Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Research

• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Bargaining Unit:
• Regular/Temporary: Regular
• End Date if Temporary:
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Standard Work Schedule:
• Building:
• Salary Range: $85,000 - $90,000 Annually

Position Summary

The Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Research is a newly created role within Columbia's Undergraduate Research and Fellowships office (URF), established to support the unit's growth and its mission to support research and build capacity to meaningfully support research across disciplines.

Working in close collaboration with the Associate Dean, the Assistant Dean will take on substantial programmatic and administrative responsibility, with a particular focus on URF's research programming. Beyond program delivery, this role calls for a genuine commitment to student success: the Assistant Dean will guide undergraduates navigating research for the first time, develop intentional outreach strategies to reach students who might not otherwise access these opportunities, and foster a culture in which inquiry, and the critical thinking and creative scholarship that research engagement requires are seen as core parts of the Columbia undergraduate experience.

Responsibilities

Program Management

• Oversee and manage applications for research opportunities and essay prizes.
• Administer research programs, which includes developing and running programs, cultivating faculty participation, facilitating mentor-mentee relationships, advising students, and managing the application process.
• Play an active role in identifying and developing new research opportunities for students during the academic year.
• Handle logistical coordination for undergraduate research engagements, including orientation programming, tracking of participant data, and other steps required prior to the launch of the research programs.
• Build and run workshop programming for summer undergraduate researchers, as well as ongoing sessions throughout the year for students at various stages of their research journey.
• Build on partnerships within and beyond Columbia that will allow URF to expand the variety of research experiences available. Collaborations might include working with Columbia’s Global Centers, working with the Core, developing and deepening relationships with our graduate schools.
• Support advising and day-to-day management of URF programming and funding opportunities.

Outreach and Communications

• Support students in Scholar/cohort-based programs, including students who write for the undergraduate research blog;
• Work with students who are interested in writing about their undergraduate research experiences, either for URF or via other undergraduate research journals available to them;
• Contribute to annual events such as the Academic Resources Fair, the Undergraduate Research Symposium, etc.
• Maintain and grow URF's social media presence, with attention to clear, compelling communication about programs, deadlines, opportunities, and student achievements.
• Build relationships across campus — with student organizations, faculty, and departments — to ensure that awareness of research opportunities reaches students well before they think to look for them.
• Work in partnership with University Communications and academic units to tell the story of what Columbia undergraduates are doing in labs, archives, studios, and fields around the world.

Undergraduate Research Advising

• Meet individually with students who are exploring or actively pursuing research — helping them identify the right opportunities, understand what's expected of them, and put their best work forward in applications and presentations.
• Create and lead programming specifically for first- and second-year students who are earlier in the process of figuring out what research can look like for them.
• Build sustained, evidence-based approaches to recruiting and retaining students from underrepresented groups into research across all four of Columbia's undergraduate divisions.
• Develop programming to support students exploring postgraduate research opportunities, in particular with regard to postgraduate study, including developing relationships with Columbia graduate schools.

Administration

• Work alongside URF colleagues to support grant application processes in the fall, spring, and summer cycles.
• Help build and refine the operational infrastructure of the office — from database management and record-keeping to improving how programs are tracked and reported over time.
• Take part in the office's ongoing assessment work and data analysis, tracking, gathering and synthesizing evidence of program impact and the student/department experience to inform both internal strategy and external reporting to University stakeholders and donors.
• Share insights from URF's work through contributions and presentations at relevant meetings and events.

Other duties as assigned

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Demonstrated understanding of research methodologies and scholarly practices across multiple disciplines; ability to advise students on research processes including identifying opportunities, developing proposals, and presenting findings.
• Minimum of four to six years of teaching, advising, or administrative experience in a university setting, with an emphasis on student programming and direct student interaction; relevant graduate assistantships will be considered.
• Proven experience organizing events and facilitating workshops, information sessions, and group programs.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively and enthusiastically with students, faculty, and administrators in a hands-on, collaborative environment.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, along with the organizational capacity to manage competing priorities without losing attention to detail.

*Some evening and weekend availability is required for program events*

**Applications submitted without a resume or cover letter will not be reviewed**

Preferred Qualifications

• Ph.D. in any discipline strongly preferred.
• Experience reviewing research funding proposals and making allocation decisions across disciplines.
• Demonstrated ability to work with first-generation college students and other underserved populations; experience supporting students navigating transitions from high school to college or undergraduate to graduate study.
• Proficiency with or ability to quickly learn a range of software platforms, databases, and application management systems.
• Knowledge of the academic landscape and some familiarity with how undergraduate research is supported at peer institutions, through federal agencies, and/or at universities abroad.
• Experience handling confidential and sensitive information with discretion and sound professional judgment.
• Experience working with budgets, financial reports, and foundations.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to manage multiple complex projects independently and meet deadlines.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.