Director, Social Sciences Research Institute

Aefpweb; University Park (TX); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Penn State seeks an internationally recognized leader to direct the Social Sciences Research Institute (SSRI) in University Park, PA. The Director will collaborate with faculty and College Deans to advance the Institute’s strategic priorities and promote cross‑disciplinary research and innovation.

The role requires a strong track record in leadership, fundraising, and translating research into evidence‑based programs.

Qualifications

• Internationally recognized leader in the social, behavioral, or population health sciences.
• Strong record of interdisciplinary research and collaboration across disciplines.
• Vision and leadership to advance new initiatives, sustain strengths, and translate research into programs.
• Commitment to Penn State’s land‑grant mission and community engagement.

Responsibilities

• Advance a vision for Penn State’s social and behavioral sciences university‑wide.
• Build interdisciplinary collaborations and foster inclusive, diverse expertise.
• Chair SSRI’s leadership and advisory bodies, guiding investments and programs.
• Identify funding opportunities and promote translational research.
• Serve as liaison with state, national, and international organizations.
• Lead and mentor a high‑performing team to support research excellence.

Skills

Leadership

Interdisciplinary collaboration

Fundraising

Strategic vision

Job description

Director, Social Sciences Research Institute

As one of Penn State’s seven, university-wide interdisciplinary institutes in the Office of the Senior Vice President for Research (OSVPR), the Social Sciences Research Institute (SSRI) supports and promotes innovation and excellence in the social and behavioral sciences and contributes to a University-wide culture of interdisciplinary collaborative research. The new SSRI Director will build on a strong foundation to promote the social and behavioral sciences at Penn State, including by working with faculty from across the University as well as the other OSVPR Institute Directors, College Deans, Research Associate Deans and Department Heads to advance the Institute’s and University’s strategic priorities.

With an annual budget of approximately $11 million, the SSRI’s mission is to foster research that brings the social sciences to bear on critical challenges at the local, national, and international levels. The Institute does so by bringing together researchers from a range of disciplines and by providing consultation, financial support, shared accessible infrastructure, and services to social and behavioral scientists across Penn State’s colleges and campuses. The SSRI’s five strategic foci, Reducing Social Disparities, Smart and Connected Health, The Human System, Innovative Methods, and Dissemination and Implementation Science, are contained within a portfolio of activities within SSRI’s research units https://ssri.psu.edu/about .

The SSRI Director reports to the Senior Vice President for Research who oversees Penn State research—currently exceeding $968 million annually. The Director’s responsibilities include:

1. advancing a vision for Penn State’s social and behavioral sciences, university-wide leadership, and catalyzing translational research excellence at the interfaces of the social and behavioral science and other science disciplines;
2. building interdisciplinary collaborations across the social and behavioral sciences and beyond including by developing policies and incentives for faculty engagement and creating an atmosphere of inclusion of diverse expertise and perspectives;
3. chairing SSRI’s Executive and Steering Committees, which advise on SSRI investments, policies, and programs;
4. chairing the SSRI Deans, Associate Research Deans, and Department Head Advisory Committees, which provide input and insights on both strategic and operational matters;
5. identifying new funding opportunities;
6. promoting interdisciplinary, collaborative, and translational research through seed funding and research infrastructure support;
7. serving as a liaison between the University’s social and behavioral science research initiatives and state, national, and international organizations.

Position: Director, Social Sciences Research Institute

Organization: Penn State

Location: University Park, PA
United States

Posting Start Date: 10/15/2026

Date Posted: 10/15/2026

Requirements

The successful candidate will be an internationally recognized leader in the social, behavioral, or population health sciences, with a strong record of interdisciplinary research and the vision and leadership needed to advance new initiatives, sustain existing research strengths, and translate research into evidence-based programs, policies, and practices. The candidate must have credentials appropriate for appointment as a tenured professor in an appropriate college and demonstrate a commitment to advancing Penn State’s land-grant mission. The candidate should also bring experience maintaining research excellence in the face of change, enthusiasm for fundraising and resource development, along with the ability to create new opportunities for sponsored research, philanthropic support, and industry partnerships, including the translation of research into science- and technology-based solutions, programs, government policies, and practices. The successful candidate must also support maintaining and nurturing an exceptional work environment. Our employees are our greatest asset and our success as an organization in achieving our goals is based on having a team of inspired individuals with unique perspectives, an array of skills, and providing them with an engaging environment with opportunities for growth. The successful candidate will ensure Penn State Values are in the forefront of workforce expansion; they will provide professional development and opportunities for career advancement; and they will provide a work environment that positions individuals to do their best work, ranging from opportunities for individuals to excel, teams to be creative, and units to inspire.

Contact:
Craig Newschaffer, Raymond E. and Erin Stuart Schultz Dean, College of Health and Human Development