Associate Vice President for Research and Development Strategy

October 13, 2026

Dear Members of the Carnegie Mellon University Faculty,

Carnegie Mellon is establishing a new faculty leadership position within the Office of the Vice President for Research: Associate Vice President for Research Development and Strategy. The associate vice president is a critical role that will help to strengthen CMU’s ability to anticipate, shape and pursue ambitious research opportunities amid a rapidly changing funding environment. The role will provide university-wide leadership for major interdisciplinary initiatives, emerging funding models and complex, high-priority proposals.

Working across CMU’s colleges, schools, institutes, centers and administrative offices, the associate vice president will identify promising areas for collaboration; convene faculty and staff responsible for sponsor and partner engagement; and help develop compelling research visions, leadership structures and competitive proposals. The individual will establish and lead a university-wide research development team and operating model that complements existing capabilities across CMU. Initial priorities will include building a forward-looking portfolio of funding opportunities, supporting high-priority pursuits and developing the long-term strategy and infrastructure needed to expand CMU’s research development capacity.

This internal search is open to eligible CMU faculty with a distinguished record of research or creative activity, success securing external programs across multiple agencies and industry and experience contributing to complex interdisciplinary, multi-institutional or center-scale initiatives. The position will report to the Vice President for Research and serve as a member of the OVPR senior leadership team. The appointment will be for an initial three-year term with the option for renewal, and with final percent effort determined in consultation with the selected candidate and their academic leadership.

Applicants should submit a letter of interest describing their relevant experience and vision, a current CV, a brief description of a complex initiative they helped develop or lead, and the names of three references to ovprsearch@cmu.edu by November 1, 2026. Nominations and expressions of interest may be sent to the same address.

Sincerely,

Theresa S. Mayer
Vice President for Research
Carnegie Mellon University

Position and Candidate Specification

Carnegie Mellon University invites applications and nominations from current CMU tenure-line and research faculty for the inaugural position of Associate Vice President for Research Development and Strategy. The successful candidate will be an accomplished, collaborative and forward-looking faculty leader who will strengthen the university’s ability to anticipate emerging research opportunities, develop ambitious interdisciplinary initiatives and pursue complex, strategically important funding opportunities.

Reporting to the Vice President for Research and serving as a member of the Office of the Vice President for Research leadership team, the Associate Vice President will work across academic and administrative boundaries to translate CMU’s distinctive intellectual strengths into compelling research programs addressing consequential scientific, technological, creative and societal challenges. The AVP will establish and lead a university-wide research development team and collaborative operating model that complements the capabilities of CMU’s colleges, schools, institutes, centers and administrative offices.

Carnegie Mellon Research and Research Development Strategy

Carnegie Mellon is known for research that advances fundamental knowledge while addressing consequential scientific, technological, creative and societal challenges. From pioneering contributions in artificial intelligence, computer science and robotics to groundbreaking work in engineering, science, health, public policy, business, the humanities and the arts, CMU researchers have consistently redefined fields and created new possibilities for society.

The university’s research enterprise is distinguished by its interdisciplinary character and extensive relationships with federal agencies and laboratories, industry, foundations, nonprofit and philanthropic organizations, research consortia and other universities. Its portfolio spans fundamental, applied and translational research and includes major centers, institutes and applied research organizations such as the Software Engineering Institute, the National Robotics Engineering Center and the Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing Institute.

This work is taking place during a period of rapid change in the research funding environment. Federal priorities and funding mechanisms continue to evolve, while industry, foundations, nonprofit organizations and philanthropic funders are playing increasingly important roles in supporting ambitious research. Emerging models — including milestone-driven programs, test beds, translation accelerators, independent research organizations, consortia and public-private or public-philanthropic partnerships — require universities to identify opportunities earlier, form interdisciplinary teams and coordinate increasingly complex networks of collaborators and institutional support.

CMU has substantial research development expertise distributed across its colleges, schools, institutes, centers and administrative offices. The university now seeks to build upon these strengths through a collaborative, university-wide model focused on initiatives and proposals whose interdisciplinarity, scale, complexity or strategic importance extends beyond the capabilities of an individual academic unit.

