Director, Mathematical Institute for Data Science (MINDS)

Johns Hopkins, founded in 1876, is America's first research university and home to nine world-class academic divisions working together as one university.

Description

The Whiting School of Engineering at Johns Hopkins University invites nominations and applications for the position of Director of the Mathematical Institute for Data Science ( MINDS ) . The Director will be appointed as a full-time tenured faculty member in the Whiting School of Engineering and will be encouraged to remain active in research, with strategic leadership of the Institute as their top priority.

This is an outstanding opportunity for an accomplished scholar with leadership experience to further strengthen an exceptional interdisciplinary research institute at the nation’s first research university. The best candidates will embody the intellectual distinction, entrepreneurial capacity, collaborative spirit, transparency, inclusiveness, and creativity that characterize the School’s culture and will bring a scholarly record deserving appointment as tenured professor at The Johns Hopkins University.

MINDS: the Mathematical Institute for Data Science

MINDS is one of the Whiting School’s 25 Interdisciplinary Centers and Institutes. The Institute currently comprises over 40 tenure-line and research faculty, and their associated graduate students. MINDS faculty have primary appointments in the Whiting School of Engineering or in other closely related schools.

The institute brings together a multidisciplinary team of mathematicians, statisticians, computer scientists, and engineers to develop the fundamental mathematical, statistical, and computational principles for the analysis and interpretation of massive amounts of complex high-dimensional data.

The institute also helps develop multidisciplinary educational programs on the foundations of data science, and foster interactions among data scientists through a series of collaborative research workshops and summer schools. MINDS faculty are actively engaged in many research programs and projects sponsored by NSF, DARPA, IARPA, ONR and ARO MURIs and many other agencies.

Opportunities for the Insititute Director

The MINDS Director will work with colleagues in and beyond MINDS to increase its impact by both enhancing its historic strengths and positioning it as a central element of a set of AI-related initiatives across the Whiting School and the University more broadly. To these ends, the Director will identify ways in which the Institute will continue to grow and evolve and through which it, the Whiting School, and Hopkins can recruit, sustain, and deploy the human and financial resources needed to further distinguish itself.

The Director will work to maintain the Institute’s position as the disciplinary and intellectual foundation of AI research within the University, enabling MINDS to contribute to and benefit from the success of significant institutional investment in data science, artificial intelligence, and machine learning more broadly, including potential applications to key societal problems such as healthcare and scientific endeavors such as vision, linguistics, and neuroscience.

Collaborations with the Applied Physics Lab ( www.jhuapl.edu ) present opportunities to bring additional resources, expertise, and scale to advance MINDS research including potentially in classified research. Beyond Hopkins, MINDS's Director will foster connections with industry as part of the Institute’s efforts to expand its base of resources and relationships, to disseminate knowledge and discoveries, and to develop and transfer technologies that may have an impact in the world. In these various external activities, the Director will work with the University’s technology ventures office (https://ventures.jhu.edu), with faculty and students, and with alumni and donors.

Specific strategies for enhancing MINDS’s strengths, broadening its impact, and positioning it relative to Hopkins-wide initiatives, along with measures of success and the prioritization of activities designed to achieve success, will be developed by the Director in collaboration with MINDS’s faculty and the Dean.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion at the Whiting School

WSE has a stated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, which reads as follows: “Diversity and inclusion enrich our entire community and are critical to both educational excellence and to the advancement of knowledge. Discovery, creativity, and innovation flourish in an environment where the broadest range of experiences are shared, where all voices are heard and valued, and where individuals from different cultures and backgrounds can collaborate freely to understand and solve problems in entirely new ways.” As the leader of the Institute and within the School, MINDS’s Director will work to enhance and expand diversity and inclusion at all levels and will ensure that the Institute is a welcoming and supportive environment for all.

Qualifications

The new Director will be a proven, entrepreneurial leader who can bring faculty, staff, and students together to pursue a compelling vision of MINDS as an international hub for foundational work in the data science that underlies AI and as a site of innovation, teaching, and translation. They will have an exceptional track record in the mathematical foundations in Data Science and related fields. They will also possess strong skills for mentoring junior faculty and will promote the interests of the Institute. Intellectual curiosity and fundraising experience are valued. They will have a dossier that represents a distinguished track record of scholarship and teaching; a passionate commitment to research, discovery, and application; and an interest in and success at academic administration. Expected educational background and qualifications include:

