Position Title:
Director, Data Science & Analysis Hub

Job Category:
Academic Administrator

Type of Position:
Tenure Eligible

Full Consideration Date:
Friday, March 17, 2023

Advertising Started on:
Friday, February 10, 2023

Department:
Academic Affairs

Full/Part Time Status:
Full Time

Service Schedule:
Calendar Year

Position Description:
The University of Northern Iowa (UNI) seeks applicants for the inaugural Director of Data Science and Analysis Hub position, starting in August 2023. The successful candidate will be appointed to a tenured position as an Associate or Full Professor in one of UNI’s existing departments. Primary responsibilities include serving as the inaugural hub director; teaching 1-2 undergraduate courses per semester in data science/analysis and/or for home department; and conducting publishable research.The director will work collaboratively to plan, develop, name, and launch the hub; and will be expected to operationalize a vision for the hub by systematically pursuing communally-vetted goals. Additional information about the position, current data science and data analysis initiatives at UNI, and the UNI community can be found at the following webpage: https://data-hub-director.uni.edu/

UNI is poised to develop new courses, majors, minors, certificates, and outreach initiatives in data science and data analysis. The director will be asked to work with faculty and staff to create connections spanning the campus to help create these programs. The director will be responsible for creating a vision for the study of data science and data analysis at UNI. Our aim is to embed data science and data analysis in most majors. Currently, UNI offers a data analytics major in the College of Business, an interdisciplinary data science minor, a data science emphasis in Physics, and a general education certificate in data science. UNI recently was awarded a $364,000 grant to establish an on-campus high performance computing facility. In addition, support for Big Data is a featured component of UNI’s $250 million comprehensive campaign.

The University of Northern Iowa provides a high-quality education, purposefully guiding students to find and develop their strengths and prepare them for success after college. We have a bold vision that we will be a more diverse and inclusive campus community that provides an engaged education empowering students to lead locally and globally. As we advance our work to become a more equity-oriented institution and realize our vision, we seek to elevate the diversity of our faculty across disciplines, departments, and colleges and to build a more inclusive teaching and learning environment.

Education Requirements:
Ph.D. in a field relevant to data science and data analysis required.

Required Qualifications:
Applicants must demonstrate evidence of scholarship, teaching, and service appropriate for the rank. Other required qualifications include demonstrated effectiveness as a leader of a collaborative team; demonstrated organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills; a record of excellence in teaching with evidence of a student-focused approach; evidence of experience with hands-on data science or data analysis; and evidence to suggest they are able to build relationships to effectively lead and guide the growth and development of academic programs and curriculum.

Desirable Qualifications:
Preference will be given to candidates with demonstrated experience in budget management; demonstrated success in grant writing; evidence of research, teaching, and/or service that positively advances issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion; and an ability to teach courses that complement and enhance the existing curriculum.