Chair, Department of Chemistry

Howard University

Chair, Department of Chemistry

Howard University invites applications for the position of Chair of the Department of Chemistry. This administrative appointment will be at the rank of Full Professor.

The Department of Chemistry seeks a dynamic, energetic leader and researcher with the ability to effectively manage a diverse body of faculty, staff, and students, while engaging external constituencies in a collegial and collaborative manner. The Chair will be expected to have a strong record of excellence in collegial academic leadership, scholarship, faculty development, and financial management. Working in partnership with senior administration in the College of Arts and Sciences, the successful candidate will be expected to embrace and contribute to the University’s mission. 

The Chair represents the Department as part of the College of Arts and Sciences' leadership team. As such, the Chair is responsible for the Department's faculty and staff recruiting, development, retention, resource attainment, budgetary matters, and relationship management with stakeholders. The Chair must be an active intellectual leader, committed to strengthening departmental research initiatives and efforts to increase external funding. Successful candidates must be adept at building and supporting multi-disciplinary partnerships within a diverse community, knowledgeable in higher education issues, and able to collaborate to develop team-focused, data-driven approaches to problem solving, through strong people-skills. The Chair will also be expected to maintain a dynamic, productive, externally-funded research program.

Current research thrusts in the Department of Chemistry include materials chemistry, environmental chemistry, medicinal chemistry and biochemistry. In prior years, research in the Department has been funded by grants from DOD, DOE, NASA, NOAA, NSF, NIH, and EPA. The Department has instrumentation capabilities, in addition to resources through University research centers in Computer Science and in the Colleges of Medicine and Engineering and Architecture. For more details about our research program and available resources, please visit http://chemistry.howard.edu.

Desired Qualifications

• The successful applicant will have a PhD or equivalent degree in any area of Chemistry or Biochemistry (all chemistry-related interdisciplinary areas will be considered);
• Record of professional accomplishments and scholarship that meets the qualifications for appointment to the rank of Full Professor in the College of Arts and Sciences (Associate Professors who are nearing the qualifications necessary to attain the rank of Full Professor will also be considered);
• Distinguished and sustained record of research accomplishments;
• Evidence of a commitment to and sustained success in securing external funding;
• Strong record of teaching excellence;
• Evidence of curriculum development, including a commitment to collaboration and innovative pedagogies;
• Administrative, personnel, and budgetary experience at the department level;
• Evidence of strong interpersonal and communication skills with faculty, staff, students, alumni, and community members;
• Demonstrated ability to manage a complex academic organization and work effectively with colleagues across divisions; and
• Experience in effective community involvement, outreach, leadership, and demonstrated ability to forge partnerships and build productive relationships with both campus and external constituencies, including alumni.

Our Institution:

Established in 1867, Howard University is a federally chartered, private, doctoral/research extensive university located in Washington, D.C., and is widely recognized as one of the world's most prestigious institutions of higher learning. This renowned urban research university offers a world-class curriculum that includes undergraduate degrees in 80 subject areas, master's degrees in 75 majors, doctoral degrees in 31 disciplines and professional certification in 5 fields. The only comprehensive American university with a predominantly African-American constituency, Howard University is committed to preparing its students to not only be respected leaders in the national and global communities, but to also promote social justice and democracy the world over. Howard University has historically educated more African-American PhDs than any other university. It has a track record, for more than a century as the home to the single, largest concentration of Black scholars in the world.

Application Procedure:

Applications should include a cover letter, curriculum vitae, statement on current and future research interests (1–2 pages), statement on teaching philosophy (1–2 pages), statement on administrative and leadership philosophies (1–2 pages), and contact information for at least three references. Review of materials will begin October 21, 2020 and continue until the position is filled, pending final budget approval. Please submit applications to the Search Committee Chair, Dr. Kim Michelle Lewis, (COAS.applications@howard.edu). For more information about the Howard University Chemistry Department, please visit http://chemistry.howard.edu.  

The University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin, sex, marital status, religion, or disability.  Veteran status and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply. Inquiries regarding provisions for persons with disabilities, equal employment opportunity and Title IX should be directed to the Office of the Vice President for Human Resources.