Founding Exec Director & Tenured Professor, Energy Innovation

University of Missouri System; Columbia Township (MO); On-site; USD 210,000 - 340,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Missouri System seeks a visionary Founding Executive Director for the Payne Energy Innovation Center to lead the development, launch, and ongoing growth of a major interdisciplinary energy initiative. The role demands strategic vision, stakeholder engagement, and the ability to align research priorities with national needs.

The successful candidate will unify engineering, physics, chemistry, and related disciplines, recruit top faculty, secure external funding, and establish

Qualifications

• Earned doctorate in engineering, science, or closely related field.
• Demonstrated success leading interdisciplinary research initiatives or centers.
• Strong record of securing externally funded research.
• Experience building partnerships with industry, government, and labs.
• Excellent communication and organizational leadership skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership for development, launch, and growth of the Payne Energy Innovation Center.
• Establish strategic vision, research priorities, and interdisciplinary collaborations.
• Recruitment and development of faculty; secure external funding and partnerships.
• Position center as a nationally recognized destination for energy research, innovation, and policy leadership.
• Oversee operations, governance, and long-term sustainability of the center.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Fundraising

Partnership development

Interdisciplinary collaboration

Communication

Faculty recruitment

Program development

Strategic planning

Education

Earned doctorate (engineering/science)

Job description

The University of Missouri System seeks a visionary Founding Executive Director for the Payne Energy Innovation Center to lead the development, launch, and ongoing growth of a major interdisciplinary energy initiative. The role demands strategic vision, stakeholder engagement, and the ability to align research priorities with national needs.

The successful candidate will unify engineering, physics, chemistry, and related disciplines, recruit top faculty, secure external funding, and establish