The Associate Vice President for Research Development and Strategy will lead this effort, strengthening CMU’s ability to anticipate, shape and position for major opportunities well before formal solicitations are released. The AVP will establish an integrated research development capability connecting strategic opportunity identification, interdisciplinary team formation, sponsor and partner engagement, proposal development, project management, complex pre-award coordination, limited submissions and researcher development. This function will complement existing capabilities across the university while preserving the responsibilities of the offices charged with institutional review, approval, submission and external relationship management.

The Leadership Opportunity

CMU seeks a strategic, collaborative, entrepreneurial and externally engaged faculty leader to serve as its inaugural Associate Vice President for Research Development and Strategy. Reporting to the Vice President for Research, the AVP will provide university-wide leadership for major interdisciplinary research initiatives, emerging funding models and complex, high-priority proposals.

The AVP will work with faculty, deans, associate deans for research and other university leaders to identify areas in which CMU can establish or extend research leadership. The successful candidate will convene teams that draw upon complementary strengths from across the university and help those teams develop compelling research visions, effective leadership structures, partnership strategies and paths to long-term impact.

A central responsibility will be to strengthen CMU’s ability to recognize and prepare for significant opportunities before formal solicitations are issued. The AVP will monitor changes in the external funding environment, help the university assess emerging models and advise leaders about the institutional investments, infrastructure, partnerships, governance and organizational arrangements that major opportunities may require.

The AVP will also establish and lead a high-performing university-wide research development team. The team will provide tailored support for selected interdisciplinary, cross-college, center-scale, multi-institutional and otherwise strategically important initiatives. Its capabilities will include research strategy, proposal development, project management, complex pre-award and subrecipient coordination, limited submissions and researcher development.

During the first 18–24 months, the Associate Vice President will focus on building the research development team and university-wide operating model; establishing a forward-looking portfolio of major funding opportunities and interdisciplinary initiatives; launching support for an initial set of high-priority pursuits; and developing the longer-term strategy and infrastructure needed to strengthen CMU’s research development capacity.

This is an opportunity for an accomplished faculty leader to build a new university-wide function and help shape the next generation of ambitious research at Carnegie Mellon.

Priorities, Opportunities and Expectations

The inaugural Associate Vice President for Research Development and Strategy will advance CMU’s research enterprise by:

• Monitoring the evolving research funding environment, identifying significant opportunities and risks, and advising university leaders and the research community about their implications for CMU.
• Positioning CMU to pursue emerging funding and organizational models, including milestone-driven programs, test beds, translation initiatives, independent research organizations, consortia and cross-sector partnerships.
• Developing strategies to diversify CMU’s research support across federal agencies, industry, foundations, nonprofit organizations, philanthropy and other sources, including opportunities that combine support from multiple sectors.
• Helping university leaders evaluate the investments, infrastructure, partnerships, governance and organizational arrangements required for major new research opportunities.
• Working with faculty, deans, associate deans for research and other university leaders to identify and develop interdisciplinary and cross-college areas in which CMU can establish or extend research leadership.
• Convening teams that draw upon complementary strengths from across the university and helping them define compelling research visions, leadership structures, partnership strategies and paths to long-term impact.
• Identifying the academic, industry, government, nonprofit, philanthropic and community partners needed to build competitive interdisciplinary teams and initiatives.
• Developing strong working relationships with agencies, sponsors, program officers, foundations, nonprofit funders and prospective research partners in close collaboration with Government and Community Relations, the Center for Business Engagement, University Advancement, foundation relations and other offices responsible for CMU’s external relationships.
• Translating sponsor priorities, partner interests and funding intelligence into actionable guidance for faculty teams and university leaders.
• Establishing a tiered university-wide service model that prioritizes interdisciplinary, cross-college, center-scale, multi-institutional and other strategically important proposals whose scale or complexity extends beyond the capabilities of an individual academic unit.
• Leading the planning and development of selected proposals through research strategy, project management, writing and editing, graphics, internal and external review, and other tailored forms of support.
• Building an integrated complex pre-award capability that coordinates effectively among principal investigators, academic units, the Office of Sponsored Programs and other relevant university offices while preserving appropriate institutional review, approval and relationship-management responsibilities.
• Developing university-wide programs that prepare researchers to conceive, lead and sustain large-scale, interdisciplinary and cross-sector research initiatives.
• Creating pathways for promising faculty to lead center-scale proposals and programs based on their ideas, experience and leadership potential, recognizing the important roles that early- and mid-career faculty increasingly play in major research initiatives.
• Providing experiential development through initiative-design programs, proposal academies, sponsor strategy sessions, team-science workshops, leadership coaching, peer mentoring, mock reviews and site-visit preparation.
• Providing strategic oversight of CMU’s limited-submission and research-related institutional nomination processes and ensuring that internal selection processes are timely, transparent, equitable and aligned with sponsor requirements and university priorities.
• Recruiting and leading a high-performing research development team with expertise in research strategy, proposal development, project management, complex pre-award coordination, limited submissions and researcher development.
• Establishing a collaborative operating model that complements — and does not duplicate — the capabilities of CMU’s colleges, schools, institutes, centers and administrative offices.
• Developing transparent criteria for prioritizing support, along with clear service standards, intake processes, workload practices and mechanisms for faculty and stakeholder feedback.
• Assessing the function’s impact through measures such as strategic opportunities developed, interdisciplinary and cross-college teams formed, researchers supported, proposal quality, diversification of research support, awards and faculty satisfaction.

