The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara) seeks to appoint a collaborative and dynamic leader, scholar, and visionary thinker as the Chair of its newly founded Department of Bioengineering. The new Chair will join a highly successful public research university committed to the principles of research and teaching excellence; interdisciplinary education; and diversity, equity, and inclusion. This is an exciting and pivotal time in the Department of Bioengineering and the new Chair will lead in developing and expanding the department’s forward-looking vision of Innovating for Life. The Chair should have significant organizational leadership and administrative experience; demonstrated success and willingness to engage in external relations and fundraising; and credentials that merit appointment in the Department of Bioengineering at the rank of full professor.
Engineering for and from biology provides new solutions to improve human and global health. The questions of who designs these solutions, who we engineer for, and how these solutions impact society are important to our faculty. UC Santa Barbara understands that this is too important to the future of our society to be left to a single discipline or limited population -- and the Department of Bioengineering and our faculty are ready to address these questions head-on in authentic partnership with thought leaders across our campus and the world.
We seek a Chair who can espouse a clear and compelling vision of how to elevate our research mission, grow our department, foster faculty advancement and leadership, and elevate our reputation nationally while making use of UC Santa Barbara’s established excellence in collaborative research and shared facilities. UC Santa Barbara Engineering is home to the west coast hub of BioPACIFIC NSF Materials Innovation Platform for BioPolymers, the CIRM funded Stem Cell Institute, NSF Quantum Foundry, and the Materials Research Laboratory supported by 7 consecutive NSF Materials Research Science & Engineering Center Awards. New to our campus is a $32 million investment from DoD/NSF to establish the UCSB Biofoundry, and an $8 million investment from NIH and the Beckman Foundation to support a cryo-electron microscopy core facility - both initiatives led by Bioengineering faculty.
UC Santa Barbara is a premier top-5 public research university, and Bioengineering is the newest department in its highly ranked College of Engineering. The College counts among its faculty 2 Nobel laureates, 17 members of the National Academy of Engineering, 5 members of the National Academy of Science, and 16 Fellows of the National Academy of Inventors. The Department of Bioengineering comprises 11 core faculty, 9 who are jointly appointed across departments. Multiple faculty have received recognition as Fellows of major professional organizations including the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering, of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Biomedical Engineering Society, and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Our faculty includes multiple winners of major awards such as the NSF CAREER Award, the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, ACS Young Investigator Awards, DOE Early Career Award, DARPA Young Faculty Award, the Breast Cancer Alliance Young Investigator Award, Scialog Fellow, NIH R35 MIRA, DoD Discovery Award, a Beckman Foundation Award, and National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia & Depression Young Investigator Award. Bioengineering also houses an NSF NRT in Data Driven Biology and an NIH T32 in Quantitative Mechanobiology which support pre-doctoral research training and professional development in these themes.
The ideal candidate will be a talented leader and scholar with a keen understanding of current issues, challenges, and opportunities in higher education and research, and demonstrate proficiency in cross disciplinary collaboration, leveraging expertise across various departments within the College and exemplifying the collaborative spirit for which UC Santa Barbara is known; enabling the Bioengineering Department to punch above its weight class via its uniqueness and productivity. The ideal candidate will be self-motivated and eager to work with our community to address issues of societal importance through surprising and creative applications of Bioengineering and one who sees the unique opportunity the Department presents. We are seeking a collaborative leader with a robust record of extramural funding and a proven ability to establish new partnerships, both within the University and beyond. Our department seeks to establish new connections and also to build upon existing strengths and collaborations, for example, the Army’s Institute for Collaborative Biotechnology and DoD Biofoundry, the new NSF Biofoundry for Exceptional and Extreme Fungi, Bacteria, and Archaea (ExFAB), the new cryo-electron microscopy core for life sciences, the Center for Integrated Nano Systems, the Center for Engineering and Science Partnerships, the Center for Black Studies Research, the Neuroscience Research Institute, the Center for Stem Cell Biology and Engineering, the Institute for Energy Efficiency, the NSF Materials Research Laboratory and beyond.
The new Chair should embrace and address the following opportunities and challenges:
- Develop and articulate a bold and forward-looking shared vision for Bioengineering at UC Santa Barbara.
- Be committed to shared governance and to the collective participation of all faculty members in decision making and in shaping the department’s future, and be skilled at identifying and building consensus.
- Foster a diverse, equitable, and inclusive community for faculty, students, and staff, and advocate for their wellbeing and success.
- Proactively lobby for the Department of Bioengineering across all levels of the campus administration and promote conditions for research and pedagogic excellence and innovation.
- Provide support to ensure excellence of our faculty who work across a range of disciplines.
Successful candidates will demonstrate evidence of a commitment to equity and inclusion in their application materials, including the Statement of Diversity. Bioengineering at UC Santa Barbara understands that bioengineering and biotechnology intersect society in many complex ways but that by striving to be a place where every student, faculty, and staff can grow and thrive we will position ourselves to best be able to take on these challenges together.
Role of the Chair of Bioengineering
Reporting to the Dean of the College of Engineering, the Chair leads in the development of the highest standard of excellence in research and scholastic excellence. The Chair will collaborate with the Dean of the College of Engineering, other Department Chairs, and other leaders at UC Santa Barbara and in the UC system to envision the future of Bioengineering at UC Santa Barbara. The Chair will also represent UC Santa Barbara at the UC Systemwide Bioengineering Institute of California, comprised of representatives from bioengineering departments and programs at all 10 UC campuses.
Applicants should have a demonstrated record of excellence in high-quality research, teaching, and service. Applicants with a demonstrated record of interest in, and commitment to, the mentorship of students from underrepresented and underserved populations will be given particular attention. We seek a scientist, educator, and leader working in cutting-edge areas to help our department and the broader University prepare our students and position us for the future. The University is especially interested in candidates who can contribute to the diversity and excellence of the academic community through research, teaching and service as appropriate to the position.
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