Director, Center for Data Science
Job no: 497581
Position type: full-time
Location: Lewisburg, PA
Categories: Other, Academic Affairs
Director, Center for Data Science
Bucknell University invites nominations and applications for the inaugural position of Director of the Dominguez Center for Data Science. Reporting directly to the Associate Provost for Research and Creative Inquiry, the Director will play a pivotal role in launching the Center and shaping its future at the University. As an intellectual and administrative torchbearer, the Director will guide the Center from its early stages to a recognized institution of excellence. The role encompasses a broad spectrum of responsibilities ranging from setting a forward-looking vision, to establishing the Center’s foundation, all the while collaborating with diverse and engaged community stakeholders.
The new Dominguez Center for Data Science will launch in 2024, and with it, programming that leverages curriculum, research, and the expertise of faculty from all three of Bucknell’s colleges. The Dominguez Center for Data Science prepares Bucknell students to solve global problems in a digital age and enables the integration of data science into programs across the University. By emphasizing the practical application of data in innovative ways, the Center teaches students to push beyond the assumed boundaries of data as a discipline. Students can expect real-world, hands-on learning experiences that prepare them for 21st century careers and foster ethical data-driven decision making and creative problem solving.
Reporting to the Associate Provost for Research and Creative Inquiry, the Director of the Center for Data Science will work across the institution to lead this unique, interdisciplinary Center. The Director will elevate cross-college programming and research, expand existing expertise in data visualization for multidisciplinary initiatives, create pathways for community engagement, and develop a summer bridge program surrounding data science challenges to attract students from under-resourced schools. The Director will be both an intellectual and administrative leader, crafting a vision to take the Center from nascency to reality, setting the agenda and vision of the Center, building the organizational model, working collaboratively to bring together faculty and administration with a common purpose, attracting resources and external funding to achieve its potential for national recognition. Leveraging institutional trajectory, Bucknell’s talented faculty, and their connection to industry, the Director will work to position Bucknell as a hub of excellence that attracts top students, faculty, and research partners.
The ideal candidate will be a seasoned higher education administrator with a master’s degree (PhD preferred) in Data Science or a related field, and a minimum of seven-to-ten years of directly related experience. The Director will be a strategic thinker and dedicated, visionary leader who can foster transparent and collaborative working relationships among a diverse set of stakeholders. They will have a proven commitment to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion, and will be willing to contribute to the programs and initiatives that support Bucknell’s efforts to create an inclusive and equitable culture. Additionally, the Director will ideally have worked in both higher education and industry, have previous experience managing an academic center, and possess a record of accomplishment in business development and growth, including fundraising in either nonprofit or for-profit arenas. The Director will have a high EQ, energy, and stamina; a deep respect for the Bucknell community; and a dedication to growing and fostering a vibrant, diverse, and inclusive community.
Bucknell is committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse community and promotes all its members’ full participation and inclusion. Grounded in the belief that diversity challenges assumptions, opens minds, and unlocks collective potential to solve any problem, the Director will share the University’s mission to create and sustain a campus community that welcomes, understands, supports, and celebrates diversity of all kinds.
This is a full-time position that will be performed on site in Pennsylvania. Salary commensurate with experience with a generous benefits package.
For best consideration, please send all nominations and applications, which should include a résumé /CV and letter of interest, electronically and in confidence, to:
Carly Rose DiGiovanni, Managing Associate
Ruth Shoemaker Wood, Managing Director
Erin Meissner, Senior Associate
BucknellDirectorDS@storbecksearch.com
For more information about Bucknell, please visit the University’s website at Bucknell.edu.
Bucknell University is committed to excellence through diversity in its faculty, staff, and students. An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer, Bucknell University especially welcomes applications from candidates underrepresented groups in higher education.
About Bucknell
Founded in 1846 and located along the banks of the Susquehanna River in historic Lewisburg, Pa., Bucknell University is an undergraduate-focused institution that stands uniquely at the intersection of top-ranked liberal arts, engineering and management programs. Our students choose from more than 60 majors and 70 minors in the arts, engineering, humanities, management, and natural and social sciences, as well as extensive global study, service-learning and research opportunities. Bucknell’s 3,700 undergraduate and 30 graduate students enjoy a low 9:1 student-faculty ratio and exceptional opportunities to collaborate with faculty mentors on scholarly and artistic projects.
Bucknell’s beautiful 450-acre campus includes first-rate facilities and is home to more than 90 percent of its undergraduate students. Student life is vibrant with about 200 student-run organizations, 27 NCAA Division I athletics teams, a robust arts culture, and a commitment among many of the students to community and global service work.
Bucknell is committed to fostering an environment that embraces diversity, equity and inclusion, and we seek candidates who will contribute to a climate that supports the growth and development of a diverse campus community. The University provides equal opportunity without regard to race, color, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, religion, national or ethnic origin, marital status, veteran status or disability in admissions, employment and in all of its educational programs and activities. We encourage individuals from historically underrepresented groups to apply.
The Community
Lewisburg (pop. 5,700) is located in central Pennsylvania and features beautiful Victorian homes, the restored art deco Campus Theatre (owned by the University), a variety of restaurants, shops and boutiques, and the Barnes & Noble at Bucknell University Bookstore. It is the seat of Union County, which has about 44,000 residents.
The city of Williamsport is about a 30-minute drive from campus, and Penn State University’s main campus is about an hour away, as is Harrisburg, Pennsylvania’s state capital. Bucknell is within a three-hour drive of New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, D.C.
The cost of living is low compared to that of major U.S. cities and suburbs. Bucknell’s surroundings yield fresh produce, cultural activities and events, and outstanding opportunities for outdoor activity on the Susquehanna River and in the nearby state parks and forests. The Lewisburg Area School District receives excellent reviews for its schools at all grade levels. Lewisburg Area High School consistently ranks among the top 50 high schools in Pennsylvania for SAT scores and statewide exams.