Chair, Psychological and Brain Sciences

University of Delaware

Newark, DE - United States

The University of Delaware (UD) invites nominations and applications for the position of chair of the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences (PBS).

UD, a research-intensive, technologically advanced university with global impact was designated in 1867 as one of the nation’s historic Land Grant colleges. An R1 institution with NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletics, UD is home to approximately 23,000 students. In addition to their vibrant main campus in Newark, UD has locations across the state in Wilmington, Dover, Georgetown and Lewes.

PBS is housed within the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), the largest of ten colleges at UD. With 22 academic departments and more than 25 centers, programs, and institutes, the college serves close to 7,000 undergraduate students and over 1,000 graduate students with CAS majors, but also every single university student through foundational and breadth course work. The college’s 600 faculty members emphasize the enduring value of an arts and science education and share a deep commitment to excellence in scholarship and all forms of creative and intellectual expression.

The department is home to more than 70 graduate students, 1,200 undergraduate majors, and 300 minors. PBS offers undergraduate degrees in psychology, psychology education, and neuroscience. The department also offers a 4+1 degree in neuroscience (BS/MS) and a PhD degree in psychological and brain sciences organized around one of four concentrations: behavioral neuroscience, clinical science, cognitive psychology, and social psychology. PBS plays a leading role in a new campus-wide Interdepartmental Neuroscience Graduate (ING) program, which connects many departments in several of the university’s colleges and supports multiple collaborative opportunities for PBS. The new MS degree in Clinical Psychological Science, offered through the Institute for Community Mental Health (ICMH), is an innovative program that meets the rising demand for skilled mental health professionals. The curriculum blends scientific rigor with clinical practice, ensuring that graduates are proficient in evidence-based interventions while also equipped as pioneers in advancing mental health care.

PBS faculty are leading scholars and educators, many of whom integrate neuroscience with behavioral and clinical research. PBS is well-connected to other departments within CAS and multiple departments within the College of Health Sciences and the College of Engineering. A prospective department chair will find opportunities to build on numerous existing strengths and inspire new growth and connections across disciplines.

Reporting to the incoming dean of arts and sciences, the chair will lead and implement a strategic planning and visioning process for the future; foster collaboration across the various concentrations within the department; advocate for PBS and cultivate relationships across the university; advance student success; build and foster a tradition of philanthropy; foster and promote the transformative potential of Building X, a brand-new interdisciplinary science building that houses several members of the department; and partner with the director of ICMH to build vital connections between research and community mental health services.

The department is looking for a collaborative leader to guide them in a quickly evolving academic landscape and continue advancing the department’s notable scholarly reputation and visibility. The chair will provide academic and administrative leadership, manage and secure resources for the department, promote excellence in scholarship, teaching, service, and community outreach, while fostering a collegial atmosphere that supports the department’s mission and vision. A Ph.D. in an area appropriate to psychological or brain sciences is required, and the future chair must be tenured with the rank of full or associate professor within the department. Based on the qualifications of the candidate of choice, this position has the potential of becoming an endowed professorship position.

Inquiries, nominations, and applications are invited. Applications should include, as separate documents, a CV or resume and a letter of interest addressing the themes in the profile. WittKieffer is assisting UD in this search. For full consideration, candidate materials should be received by April 1, 2025.

Applications, nominations, and inquiries can be directed to Randi Miller and Corin Edwards at UDChairPBS@wittkieffer.com.

The University of Delaware is an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourages applications from members of underrepresented groups.

The University’s Notice of Non-Discrimination can be found at http://www.udel.edu/aboutus/legalnotices.html.

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University of Delaware Chair Psychological and Brain Sciences Leadership Profile