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Job Description

University of California, Los Angeles
Dean, Division of Life Sciences
Los Angeles, CA

The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) invites inquiries, nominations and applications for the position of dean of life sciences.

The Division of Life Sciences is one of the four academic divisions of the UCLA College of Letters and Science. It encompasses the biological and psychological sciences, which include some of the university's highest-ranked academic programs. The biological sciences are represented by the departments of ecology and evolutionary biology; microbiology, immunology, and molecular genetics (dual report to the school of medicine); molecular, cell, and developmental biology; and physiological science. The psychology department, the largest academic department in the University of California system, has research programs in the behavioral, cognitive and brain sciences, all encompassed in eight departmental areas (behavioral neuroscience, clinical psychology, cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, health psychology, learning and behavior, quantitative psychology and social psychology).

A leader in interdisciplinary instruction and research, the division sponsors a life sciences core curriculum that cuts across its departments and there are interdepartmental degree programs in computational and systems biology; molecular biology; molecular, cellular, and integrative physiology; neuroscience (undergraduate program); and ACCESS, a first-year program of graduate study in molecular, cellular and integrative life sciences, jointly reporting in life sciences and the school of medicine. In addition, there is an innovative undergraduate minor in bio-medical research. The psychology department has collaborative research and training programs with the department of psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences, with the neuropsychological research institute, the school of education and with departments in the social sciences. Life science research is integral to the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA and the California NanoSystems Institute.

The Division of Life Sciences has approximately 165 ladder faculty who teach 5,700 undergraduate majors and 500 graduate students, including 470 doctoral students; it has annual expenditures of $95M. The division attracts $56.3M in external funding annually, including $41.8M in NIH support. A new life sciences building - comprising 176,000 square feet with 49 laboratories and offices for faculty and students - is under construction and will be completed by 2010.

The dean provides strategic vision and operational leadership for the life sciences division, creating an environment and community that supports its faculty and students. Building on deep academic strength, the dean sets the standard for intellectual engagement and scholarly accomplishment, advancing research and education in the life sciences, including expansion of interdisciplinary appointments and programs and promoting excellence through diversity in undergraduate and graduate programs and faculty recruitment. The dean also serves as senior associate dean in the David Geffen School of Medicine, providing oversight for the combined basic science departments and coordination of joint faculty recruitment and retention. The dean plays a critical role in determining - in partnership with colleagues in the physical sciences, medicine and engineering - the direction of the UCLA Biosciences Initiative, bringing together the infrastructure of a major research university to build the future of a campus-wide commitment to the biosciences. The dean, who reports to the executive vice chancellor/provost, will work collaboratively with the chancellor and executive vice chancellor/provost and with vice chancellors, other deans and department chairs at UCLA and throughout the University of California system, including those in UCLA College in the humanities, physical sciences, life sciences, social sciences and undergraduate education.

The successful candidate will be nationally recognized with demonstrated leadership in teaching, research and public service. Minimum requirements include: an earned doctorate in a field in the life sciences division; a record of distinguished teaching and research; substantial administrative leadership, preferably in a research university; proven success in external fund development; and credentials that merit appointment at the rank of full professor.

Situated on 419 acres, five miles from the Pacific Ocean, UCLA is enriched by the cultural diversity of the dynamic greater Los Angeles area, as well as the geographic variety and temperate climate of Southern California. It is among the most distinguished research institutions in the world, public or private, with 4,000 faculty members who teach 37,500 students in the College of Letters and Science and 11 professional schools, and who in 2006-07 generated more than $900 million in research contracts and grants. UCLA is an international leader in the breadth and quality of its academic, research, health care, cultural, continuing education and athletic programs. Four UCLA alumni and five faculty members have been awarded the Nobel Prize.

Confidential review of applications, nominations and expressions of interest will begin immediately and continue until an appointment is made, with a preferred starting date of July 1, 2009. Compensation for the position is highly competitive. Electronic submission of materials is preferred. A cover letter and a curriculum vita should be forwarded to UCLALifeScience@wittkieffer.com. Inquiries may be addressed to the Witt/Kieffer consultants supporting this search, Mary Elizabeth Taylor (212-686-2676) or Elizabeth Bohan (630-575-6161).

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