Vice President Research and Innovation

The Leadership Opportunity:

In a moment of tremendous opportunity for impact in higher education, scientific discovery, and research excellence, and with a historic investment from New York State to support the growth of its research enterprise, Stony Brook University seeks a compelling and visionary leader to serve as its next Vice President for Research and Innovation (VPRI). Reporting directly to President Andrea Goldsmith, and working in close collaboration with Provost Carl Lejuez, Executive Vice President for Stony Brook Medicine William Wertheim, the Deans of Stony Brook's Schools and Colleges, and the leadership of its academic health system, the next VPRI will work to elevate and amplify the reach and impact of the entirety of Stony Brook’s research enterprise and advance its deep ties with key partners such as Brookhaven National Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, the New York Climate Exchange, and industry and community organizations in the region.

The next VPRI will also be charged with bolstering Stony Brook’s notable state, federal, and foundation funding with private-sector partnerships, expanding clinical research and trials, and significantly accelerating commercialization and innovation activity. This leader will be pivotal in advancing Stony Brook’s position as New York’s #1 public university, with a particular focus on reimagining how a top-tier public research institution can collaborate with industry, national labs, and state partners to drive breakthrough discoveries, innovations, new enterprise creation, and significant economic development.

The role calls for an ambitious, collaborative, and strategic leader with the capacity to inspire a broad range of stakeholders around the future possibilities for Stony Brook’s research excellence and impact. Stony Brook’s next VPRI will be capable of fostering novel interdisciplinary collaborations and delivering results across a complex ecosystem of cross-sector partnerships that spans the entirety of Stony Brook’s research enterprise, from clinical trials to basic science, foundational discovery to translational impact, and disciplines that range across and between medicine, engineering, the humanities, and physical, life, and social sciences.

To meet its ambitions and unlock its full potential, Stony Brook’s next VPRI will strive to evolve its operating model, ensuring that Stony Brook's research and innovation enterprise can better serve and support its faculty, researchers, students, and staff to foster a new phase of growth and impact.

This is an opportunity to lead a research enterprise that is poised to make significant investments through New York State’s bold agenda and at an institution that prizes ambition, collaboration, and excellence. Stony Brook seeks a VPRI who will truly elevate its research mission, positioning the university as a global leader in research and innovation.

Stony Brook University is a flagship of the State University of New York (SUNY) system and is the top public university in New York State. With nearly 26,000 students, more than 2,900 faculty members, over 200,000 alumni, and a premier academic healthcare system, Stony Brook is a distinguished center of innovation dedicated to addressing the world’s biggest challenges. Stony Brook is internationally recognized for its research and medical programs and is a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU).

In 2026, U.S. News & World Report ranked Stony Brook as the #59 overall university and #26 among public universities.

Stony Brook University is located approximately 60 miles east of Manhattan on Long Island’s beautiful North Shore. Situated on 1,454 acres, the campus encompasses…