Dean, Albert Nerken School of Engineering

Cooper; New York (NY); On-site; USD 340,000 - 400,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

10% retirement contribution

Expansive paid holidays and vacation

Summer hours on summer Fridays

Job summary

Cooper Union seeks a Dean of Engineering to report to the President and guide program strategy, research, and educational excellence. You will lead fundraising efforts, engage alumni and industry partners, and work across engineering, science, and the humanities to propel the 2018 Plan and 2028 tuition policy reinvestment.

The Dean will mentor faculty, oversee budgeting, promote diversity and inclusion, and may teach one course per semester. Strong leadership and collaboration are essential.

Qualifications

• Earned PhD or equivalent terminal degree in a field related to the School.
• Record of teaching, research and service that warrants appointment as Full Professor.
• Experience managing budgets and advancing undergraduate education.

Responsibilities

• Partner with President and Board to build fundraising mechanisms for the School.
• Collaborate with Deans of architecture, art and humanities to craft a strategic plan for Cooper Union’s future.
• Interact with students, faculty and staff; optionally teach one course per semester.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Teaching & mentoring

Budget management

Alumni engagement

Research & collaborations

ABET exposure

Industry relations

Integrity

Education

PhD or equivalent terminal degree

Job description

Posted On: October 12, 2026

Hours: Full Time

Description:

The Albert Nerken School of Engineering, the largest of Cooper Union’s three degree-granting Schools, seeks a new Dean. Reporting directly to President Steven W. McLaughlin, the new Dean will join a collegial and well credentialed team of senior leaders as Cooper Union progresses on its 2018 Plan to Return to Full-Tuition Scholarships for all enrolled undergraduate students https://cooper.edu/giving/10-year-plan . The new Dean will build on the achievements of the retiring Dean, including the hiring of 21 new faculty out of 49 total and the establishment of a Department of Computer Science.

Enrolling 450 undergraduates and 70 master’s students, with a student-faculty ratio of 7-1 and $12 million budget, the Engineering School is perennially ranked as one of the top ten undergraduate engineering programs in the US. It combines the intimacy of a small baccalaureate institution with the intellectual ambition, rigor and opportunities of a research university. The School offers Bachelor of Engineering degrees in chemical, civil, electrical and mechanical engineering, a Bachelor of Science in computer science and a Master of Engineering degree. Engineering faculty members are drawn from the pre-eminent graduate programs and maintain a vigorous and dynamic research agenda. Current research concentrations include bioengineering; materials and fluids; autonomy, control, cyber physical systems; machine learning, data science, and artificial intelligence; sustainability; theoretical and computational sciences and mathematics; signal processing and communications; and pedagogy.

The Dean reports directly to the President and is a member of the President’s Cabinet and Deans Council, playing a critical role in overall institutional planning and academic policy decisions. The Dean will work with the President and the development staff to increase philanthropy that supports the School of Engineering and institution-wide goals. Over the last decade, Cooper Union has worked diligently in the direction of restoring its historical commitment to free education. The institution seeks a Dean of Engineering who embraces this priority and is aligned with the goal of returning to full-tuition scholarships for all enrolled undergraduate students by 2028.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE DEAN

• Partner with the President and Board to build an entrepreneurial fundraising mechanism for the School that enhances its connection with, and energizes, alumni and industry;
• Partner with the President and the Deans of architecture, art and the Faculty of humanities and social sciences to craft and implement a strategic plan that will guide Cooper Union into the future;
• Engage and interact regularly with students, faculty and staff, with the option of teaching one course per semester;
• Lead, mentor and advise the faculty, and interact with campuswide and faculty committees;
• Carry out yearly reappointment reviews, provide evaluation of candidates for promotion and tenure and provide opportunities for faculty and staff professional development;
• Explore and promote a wide variety of student learning environments that support and sustain the School’s mission;
• Work with members of the Academic Leadership Team to identify and support potential interdisciplinary collaborations, both among the engineering, science, and mathematics disciplines and with Cooper Union’s exceptional Schools of architecture, art, and the Faculty of humanities and social sciences;
• Develop and facilitate professional partnerships with external institutions that have deep relevance to the academic and social mission of the School in the New York metropolitan area, nationally, and internationally to advance and sustain the School’s mission; and
• Engage in open dialogues that promote inclusion, consensus and the respect of a breadth of ideas.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE / QUALIFICATIONS

• An inspirational leader with exceptional communication skills and an aptitude for listening and consensus building;
• A desire to support undergraduate education through the exploration of novel paradigms;
• An exceptional record of undergraduate teaching and mentoring;
• A strong record of responsible budget development and fiscal management;
• Experience in building and maintaining alumni engagement;
• Proven capabilities in developing opportunities and new initiatives in engineering research and interdisciplinary collaborations both internally and externally;
• Exposure to ABET accreditation;
• Significant experience in building community and corporate relationships; and
• Impeccable personal and professional integrity.

The Dean should possess an earned PhD, or equivalent terminal degree(s) in a field related to the School, and possess a record of recognized achievement in teaching, research and service that would warrant appointment as a Full Professor.

COMPENSATION

Cooper Union has established an anticipated salary range of $340,000 to $400,000 for this appointment. The final salary will be determined based on the successful candidate’s credentials, experience and other factors.

• 10% retirement contribution
• expansive paid holidays and vacation time
• summer hours on summer Fridays

Additional information about benefits may be found at https://cooper.edu/work/benefits .

The deanship is a non-union position.

This is a non-union position.

The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Founded by inventor, industrialist and philanthropist Peter Cooper in 1859, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art offers education in art, architecture and engineering, as well as courses in the humanities and social sciences.

From its beginnings, Cooper Union was a unique institution, dedicated to founder Peter Cooper's proposition that education is the key not only to personal prosperity but to civic virtue and harmony .