Search Announcement and Call for Nominations — Vice Chancellor for Research

Upfront Summary: We are launching the search for UC Berkeley’s next Vice Chancellor for Research (VCR) and seek your feedback regarding desired attributes in a VCR, as well as any nominations you may have. To provide this information please go to this online survey. Please submit your responses by August 24.

Details

The University of California, Berkeley seeks an innovative leader to serve as its next Vice Chancellor for Research (VCR). The VCR works with the university’s leadership and faculty to advance a broad research vision for the entire campus that encourages and facilitates discovery, innovation, entrepreneurship, and interdisciplinary collaboration to help ensure UC Berkeley’s continued preeminence. The VCR serves as the primary executive leading campus-wide sponsored-project program development, research policy, planning, administration, and compliance. Reporting jointly to the Chancellor and the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost (EVCP), the VCR oversees an extensive research and operational portfolio, including core functions that support grant administration, innovation & entrepreneurship, research compliance and security, research safety, and over 35 umbrella research centers/institutes, museums and field stations with many more subunits. Key priorities focus on advocating for external funding opportunities amidst a shifting federal and higher-education landscape, advancing interdisciplinary research and innovation across disciplines, expanding external partnerships, and supporting core research infrastructure. Additionally, the VCR will address evolving research security and safety regulations, pursue opportunities to improve research administration, and foster a diverse, collaborative research ecosystem. To learn more about the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research (VCRO), please visit https://vcresearch.berkeley.edu.

EVCP Benjamin Hermalin is serving as the chair of the search advisory committee. We are in the process of conducting stakeholder listening sessions to gather feedback and insights regarding the opportunities, challenges, and priorities for the position, as well as the qualities and characteristics desired in the next VCR. In addition to these sessions, we continue to welcome feedback and nominations from the campus community through this online survey. It will be most helpful if you submit your responses by August 24; that noted, the survey will remain open throughout the search process. The search team will synthesize the information received through the listening sessions and the online survey and will publish a formal leadership profile at the end of August on the EVCP website.

We are partnering with Berkeley Executive Search (BES), our UC internal executive search team. Please forward inquiries, nominations, and referrals to James Kao of Berkeley Executive Search (BES) at executivesearch+vcr@berkeley.edu.

This search process is following the standard process of all Senior Management Group (SMG) searches. Please review the SMG Search FAQ for more information.

Information regarding the search, including the timeline and search advisory committee members is posted on the EVCP website. Questions may be referred to Kristine Lee Wilby, Director, Strategic Projects and Executive Recruitment.

Sincerely,

Richard K. Lyons
Chancellor

Benjamin E. Hermalin
Executive Vice Chancellor & Provost