Office of Defense Engagement Director

The Office of Defense Engagement (ODE) is housed in the Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR). The mission of the ODE is to promote and coordinate research, scholarship and engagement on programs related to defense, national security, and internationalization of opportunities from the CSU campus.   The ODE Director is responsible for building and maintaining Colorado State University’s extramurally funded support of U.S. defense and national security initiatives. These include themes related to national security across sectors including agriculture, climate change, cybersecurity, energy, environment, and health. The ODE Director will lead an effort to bring the CSU research community together to contribute more comprehensively to national security-related R&D, including growing the research portfolio, providing domain expertise to campus, drafting and executing a strategic plan, identifying challenges, opportunities, and innovative solutions to conducting national security-related research, and positioning CSU as a valued resource and thought leader for Federal and industry defense and security initiatives.

The Director reports to the Senior Associate Vice President for Health Policy and Ethics and provides leadership and guidance regarding partnerships and cooperative relationships with local, state, Federal, international research institutions, government agencies, and the private sector in areas where CSU shares common interests in defense, security, and international development. The Director will partner closely with units on campus that have significant programs related to national security and defense. These include the Director of the Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands (CEMML) to help identify collaborative opportunities that generate pathways to leverage the strengths of CEMML and the CSU research community. The Director will also work closely with partners on campus seeking international research partnerships with national security relevance. The Director will collaborate closely with the ODE Associate Director, campus leadership, faculty, academic units, and business support services to articulate and focus cross-campus strengths and catalyze compelling initiatives in areas of emerging interest for the Department of Defense (DoD), including but not limited to the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA); the Department of Health and Human Services including the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) as well as relevant entities and institutes of CDC and NIH; Department of Homeland Security (DHS); the Intelligence Community (IC); and other relevant government agencies and industry partners addressing national security interests. The Director will play a leadership role in advancing proposals for extramural funding to advance national security and defense-related research, will identify funding opportunities for CSU faculty and scientists, and will facilitate the pursuit of funding opportunities for individuals or teams of CSU scientists. The Director will work with deans, department chairs, faculty, and administration, including research development, compliance, sponsored programs, university counsel, industry partners, and government relations, to identify resources needed to build infrastructure and business operations enabling increased national security-related research. The director must understand the unique responsibilities and accountabilities of a multi-agency collaborative, and provide outstanding leadership; communicate professionally; and work with flexibility, efficiency, and diplomacy both individually and as part of a complex team/community effort. Experience and demonstrated expertise with one or more of the above-mentioned agencies is expected.