The Search and the Position

The University of Pittsburgh School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (SHRS) invites 

nominations and applications for the Vice Chair for Research position of the Communication Science 

and Disorders (CSD) Department. The program is seeking a dynamic individual with outstanding 

communication and collaborative skills to serve as a member of the CSD senior leadership team in 

its ongoing pursuit of excellence in research.

The Vice Chair for Research will demonstrate evidence of and/or strong potential for success in 

academic leadership, and will have an established research program and experiences in auditory or 

speech sciences. This individual will have a doctoral degree in hearing science, speech science, 

speech language pathology, audiology, communication science and disorders, or a related discipline. 

This is a 9-month  tenure  track position at the Associate/Full Professor Level. The Vice Chair for 

Research will report directly to the Chair of CSD.

The Role of the Vice Chair for Research

In collaboration with the CSD Chair and faculty, the Vice Chair for Research will be responsible 

for setting research and program priorities and allocating resources to meet those priorities; 

overseeing mentoring programs for research  faculty;  creating  opportunities  for  team  science  

including  successful  pursuit  of  center  and training  grants,  representing  the  Department  

on  School  and  University  committees; developing research partnerships and synergies across the 

University, Medical Center, joint Carnegie Mellon/University of Pittsburgh Center for the Neural 

Basis of Cognition (CNBC) as well as nationally/internationally. Support personnel specific to the 

research enterprise of CSD will report directly to the Vice Chair of Research. The Vice-Chair of 

research will work collaboratively and strategically with the SHRS centralized pre- and post-award 

team.

Research Program: The Vice Chair for Research will be responsible for development of a systematic 

research program in their area of expertise. We welcome candidates from any area of expertise that 

would traditionally be housed in a CSD department. Ideally, the successful candidate will 

complement one of our existing research clusters, which include:

● The Brain and Auditory Sciences Research Initiative (BASRI), including seven principal 

investigators

● The Pediatric Auditory, Speech, and Language Initiative (PALS), including four principal 

investigators

● The Research Enterprise in Voice and Swallowing (REVS), including six principal investigators

● The Pittsburgh Translational Aphasia Research Initiative (PTARI), including five principal 

investigators

Qualifications and Experience

The successful candidate must have a record that would earn tenure at the rank of Associate/Full 

Professor at the University of Pittsburgh. While no candidate will embody every quality, the 

successful candidate will demonstrate many of the following professional and personal 

qualifications:

● Evidence of collaborative engagement and successful partnerships in research and education

● A strong record of success in extramural funding

● Evidence of sustained productivity in research and scholarship

● Experience and/or interest in leading P50 center grants

●  Experience with pre-doctoral and post-doctoral training and interest in leading a T32 training 

grant in CSD

●  Ability to mentor staff and faculty to achieve personal, departmental, School, and University 

goals

●  Familiarity and experience with varied types of funding sources, including federal and 

non-federal sources, private foundations, industry, training grants, and private/public 

partnerships

● Experience with innovative program development (i.e., in research, teaching)

●  A demonstrated commitment to fostering an inclusive, equitable work environment, and diversity 

in the

field of CSD