Assistant Director, Research Development-AI Institute

Assistant Director, Research Development-AI Institute

The Assistant Director of Research Development, AI Institute advances the research mission of the Syracuse University Institute for Artificial Intelligence by leading research development and business development activities, including strategic funding opportunity identification, funder relationship management, proposal development support, and strategic intelligence. This position serves as the Institute's research development strategist and the primary advisor to Institute faculty on proposal competitiveness, sponsor alignment, and funder engagement. This position reports directly to the Director of the AI Institute and maintains a dotted-line reporting relationship to the Senior Director of the Office of Research Development to ensure alignment with University-wide research development strategy, practices, and infrastructure. The Assistant Director collaborates with the Office of Research Development on cross-cutting initiatives and participates in the professional community to maintain consistency in research development practices across the University.

Education and Experience - Required: Advanced degree in a STEM field, particularly in artificial intelligence, computer science, engineering, or a related discipline, and four (4+) or more years of relevant research development experience preferred. Candidates with a bachelor's degree and six (6+) or more years of direct experience in research development at an accredited institution will be considered. Preferred: Doctoral degree in a relevant field. Seven or more years of research development experience in a university or federal research setting. Experience supporting an interdisciplinary research institute or center.

Skills and Knowledge - Outstanding writing, editing, speaking, and proposal development skills. Strong interpersonal skills, including the ability to work independently and collaboratively with faculty, staff, and external partners, and a demonstrated ability to build consensus across diverse stakeholders. Proven track record in successful facilitation of research proposals, including experience managing funder relationships and proposal pipelines for large, complex, multi-investigator initiatives. Knowledge of extramural funding programs, including expertise in analyzing and applying federal and non-federal regulations and guidelines. Demonstrated ability to use customer relationship management (CRM) tools to track funding leads, program officer engagement, and proposal pipelines. Knowledge of federal funding agencies and programs relevant to artificial intelligence research, including NSF, DARPA, DoE, DoD, and IARPA, is required. Familiarity with philanthropic funders supporting AI research (e.g., Sloan, Schmidt Sciences, Templeton) is highly desired. Experience cultivating and managing industry research partnerships is highly desired. Knowledge and experience working across multiple academic departments and central research administration units is required.

Responsibilities - Research Development and Proposal Strategy: Serve as the Institute's primary research development advisor, working with faculty to identify the strongest funding targets and develop competitive proposal strategies. Advise investigators on proposal framing, competitiveness, team composition, and alignment with sponsor priorities. Review draft proposals for alignment with funder requirements and strategic fit prior to submission routing. Track all proposals and white papers across Institute members and maintain institute-wide research development metrics, including submission volume, dollar amounts, success rates, and investigator participation. Collaborate with the Project Manager and campus partners to submit strategic, competitive, and compliant proposals that are aligned with funder and university priorities.

Funding Opportunity Identification and Funder Pipeline Management: Facilitate and synthesize strategic intelligence for the Institute. Actively search, identify, and disseminate funding opportunities relevant to Institute faculty across federal, philanthropic, and industry sources. Maintain CRM-based tracking of funding leads, program officer engagement, emerging programs, and Requests for Information (RFIs). Facilitate funding strategy sessions with researchers to align Institute capabilities with sponsor priorities. Work with key personnel to monitor opportunities from NSF, DARPA, DoD, DoE, IARPA, and other relevant agencies, and with designated personnel to track opportunities from philanthropic organizations and foundations. Monitor the federal funding landscape and emerging policy developments to identify new areas of opportunity for Institute faculty.

Funder Engagement and Targeted Materials: Manage the production of white papers, quad charts, capability statements, one-pagers, and other targeted materials in support of funder engagement. Ensure all funder-facing materials are consistent with University and Institute branding standards and comply with University trademark and brand guidelines. Schedule and coordinate meetings between Institute faculty and federal program managers, foundation program officers, and other funders. Support Institute leadership in preparing for funder visits, site reviews, and sponsor-facing presentations.

Relationship Management and Coordination: Facilitate coordination among campus partners (OoR/RD, CFR/Advancement, Government Relations) to cultivate and manage industry partner relationships in pursuit of collaborative grant awards and sponsored research agreements. Keep industry partners informed of Institute research progress and capabilities. Participate in Office of Research Development team meetings, professional development activities, and cross-institutional research development initiatives to maintain alignment with University-wide research development practices. Contribute AI-domain expertise and funding landscape intelligence to the broader ORD mission. Coordinate with ORD colleagues on multi-institute or University-wide proposal opportunities that involve AI Institute faculty.