Department Head

Utah State University•Logan, UT

10h•Onsite

About The Position

Utah State University invites applications and nominations for the Head of the Department of Physics in the College of Arts and Sciences. The Department Head will provide leadership for strategic growth in the department’s research program, graduate and undergraduate enrollment and outcomes, and internal and external partnerships. The successful candidate will bring a clear vision for building on the department’s strengths and enhancing its national visibility. The position may begin as early as July 1, 2027, with a later start date negotiable. The Department Head leads the department’s research, teaching, and service activities and fosters a positive, collegial climate and participatory decision-making. The role includes championing externally funded research aligned with departmental strengths and university, state, and federal priorities; supporting strong academic programs; developing faculty and staff; promoting student career readiness; managing departmental budgets and resources; and building relationships with alumni, industry, government laboratories, university partners, and other stakeholders. The Physics Department has a broad research portfolio spanning experimental, observational, computational, and theoretical physics. It is supported by 18 faculty members, approximately 70 undergraduate majors, and 20 graduate students. Utah State University is a student-centered, land-grant R1 research university with a statewide mission. The main campus is in Logan, Utah.

Requirements

Earned PhD in Physics or a related discipline that synergistically strengthens or extends the department’s research portfolio.
Experience equivalent to the academic rank of associate professor or higher.
Evidence of excellent leadership and interpersonal skills.

Nice To Haves

Demonstrated success growing and maintaining a productive research program with a strong record of external funding and mentorship, aligned with departmental strengths and university, state, and federal priorities.
Experience helping faculty compete for programmatic and multi-investigator awards that support the graduate academic program.
Leadership experience growing and strengthening a graduate academic program, including recruitment, retention, timely completion, external student support, and student success.
Ability to articulate, advocate, and represent departmental needs, vision, and goals effectively to college and university administration and other audiences.
Experience developing and advocating for strategic faculty recruitment, securing resources for faculty success, mentoring pre-tenure faculty, and retaining faculty in a competitive market.
Capacity to promote excellence in teaching, research, and service.
Demonstrated experience in teaching and pedagogy, mentoring graduate and undergraduate students, and promoting career readiness, including tracking post-graduation student success and building alumni networks.
Proficiency in program administration and evaluation, curriculum improvement, fiscal management, and interdisciplinary collaboration with internal and external stakeholders.
Commitment to Utah State University’s land-grant mission and statewide reach.
Appreciation for others’ accomplishments and commitment to working with students, faculty, and staff from a wide variety of backgrounds.
Demonstrated ability to develop and strengthen collaborative research partnerships with government laboratories, including USU’s Space Dynamics Laboratory, federally funded research and development centers, and other external partners.

Responsibilities

Lead the department’s research, teaching, and service activities.
Foster a positive, collegial departmental climate and participatory decision-making that promotes excellence.
Oversee and champion growth of the externally funded research program in alignment with departmental strengths and federal, state, and university priorities.
Support strong graduate and undergraduate academic programs and improve student recruitment, retention, timely completion, and career readiness.
Strategically recruit, retain, mentor, and support faculty and staff, including faculty career development and pre-tenure mentoring.
Manage departmental fiscal planning, budgets, resources, organizational performance, and human-resources processes.
Establish effective relationships with other departments, college and university administration, alumni, industry partners, government laboratories, and other stakeholders.
Represent and advocate for the department’s needs, vision, and goals to varied audiences, and increase public and professional recognition.
Promote student success, including tracking outcomes after graduation and building alumni networks.
Support curriculum improvement, program administration and evaluation, and interdisciplinary collaboration.