Candidate Profile

CMU’s inaugural Associate Vice President for Research Development and Strategy will be an accomplished faculty leader with many of the following attributes, qualifications and experiences:

• A current tenure-line or research faculty appointment at Carnegie Mellon University.
• A distinguished record of research, scholarship or creative activity and demonstrated success securing external support.
• Experience leading or making substantial contributions to complex, interdisciplinary, multi-institutional or center-scale research initiatives.
• The intellectual breadth and curiosity to recognize connections across disciplines and support forms of research, scholarship and creative activity beyond the candidate’s own field.
• A sophisticated understanding of the changing research funding environment and the ability to identify the implications of emerging priorities, mechanisms and organizational models for CMU.
• Experience developing complex proposals or working with translational, milestone-driven, cross-sector or other emerging funding approaches.
• Experience directing a research center, institute, consortium or major interdisciplinary program.
• Credibility and effectiveness in engaging federal agencies and laboratories, industry, foundations, nonprofit organizations, philanthropic funders, community partners and other universities.
• The ability to articulate ambitious research opportunities, build enthusiasm around a shared vision and translate promising ideas into well-organized initiatives and competitive proposals.
• Strong leadership, communication, facilitation and relationship-building skills, with the ability to work effectively across academic and administrative boundaries.
• Demonstrated ability to convene diverse groups, build trust, navigate competing interests and move complex initiatives toward timely decisions and results.
• Experience building and managing professional teams and mentoring faculty or other research leaders.
• A faculty-centered and service-oriented approach that respects the expertise and responsibilities of principal investigators, academic units and university offices.
• Sound judgment, integrity and a commitment to transparent and equitable institutional processes.
• The ability to make principled decisions about priorities and resources and to communicate those decisions clearly.
• An entrepreneurial and adaptable leadership style suited to establishing a new function, testing approaches and refining the model as university needs evolve.

The successful candidate will be strategic, collaborative, entrepreneurial, faculty-centered, service-oriented and externally engaged. They will be able to anticipate change, build trust throughout the university and translate ambitious ideas into initiatives that are intellectually compelling, operationally sound and positioned for external support.

Appointment

The Associate Vice President for Research Development and Strategy will report to the Vice President for Research and serve as a member of the Office of the Vice President for Research leadership team.

The position is anticipated to be a three-year, renewable administrative appointment at 50–75 percent effort, with the faculty appointment and remaining effort continuing in the individual’s home department or unit. Final effort, term, administrative supplement, teaching expectations and resource arrangements will be determined in consultation with the selected candidate, the candidate’s dean and department head, and the Vice President for Research.

The Search Process

This is an internal search open to eligible Carnegie Mellon University tenure-line and research faculty.

Applicants should submit:

• A letter describing their interest in the position, relevant leadership experience and vision for university-wide research development at CMU.
• A current curriculum vitae.
• A brief description of a complex or interdisciplinary initiative they helped develop or lead.
• The names of three references.

Nominations and expressions of interest may be submitted to ovprsearch@cmu.edu. Applications received by November 1, 2026, will receive full consideration. Nominations and expressions of interest may be sent to the same address.