product business units.
• Plan and develop large-scale (multi-$M) research alliances with industry in collaboration with relevant faculty.
• Partner with faculty to write/develop research white papers and research proposals for industry at multiple scales, from individual-scale projects to large-scale research alliances.
• Present SEAS’s research directions and scientific overviews of relevant faculty projects in meetings with industry, seeking alignment with industry needs and interests.
• With OVPR/OTD, develop new flexible and agile models of contractual engagement with industry, including terms and conditions related to intellectual property, investment rights, etc. that are acceptable to the University and SEAS. 
• Finalize SEAS-specific terms and conditions of industry sponsored research agreements or gift agreements in collaboration with school/university offices. 
• Perform similar strategic planning on all points above for scientific engagement with foundations who fund academic research. 
• Build and maintain relationships with SEAS faculty to understand, document, and synthesize their latest scientific research directions as applicable to industry.
• Oversee the Office of Industry Research and Research Strategy at SEAS, including setting and communicating the strategic priorities for the office and managing and developing the staff.
• Disseminate research opportunities to faculty, including regular/annual Calls for Proposals, from industry sponsors and foundations.
• Build relationships for complex center grants, particularly those with industry, federal or state government, and academia components.

Working Conditions:

The work will be performed primarily in an office environment on campus. Local, national and occasional international travel may be required. 

Physical Requirements:

Ability to travel as needed.