Senior Director for Science

Requisition Number: 72778

Location:

Boulder, Colorado

City:
Boulder

State:
Colorado

Employment Type:

Research Faculty

Schedule:

Full-Time

Date Posted: 16-Jun-2026

The Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at the University of Colorado Boulder invites nominations and applications for the newly created position of Senior Director for Science. The development of the position provides a unique opportunity to help define the future of one of the world's premier space research institutions.

As a key member of the laboratory's executive leadership team, reporting directly to the Director of LASP, the Senior Director for Science will shape LASP's long-term scientific vision, champion emerging research frontiers, cultivate scientific excellence across a multidisciplinary community, and help position the laboratory to lead the next generation of transformative discoveries and missions.

CU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. We are committed to creating a workplace where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity, and we encourage individuals from all backgrounds to apply, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.

The Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) is one of the largest research institutes of CU Boulder, the #1 public university recipient of NASA research grants, and one of America's leading aerospace universities. With a focus on solar, stellar, space plasma, atmospheric, and planetary sciences, LASP employs both experimental and theoretical approaches to answer key science questions. Since its inception in 1948, LASP has developed, operated, and analyzed the data from scientific instrumentation for solar science, earth atmospheric, planetary, deep-space, and Earth-orbiting spacecraft missions investigating the Sun, all eight planets, Pluto and beyond.

The progressive development of research capabilities and use of innovative technologies in pursuit of emerging research initiatives ensures a continued leadership role for LASP in today's growing "new space" era. Since 2013, LASP has secured over $1.75B in grants and contracts.

Thanks to its distinctive combination of scientific and engineering expertise and its ability both to manage long-term collaborations with agencies such as NASA and to respond to faster-moving opportunities with private sponsors, LASP has grown rapidly in the last decade, with expenditures that exceed well over $150M annually, secured through grants, contracts, and other funding vehicles. Some 400 of LASP's 600-person staff are technical staff and research scientists.

The LASP community includes tenure/tenure-track faculty, approximately 110 student employees, 69 graduate students, and 10 postdocs.

An important element of LASP's mission is to train the next generation of space scientists and engineers: through wide-ranging research and flight projects, LASP participates actively in the development of the future leaders of space research and is a leader in educating students with highly valued technical and scientific skills. Undergraduate and graduate student participation is integral to LASP's R&D and operational success.

In this regard, LASP has been both a contributor to and beneficiary of the remarkable growth of the state of Colorado's space sector.

• Foster a vibrant multi-disciplinary and inclusive scientific community of researchers within LASP's science division.
• Provide strategic leadership for the scientific direction of LASP and advise the Director on all matters related to scientific institutional positioning.
• Define, articulate, and implement LASP's long-term scientific vision.
• Enable institutional strategy that ensures continued competitiveness in major research programs and space missions.
• Guide the direction of major proposals, new research initiatives, and investment in capability development, including identification of LASP-internal leaders for these.
• Oversee tenure-track faculty lines, including recruitment, retention, promotion, and salary structures, working with the Director.
• Establish policies affecting the scientific workforce and oversee their implementation, such as hiring, evaluation, and promotion.
• Make staffing decisions that provide leadership structure for the Science Division and oversight for LASP's faculty, researchers, postdoctoral scholars, and science students.
• Facilitate cross-divisional collaboration across LASP's science, technical and operational teams.
• Provide guidance to scientific teams facing leadership or organizational challenges.
• Collaborate with divisional assistant directors to provide structures and policies that foster mentorship, growth, and career opportunities for LASP scientists.
• Execute their own scientific research program with excellence.

• Work closely with the Director to promote and…