Associate Dean of Research

The Howard H. Baker Jr. School of Public Policy and Public Affairs (the School) at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (the University, UT Knoxville) seeks an accomplished scholar and collaborative academic leader to serve as its inaugural Associate Dean of Research (ADR). As Tennessee’s first school dedicated to public policy and public affairs, the Baker School has established itself as an important contributor to public discourse, civic engagement, and policy-relevant scholarship. The ADR will join a dynamic leadership team and help guide the School’s continued evolution as it expands its research profile and scholarly impact.

This is a formative moment for the Baker School, offering the successful candidate wide latitude to shape research strategy, culture, and infrastructure that will define the School’s future. Having established growing academic programs, a strong public presence, and a reputation for policy-relevant engagement, the School is now focused on strengthening and expanding its research enterprise. The ADR will play a central role in growing the School’s sponsored research funding, aiming to reach $2M annually by 2030, and will work closely with faculty, research center leadership, and university leadership to chart the path forward. The role calls for a leader with a track record of growing an organization’s research capacity as well as the relationship-building skills to unite a faculty with diverse scholarly interests around a shared sense of purpose. 

Reporting to the Dean and serving as a member of the School’s leadership team, the ADR will help shape research strategy, establish goals and priorities, and develop the policies and incentives that support faculty and center-based research. The ADR will also serve as the School’s primary liaison on research matters across the University and with key Federal partners, including with Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and with Oak Ridge National Lab (ORNL) and the Y-12 Security Complex, where Baker faculty hold joint appointments and shared research activities. Candidates should hold a PhD in public policy, public affairs, political science, economics, or a related field and be qualified for appointment at the rank of Professor or advanced Associate Professor in the Baker School.

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville has retained Isaacson, Miller to support this recruitment. Please submit all inquiries, nominations, and applications below.

Jeff Kessner is leading this search with Annah Wells and Jenny Rubin.