Associate Director, Physical AI & Robotics

University of Notre Dame•Notre Dame, IN

3d•Onsite

About The Position

The University of Notre Dame's Physical AI and Robotics Initiative aims to advance human flourishing through robotics, establishing Notre Dame as a hub for developing robots that serve the human good. Located in a dedicated building, the Initiative integrates the University's expertise in humanoid robotics, prosthetics, bioinspired and soft robotics, field robotics, and artificial intelligence. The Associate Director is a crucial leader in the launch, development, and growth of this emerging initiative. Reporting to the Director, Professor Nicolaus Correll, the Associate Director will help define the Initiative's mission, foster an interdisciplinary community, and ensure its research, partnerships, funding, and public engagement align with its purpose. This highly collaborative role spans research development, strategic planning, community building, communications, and operations. The ideal candidate can engage effectively with technical researchers and articulate the societal importance of robotics and AI advancements. This position is particularly suited for a scholar interested in the intersection of technology and human life, with candidates from any academic discipline, including humanities, social sciences, sciences, engineering, or professional fields, being encouraged to apply. Relevant backgrounds include history and philosophy of science, technology and society, ethics, computer science, engineering, robotics, artificial intelligence, or related areas. While a technical background is valued, it is not required. This is a limited-term appointment with an initial five-year funding period, supported by the University's New College Initiative and the College Dean's Office. The role offers significant opportunities for professional growth and leadership, potentially leading to senior research-development, center/institute leadership, or strategy and partnership roles in academia, foundations, government, or industry.

Requirements

Doctoral degree in any field from an accredited institution. Eligible doctoral degrees may include, but are not limited to, a Ph.D., J.D., Ed.D., D.Sc., or other recognized doctoral-level degree appropriate to the candidate's discipline.
Typically 3–4 years of relevant professional, academic, research, program-development, or leadership experience.
Demonstrated experience building or organizing a community, program, initiative, research group, or other collaborative effort within or outside a university.
Demonstrated experience developing, writing, coordinating, or supporting research proposals, grants, contracts, or other complex projects.
Ability to engage fluently and credibly with technical researchers and research programs, regardless of the candidate's own academic discipline.
Strong writing, editing, presentation, and verbal communication skills.
Demonstrated ability to articulate a compelling mission and translate complex ideas for diverse audiences.
Strong organizational and project-management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and complex initiatives simultaneously.
Demonstrated ability to build relationships and work effectively with faculty, University leaders, staff, students, external partners, funders, and other stakeholders.
Demonstrated grant-writing and research-development skills.
Ability to coordinate large, multi-investigator grants, contracts, partnerships, and other complex initiatives.
Experience using modern AI tools to support research, writing, analysis, communications, project management, or other professional activities.
Ability to work independently while also functioning effectively as part of a highly collaborative, interdisciplinary team.
Strategic mindset with the ability to move between long-term vision and day-to-day execution.

Nice To Haves

Experience with fundraising, external partnerships, or development activities is strongly valued.
Experience working across disciplines and engaging with researchers or subject-matter experts is strongly valued.
Fundraising and relationship-development experience.
Experience working in robotics, artificial intelligence, physical AI, engineering, computer science, or a related technical field.
Scholarly or professional experience examining the relationship between technology and human life, including through the humanities, social sciences, ethics, history and philosophy of science, or related fields.
Experience launching or growing a new center, institute, initiative, research program, or interdisciplinary community.
Experience with major federal, foundation, corporate, or philanthropic funding opportunities.
Experience developing external partnerships with industry, foundations, government agencies, or other organizations.
Experience communicating complex technical or scholarly ideas to public, executive, philanthropic, or interdisciplinary audiences.

Responsibilities

Help translate the Physical AI and Robotics Initiative's mission into a clear strategy, priorities, programs, and activities.
Work closely with the Director and University leadership to launch and grow the Initiative during its initial five-year funding period.
Develop structures, processes, and partnerships that position the Initiative for long-term sustainability and expansion.
Identify opportunities to connect faculty, students, researchers, industry partners, foundations, and other stakeholders around the Initiative's mission.
Track emerging developments in robotics, physical AI, and related fields and identify opportunities for Notre Dame to develop distinctive research and partnership activities.
Coordinate and support large, interdisciplinary, multi-investigator research proposals and sponsored projects.
Identify and cultivate opportunities for federal, foundation, corporate, philanthropic, and other external funding.
Work with faculty investigators to develop compelling research narratives, proposals, budgets, partnerships, and supporting materials.
Lead or contribute substantially to grant writing, proposal development, and other research-development activities.
Help build a sustainable portfolio of externally funded research aligned with the Initiative's mission.
Coordinate across investigators, departments, colleges, and external partners to move complex proposals and projects forward.
Build an interdisciplinary community connecting researchers across robotics, AI, engineering, computer science, the humanities, social sciences, and other relevant fields.
Develop programs, events, workshops, seminars, and other activities that foster intellectual exchange and collaboration.
Cultivate relationships with University leaders, faculty, students, industry partners, foundations, government agencies, and other external stakeholders.
Represent the Initiative in internal and external meetings, conferences, and partnership discussions.
Help establish Notre Dame as a leading convening point for conversations about physical AI, robotics, and human flourishing.
Articulate the Initiative's purpose and research in ways that are compelling to both technical and nontechnical audiences.
Develop and coordinate communications, marketing, and public-engagement strategies that increase awareness of the Initiative.
Support the development of web content, presentations, reports, newsletters, events, and other materials that communicate the Initiative's work and impact.
Help translate complex technical research into accessible narratives for University leadership, prospective partners, funders, media, and the broader public.
Establish and maintain effective systems for coordinating the Initiative's activities, projects, partnerships, and priorities.
Coordinate multiple concurrent projects involving faculty, staff, students, and external collaborators.
Monitor timelines, deliverables, budgets, and other operational requirements associated with Initiative activities and sponsored projects.
Support planning and execution of major Initiative events, programs, and strategic activities.
Provide regular updates and recommendations to the Director and relevant University leadership.