Director,Social Sciences Research Institute Job University Park area,Texas USA,Research/Development

Director, Social Sciences Research Institute

As one of Penn State’s seven, university-wide interdisciplinary institutes in the Office of the Senior Vice President for Research (OSVPR), the Social Sciences Research Institute (SSRI) supports and promotes innovation and excellence in the social and behavioral sciences and contributes to a University-wide culture of interdisciplinary collaborative research. The new SSRI Director will build on a strong foundation to promote the social and behavioral sciences at Penn State, including by working with faculty from across the University as well as the other OSVPR Institute Directors, College Deans, Research Associate Deans and Department Heads to advance the Institute’s and University’s strategic priorities.

With an annual budget of approximately $11 million, the SSRI’s mission is to foster research that brings the social sciences to bear on critical challenges at the local, national, and international levels. The Institute does so by bringing together researchers from a range of disciplines and by providing consultation, financial support, shared accessible infrastructure, and services to social and behavioral scientists across Penn State’s colleges and campuses.

The SSRI’s five strategic foci, Reducing Social Disparities, Smart and Connected Health, The Human System, Innovative Methods, and Dissemination and Implementation Science, are contained within a portfolio of activities within SSRI’s research units (Use the "Apply for this Job" box below). .

The SSRI Director reports to the Senior Vice President for Research who oversees Penn State research—currently exceeding $968 million annually. The Director’s responsibilities include:

advancing a vision for Penn State’s social and behavioral sciences, university-wide leadership, and catalyzing translational research excellence at the interfaces of the social and behavioral science and other science disciplines;

building interdisciplinary collaborations across the social and behavioral sciences and beyond including by developing policies and incentives for faculty engagement and creating an atmosphere of inclusion of diverse expertise and perspectives;

chairing SSRI’s Executive and Steering Committees, which advise on SSRI investments, policies, and programs;

chairing the SSRI Deans, Associate Research Deans, and Department Head Advisory Committees, which provide input and insights on both strategic and operational matters;

identifying new funding opportunities;

promoting interdisciplinary, collaborative, and translational research through seed funding and research infrastructure support;

serving as a liaison between the University’s social and behavioral science research initiatives and state, national, and international organizations.

Position:
Director, Social Sciences Research Institute

Organization:
Penn State

Location:

University Park, PA
United States

Posting

Start Date:

10/15/2026

Date Posted: 10/15/2026

Requirements

The successful candidate will be an internationally recognized leader in the social, behavioral, or population health sciences, with a strong record of interdisciplinary research and the vision and leadership needed to advance new initiatives, sustain existing research strengths, and translate research into evidence-based programs, policies, and practices. The candidate must have credentials appropriate for appointment as a tenured professor in an appropriate college and demonstrate a commitment to advancing Penn State’s land-grant mission.

The candidate should also bring experience maintaining research excellence in the face of change, enthusiasm for fundraising and resource development, along with the ability to create new opportunities for sponsored research, philanthropic support, and industry…