Job Description
Department:
Provost and Dean of Faculty
Pay Rate Type:
Salary
Employee Type:
Job Summary:
ATTENTION: Applicants must submit their materials to DavisInstituteforAI@SpencerStuart.com to be considered. Any applicants via the Colby College employment site will not be considered.
The Director of the Davis Institute for Artificial Intelligence will be responsible for leading a first-of-its-kind cross-disciplinary institute for artificial intelligence at a liberal arts college. Key priorities for the Institute include delivering a fundamental understanding and appreciation of the societal and ethical implications of advances in artificial intelligence, fostering next-generation research in AI technology and its various applications, supporting collaboration for students across a range of disciplines, and promoting faculty research and scholarship.
The Davis Institute works to connect all aspects of the AI field through the rigorous and thoughtful lens of a
liberal arts education and is guided by the following values:
- Use artificial intelligence as a means to improve the human condition.
- Collaborate across fields to help solve the world’s most pressing problems.
- Set the standard for faculty who conduct research and teach students to be tool builders and users.
- Examine and improve the social and ethical implications of artificial intelligence and machine learning.
The Director will be able to leverage partnerships with leading academics, researchers, and industry efforts across the field and within Colby College. They will also act as an independent steward for the college’s approach to artificial intelligence. The Director must be able to recruit and retain a cross-disciplinary cohort of faculty; build academic and corporate partnerships; engage and inspire students; and support the diverse research efforts and applications of the faculty. Given this unique charter, the Director will expand upon the Davis Institute’s efforts on incorporating AI research and applications across Colby College while constantly connecting science and research with societal and ethical impacts. Importantly, the Director will bring a deep and intentional commitment to advancing equity, diversity and inclusion to the Davis Institute, with a focus on reducing bias within the field of AI and engaging with under-represented students and faculty members.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
The next Director of the Davis Institute for Artificial Intelligence will fully capitalize on the Institute’s existing momentum and create a shared vision amongst the many and varied opportunities of this exciting moment at Colby College, and will be expected to:
- Guide, implement, and evolve the Institute’s operating and strategic plans;
- Engage students through diverse and dynamic course offerings and interdisciplinary programming, communicate the possibilities of AI technology to faculty members, and provide support and training to encourage new applications across academic focuses and disciplines;
- Partner with the students and faculty within the computer science field to support the AI technology and research needs of other departments, championing cross-disciplinary AI scholarship across Colby College;
- Recruit, retain, and support excellent faculty and staff who will solidify the Institute’s research and educational impact;
- Establish a network of partnerships with research institutions, centers, and corporations, as well as encourage entrepreneurial activity to generate excitement, interdisciplinary connectivity, and external impact;
- Uphold the values of student-centered, experiential teaching, learning and research;
- Partner with college advancement to build on the strong tradition of outcome-oriented philanthropy;
- Oversee the administration and operations of a rapidly evolving, top-tier research institute; and,
- Work to define what it means to be a well-prepared liberal arts student in the field of artificial intelligence and ensure that Colby students become leaders in the field.
Colby College seeks a Director with a balance of academic and applied AI credentials. This is an opportunity to build upon the momentum of a first-of-its-kind interdisciplinary institute within the broader context of a rapidly changing landscape, with a specific focus on applying leading science in a practical human and societal context.
The next Director will be an outstanding communicator with the necessary interpersonal skills and ability to connect with broad audiences internally and externally, including College leadership, faculty, staff, students, alumni, donors, corporate partners, and the community of leading researchers in this space.
IDEAL EXPERIENCE
- An academic bearing and sensibility, with experience as an educator, innovator, or entrepreneur; has worked through the process of envisioning, building, and scaling a program/company/organization in the academic, for-profit, non-profit, or public sector.
- Success in attracting and building partnerships with external organizations while also maintaining a clear and intentional focus on the Institute’s impact within the Colby community.
- Dynamic, engaging communicator who forges strong internal and external relationships and works effectively in a multi-constituency environment where a high degree of sustained collaboration is critical to success.
- Understanding and appreciation of the changing AI landscape beyond the technical evolutions.
- A team player with a track record of recruiting and developing talented employees and forging strong, productive allegiances with a diverse group of peers, colleagues, and supervisors.
- Demonstrated commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion.
- Relevant academic credentials with a connection to academic life and work. A Ph.D. is preferred, but not required.
CRITICAL LEADERSHIP CAPABILITIES
Strategic Vision
- Creates a strategy and vision that defines the evolving future of AI and integrates initiatives and their implications, both internally and with external stakeholders.
- Articulates research and partnership initiatives, funding and talent requirements, core values, and future needs in a clear and coherent way.
- Evaluates initiatives and programs with a critical, thoughtful eye, willing to make strategic decisions grounded in the mission and values of Colby College.
- Provides a clear strategic direction for the College and its external partners, leading to logically derived changes in the actions of the community.
- Thinks critically about the future of AI and scrutinizes the College’s programs and policies to ensure Colby remains a leader in the field.
Collaborating and Influencing
- Invites and uses the opinions and perspectives of others.
- Engages people in a dialogue to gain commitment and bring them “on board,” linking their perspective to the intent.
- Adapts own approach to the audience, anticipating the impact of words and actions, preparing for possible resistance, and responding in an appropriate and professional manner using a range of influencing styles.
- Checks with multiple viewpoints to ensure a common understanding.
- Nurtures productive and collaborative relationships with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders while being empathetic and motivating.
- Ambassador of the Institute and the College, demonstrating humility in all engagements.
Change Leadership
- Understands and appreciates the core values and strengths of Colby College while facilitating the College’s aspirations of growing to be less siloed and more interdisciplinary.
- Demonstrates a commitment to the student experience while highlighting and supporting faculty research and scholarship.
- Builds connections and relationships with different sectors and organizations.
- Sets clear goals and creates a culture celebrating positive change and experimentation, engaging people in a reasoned way.
- Establishes processes and practices to encourage and reinforce collaboration, innovation, and interdisciplinary thinking.
OTHER PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS
Humility, generosity, a collaborative spirit, and a commitment to teaching and learning in all of its dimensions.
THE SEARCH PROCESS
Colby College has partnered with Spencer Stuart, a national executive search firm, to identify and evaluate exceptional candidates for the Davis Institute for AI Director position. The search is active and will continue until this pivotal role is filled.
To submit an application, express interest, or nominate a world-class scientist or engineer who embodies the qualities outlined above, please send a message to the confidential mailbox that has been established for this search: DavisInstituteforAI@SpencerStuart.com.
