Director

The MIT Museum (The Museum) seeks an experienced and innovative leader to serve as its next Mark R. Epstein (Class of 1963) Director. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the MIT Museum sits at the heart of one of the world’s premier universities, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (“MIT” or “The Institute”). The Museum stands alone among university museums in its focus on the nature and significance of the research, teaching, scientific, and technological innovations of its parent institution. 

The Director will join the Museum following a key inflection point, as the museum has begun to settle into its new building in the newly imagined MIT Kendall Gateway in Cambridge, where the Museum occupies more than 58,000 square feet of galleries, classrooms, and state-of-the-art program and performance spaces. Opened in October 2022, the MIT Museum in Kendall Square heralds a new era: one in which the museum plays a larger and more prominent role in the life of the Institute. At this buzzing, lively gateway location in Kendall Square, the updated Museum serves to strengthen the connection between the Institute and the Kendall Innovation District, and it continues to grow as a meeting ground for MIT community members and the wider community.

The MIT Museum’s galleries, exhibitions, demonstrations, workshops, performances, conversations, and debates invite visitors to participate in the ongoing adventure of research and innovation. The Museum displays objects from its vast collection and features rotating exhibitions on a wide range of topics in the STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) field. The Museum also presents regular programs, events, and festivals, including guided gallery tours, demonstrations by MIT faculty and students, workshops in its educational classrooms, hands-on activities in its Maker Hub, panel discussions, and the annual Cambridge Science Festival.

Reporting to the Associate Provost with responsibility for the Arts, the Mark R. Epstein (Class of 1963) Director will serve as the head of the Museum. The Director of the Museum will provide intellectual leadership in all aspects of the Museum’s work. The new Director will have the chance to think creatively about partnerships, and, as the face of the museum, the Director is empowered to connect with industry and community leaders to bring new funding and fresh ideas to the Museum. This is an opportunity to be an imaginative leader and a champion for a staff that is eager to grow professionally and is committed to the Museum’s long-term success. 

Accessibility and outreach are top priorities as the next Director takes on the challenge of creating bold and visionary strategic plans for what is essentially a brand-new museum. Diversity and inclusion are core values at the heart of what the MIT Museum does and, as a cultural institution, the Museum benefits from the rich diversity of the communities that it represents and serves. The Museum is committed to recruiting candidates from historically marginalized or underrepresented backgrounds and identities, as well as individuals who embrace the values and practice of diversity, equity, and inclusion in their leadership. The MIT Museum has retained executive search firm Isaacson, Miller to conduct this search.

Confidential inquiries, nominations, and resumes with cover letters can be submitted electronically below. 

Andrew Lee is leading this search with Ryan Leichenauer and Clay Batley. 

MIT is an equal employment opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, ancestry, or national or ethnic origin.