Associate Vice President for Research Integrity Assurance

Reporting to the Chief Research Operations Officer (CROO), the Associate Vice President for Research Integrity Assurance (AVP-RIA) serves as a key member of the CROO's leadership team. The Associate Vice President for Research Integrity Assurance is responsible for Georgia Institute of Technology’s overall strategy to ensure research compliance, foster a culture of research integrity, and promote the responsible conduct of research at the Institute both domestically and internationally. Specific roles and responsibilities include: 

• Coordinate the development and implementation of programs and operational strategies for regulatory research compliance issues to ensure that current policies and procedures minimize and reduce the risk of non-compliance, including international research activities. 
• Coordinate research compliance and risk management activities with key stakeholders across Georgia Tech and develop a streamlined experience for researchers, staff, and students. Coordinate the development and enforcement of research compliance-related policies, monitoring compliance for the university's domestic and international research activities. 
• Working with the Provost’s Office and academic leadership, ensure appropriate compliance-related education and training resources are provided to those engaged in the conduct of research at Georgia Tech. Jointly oversee academic and research Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) requirements, including supervision of related employees. 
• Oversee Georgia Tech’s research compliance activities for regulatory compliance, training, human research protection program, and animal care including, but not limited to: o Regulatory Affairs (RA), 
  • Institutional Animal Care & Use Committee (IACUC), 
  • Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC), 
  • Institutional Review Board (IRB), 
  • Dual Use Research of Concern (DURC), 
  • Animal Research & Medicine, 
  • Animal Program & Facilities, 
  • Research Export Control (with a dotted line reporting to the OGC), and
  • Research Conflict of Interest (with a dotted line reporting to the OGC). 

• Mediate and seek resolutions, consistent with all institute, USG, state, federal, and other funding agency requirements, related to various research misconduct and scholarship disputes. Maintain institute policies and procedures related to the same. 
• Ensure compliance with all institute, USG, state, federal, and other funding agency requirements as it relates to the planning, conduct, support, and documentation of domestic and international research and research security. 
• Partner with respective units responsible for research related compliance activities, such as: Environmental Health & Safety, Ethics and Compliance, the Office of General Counsel, International Initiatives, Information Technology, and the academic and research units. 
• Serve as the Institute lead in coordinating research compliance activities that may span across multiple units and impacting multiple regulations. Form and lead a monthly “Institute Compliance Council” group of research-compliance related entities on campus. 
• Recommend and develop appropriate budgets to support research integrity administration and training. Ensure programs have the resources necessary to operate effectively including personnel, supplies and electronic systems. 
• Serve as Georgia Tech’s Research Integrity Officer (RIO), which includes the following: o Serve as the primary point of contact for research misconduct allegations involving the Institute. 
  • Promote research objectivity and compliance with regulations by developing Institute policies and procedures for the responsible conduct of research. 
  • Implement procedures governing research misconduct allegations. 
  • Maintain Institute compliance with laws, regulations, and sponsor policies applicable to research misconduct allegations. 
  • Oversee the coordination of research misconduct cases. Receive and evaluate allegations of research misconduct and determine if allegations merit an inquiry. Assemble inquiry and investigation committees with the necessary expertise to review research misconduct allegations. 
  • Develop research misconduct reports and serve as the primary point of contact with research sponsors during research misconduct cases. 
  • Maintain research misconduct records according to security and retention requirements. 
  • Brief the Provost, EVPR, and other Institute officials on matters related to research misconduct and research integrity on a regular basis. On matters related to research misconduct investigations, the RIO directly supports the Provost. 
  • Carry out any additional duties delineated in the Institute’s Research Misconduct Policy and Procedures. 
• Perform annual employee evaluations and merit assessments. Supervise direct reports in the Office of Research Integrity Assurance. 
• Participate in professional conferences, and represents Georgia Tech in national, regional, and local organizations. 
• Collaborate with other research administration units to help meet the needs of the Georgia Tech’s growing research enterprise. 
• Other duties as assigned. 

Qualifications 

Education:

• Required: Graduate degree in a research-focused discipline or JD and experience in a university setting. 
• Terminal degree preferred. 

Faculty Appointment: 

The AVP-RIA will hold a Research Scientist faculty appointment. The faculty position will be open rank, depending on the candidate’s education and experience. We anticipate hiring a candidate at the Senior or Principal Research Scientist level. 

Experience: 

• Experience conducting or supporting research in a university academic or research lab setting. 
• Have seven to ten years of experience in research ethics/integrity 
• Demonstrated leadership skills and ability to foster transparent and collaborative working relationships among a diverse set of stakeholders and demonstrate a commitment to inclusion and diversity. 
• Be knowledgeable about: 
  • Campus policies and procedures pertaining to research misconduct allegations 
  • Sponsor policies and reporting requirements related to research misconduct 
  • Broad knowledge of federal policies and regulations on core research compliance topics (human subject research, animal research, recombinant DNA/biosafety, export, conflict of interest, dual use research, clinical and FDA processes) 

Interested candidates should apply online via the Georgia Tech Careers site.