Auster Center for Applied Innovation Research(AIR)

Director & Auster Professor of the Practice in Applied Innovation, Tufts Gordon Institute, Tufts University School of Engineering

Tufts University seeks an experienced innovator, strategic leader, and high impact doer to be the inaugural Director and Auster Professor of the Practice in Applied Innovation for the Auster Center for Applied Innovation Research (AIR).  The new center will be dedicated to advancing our understanding of how innovation, particularly technology innovation or innovations that are touched by technology, can be fostered, translated, and applied to do good in the world.  Solving today?s toughest challenges will require innovative transdisciplinary approaches. The Auster Center will be a hub for transdisciplinary applied innovation research catalyzing collaborations of multi-disciplinary teams from across the university. The work of the Center will establish Tufts University?s thought leadership in applied innovation research.

Applied innovation research led by the Auster Center will support deep investigations into new methodologies and approaches for stimulating, incubating, and fostering innovation in the world at large, not just within for-profit organizations, but also non-profits, governments, and non-government entities. Insights and guiding principles gained from the research will guide and accelerate the creation of transformative leaders and organizations, helping them to realize their purpose and maximize their impact through applied innovations.

The Center Director will bring deep experiences successfully driving innovations in large organizations, such as large corporations, as well as experiences leading applied research, from securing external research funding to disseminating research findings, e.g., in peer reviewed journals. As a Professor of the Practice, the Center Director will join the Gordon Institute faculty with an immediate community of over 40 colleagues whose expertise span all phases of an organization?s growth, from early stage to scaling to optimizing to continuous renewal. The Professor of the Practice and Center Director will also join the School of Engineering faculty, a collegial and vibrant community of world-class researchers and educators. The Director will report to Kevin Oye, the ExeThe cutive Director of the Gordon Institute.     

About Tufts and the Gordon Institute:

Located on Tufts' Medford/Somerville campus, only six miles from historic downtown Boston, Tufts offers the best of a liberal arts college atmosphere, coupled with the intellectual and technological resources of an R1 AAU research university. Home to 20,000 students spread across twelve schools and four campuses, Tufts University prides itself on its culture of cross-school collaboration. In addition, Tufts has embarked on a strategic transformation of its people, policies, procedures and practices towards being more equitable, inclusive and just.

Founded in 1898, the Tufts University School of Engineering?s world-class faculty mentors the next generation of engineering and science leaders. As a school in a student-centered research university, our strong research portfolio sets us apart from the traditional liberal arts colleges, while our liberal-arts-based engineering education makes us unique among major research universities in the country. At Tufts, engineering students, faculty, staff, and alumni are driven by innovation. They make technological contributions that shape society and build the foundation for a better future. They engineer solutions that matter as part of an engine for good. As a community, we are collaborative by nature, innovative in spirit, and focused on making a difference. Together, we have built an environment for learning and discovery unlike any other.

Housed in the School of Engineering, the Tufts Gordon Institute (TGI) is the locus for innovation, entrepreneurship, management, and leadership programs and academics at the University.

TGI also is home to the Derby Entrepreneurship Center (DEC), the creator of the most popular and growing undergraduate minors at Tufts in entrepreneurship. Together, TGI and DEC serve over 1200 undergraduates and 200 graduate students each year in academic programs, and many more with co-curricular programs. The Director will have extensive opportunities for academic and industrial collaboration, as well as opportunities to participate in the rich intellectual life of the region.

The successful Director and Professor of the Practice candidate will possess a wealth of industry experience to share with our faculty and students. The Professor of the Practice rank in the School of Engineering recognizes accomplished individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional accomplishments and achieved senior stature in their field, as evidenced by a career path of increasing responsibility and scope.

A master?s degree is required; a terminal degree (e.g., PhD) in a relevant field is highly desirable.  The candidate should have a proven track record as an inspiring leader and collaborator, and a passion for teaching and working with students ? as well as a wealth of experience in fostering and launching innovations in both large enterprises as well as startups, raising research funding, publishing in peer reviewed journals, and building industry partnerships.

Questions about the position should be addressed to Kevin Oye, search committee chair; kevin.oye@tufts.edu.  Candidates should submit their application, including a cover letter, resume, statement of teaching interests and objectives, and contact information for three references online through Interfolio at http://apply.interfolio.com/128645. Candidates are encouraged to demonstrate attention to diversity and inclusion as it relates to teaching, professional experience and/or scholarship.  Review of applications will begin on August  1, 2023, and will continue until the position is filled.

Tufts University, founded in 1852, prioritizes quality teaching, highly competitive basic and applied research, and a commitment to active citizenship locally, regionally, and globally. Tufts University has also committed to becoming an anti-racist institution and prides itself on the continuous improvement of diversity, equity and inclusion work. Current and prospective employees of the university are expected to have and continuously develop skill in, and disposition for, positively engaging with a diverse population of faculty, staff, and students.

Tufts University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. We are committed to increasing the diversity of our faculty and staff and fostering their success when hired. Members of underrepresented groups are welcome and strongly encouraged to apply. See the University?s Non-Discrimination statement and policy here https://oeo.tufts.edu/policies-procedures/non-discrimination/. If you are an applicant with a disability who is unable to use our online tools to search and apply for jobs, please contact us by calling the Office of Equal Opportunity (OEO) at 617-627-3298 or at oeo@tufts.edu. Applicants can learn more about requesting reasonable accommodations at https://oeo.tufts.edu/

About Tufts University

Tufts is a leader in American higher education, distinctive for its success as a moderately sized university that excels at research and providing students with a personal experience. Our unique combination of research and liberal arts attracts students, faculty and staff who thrive in our environment of curiosity, creativity and engagement.

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