• An earned doctorate in an area such as data science, mathematics or statistics, computer science, electrical and computer engineering, or a closely related field and a scholarly record deserving appointment as tenured professor at The Johns Hopkins University
• Recognized leadership in their respective field with a distinguished national and international reputation for research and education
• Excellent communication skills in both internal and external interactions
• Strong commitment to diversity and inclusion at all levels among faculty, students, and staff, along with measurable and sustained impact on the diversity and inclusiveness of organizations they have led or been part of
• Leadership and administrative experience within a complex research environment or in national/international organizations connected to their respective field

Application Instructions

The Whiting School of Engineering and MINDS are committed to building a diverse educational environment, and women and minorities are strongly encouraged to apply. Johns Hopkins University is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of gender, marital status, pregnancy, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, other legally protected characteristics or any other occupationally irrelevant criteria. The University promotes Affirmative Action for minorities, women, individuals who are disabled, and veterans. Johns Hopkins University is a drug-free, smoke-free workplace.

Applicants should submit their CV and a letter of interest outlining their research and leadership experience and their contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Review of credentials will begin promptly and will continue until the appointment is finalized. Every effort will be made to ensure candidate confidentiality.

The Whiting School of Engineering has engaged Opus Partners ( www.opuspartners.net ) to support the recruitment of the MINDS Director. Craig Smith, Partner, and Jeff Stafford, Senior Associate, are leading the search. Please send application materials, nominations, and inquiries to Jeffrey.stafford@opuspartners.net.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

The Johns Hopkins University is committed to equal opportunity for its faculty, staff, and students. To that end, the university does not discriminate on the basis of sex, gender, marital status, pregnancy, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status or other legally protected characteristic. The university is committed to providing qualified individuals access to all academic and employment programs, benefits and activities on the basis of demonstrated ability, performance and merit without regard to personal factors that are irrelevant to the program involved.

Pre-Employment Information

The successful candidate(s) for this position will be subject to a pre-employment background check.

If you are interested in applying for employment with The Johns Hopkins University and require special assistance or accommodation during any part of the pre-employment process, please contact the HR Business Services Office at jhurecruitment@jhu.edu. For TTY users, call via Maryland Relay or dial 711. For more information about workplace accommodations or accessibility at Johns Hopkins University, please visit accessibility.jhu.edu .

Johns Hopkins has mandated COVID-19 and influenza vaccines, as applicable. The COVID-19 vaccine does not apply to positions located in the State of Florida. Exceptions to the COVID and flu vaccine requirements may be provided to individuals for religious beliefs or medical reasons. Requests for an exception must be submitted to the JHU vaccination registry. For additional information, applicants for SOM positions should visit https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/coronavirus/covid-19-vaccine/ and all other JHU applicants should visit https://covidinfo.jhu.edu/health-safety/covid-vaccination-information/ .

The following additional provisions may apply depending on which campus you will work. Your recruiter will advise accordingly.

The pre-employment physical for positions in clinical areas, laboratories, working with research subjects, or involving community contact requires documentation of immune status against Rubella (German measles), Rubeola (Measles), Mumps, Varicella (chickenpox), Hepatitis B and documentation of having received the Tdap (Tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis) vaccination. This may include documentation of having two (2) MMR vaccines; two (2) Varicella vaccines; or antibody status to these diseases from laboratory testing. Blood tests for immunities to these diseases are ordinarily included in the pre-employment physical exam except for those employees who provide results of blood tests or immunization documentation from their own health care providers. Any vaccinations required for these diseases will be given at no cost in our Occupational Health office.

The successful candidate(s) for this position will be subject to a pre-employment background check.

If you are interested in applying for employment with The Johns Hopkins University and require special assistance or accommodation during any part of the pre-employment process, please contact the HR Business Services Office at jhurecruitment@jhu.edu. For TTY users, call via Maryland Relay or dial 711.

The following additional provisions may apply depending on which campus you will work. Your recruiter will advise accordingly.

During the Influenza ("the flu") season, as a condition of employment, The Johns Hopkins Institutions require all employees who provide ongoing services to patients or work in patient care or clinical care areas to have an annual influenza vaccination or possess an approved medical or religious exception. Failure to meet this requirement may result in termination of employment.

The pre-employment physical for positions in clinical areas, laboratories, working with research subjects, or involving community contact requires documentation of immune status against Rubella (German measles), Rubeola (Measles), Mumps, Varicella (chickenpox), Hepatitis B and documentation of having received the Tdap (Tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis) vaccination. This may include documentation of having two (2) MMR vaccines; two (2) Varicella vaccines; or antibody status to these diseases from laboratory testing. Blood tests for immunities to these diseases are ordinarily included in the pre-employment physical exam except for those employees who provide results of blood tests or immunization documentation from their own health care providers. Any vaccinations required for these diseases will be given at no cost in our Occupational Health office.

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