Director, The Penn State Critical Materials Alliance

Penn State University Talent Acquisition • University Park, PA • 1d ago

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:

CURRENT PENN STATE EMPLOYEE (faculty, staff, technical service, or student), please login to Workday to complete the internal application process. Please do not apply here, apply internally through Workday.

CURRENT PENN STATE STUDENT (not employed previously at the university) and seeking employment with Penn State, please login to Workday to complete the student application process. Please do not apply here, apply internally through Workday.

If you are NOT a current employee or student, please click "Apply" and complete the application process for external applicants.

Approval of remote and hybrid work is not guaranteed regardless of work location.For additional information on remote work at Penn State, seeNotice to Out of State Applicants.

POSITION SPECIFICS

The Pennsylvania State University invites applications and nominations for the inaugural Director of

the

Penn State

Critical Materials Alliance

(

Penn State

CMA)

, a strategic university-wide initiative

focused on advancing research, workforce development, industry engagement, and innovation across the critical minerals and materials value

chain.

Penn State

possesses

the breadth

required

to address the entire critical minerals and materials lifecycle

the new Director will be instrumental in aggregating and

focusing

expertise

across campus

The

Penn State

CMA is a university-wide initiative managed by the Materials Research Institute (MRI) on behalf of Penn State's Office of the Senior Vice President for Research. The Alliance brings together faculty and research infrastructure from across the University, including the Colleges of Earth and Mineral Sciences, Engineering, Eberly College of Science, Smeal College of Business, and Information Sciences and Technology, together with Penn State's Applied Research Laboratory (ARL) and major interdisciplinary institutes including the Institute of Energy and the Environment (IEE), National Security Institute (NSI), and Institute for Computational and Data Sciences (ICDS).

The Director will provide visionary leadership for a growing interdisciplinary effort spanning resource discovery

and characterization,

extraction and separation, advanced materials processing and manufacturing, circular economy approaches, artificial intelligence and supply-chain analytics, and the societal dimensions of critical minerals

and materials

development. The successful candidate will hold a tenured faculty appointment at the Professor rank in an academic department aligned with their

expertise

and will work closely with colleges,

interdisciplinary

institutes, and research centers across the University.

Exceptionally accomplished candidates currently at the Associate Professor rank may be considered when their record supports appointment at the Professor rank.

The

Director will

be responsible for

building and leading a nationally recognized interdisciplinary program that positions Penn State as a leader in securing domestic supply chains for critical minerals and materials essential to energy technologies, advanced manufacturing, national security, and economic competitiveness.

Responsibilities

The Director will

be expected to

Develop and execute a strategic vision for the

Penn State

CMA

Build and lead interdisciplinary teams spanning multiple colleges, institutes, and campuses.

Foster a collaborative culture that integrates

expertise

across exploration, extraction, processing, manufacturing, recycling, AI-enabled systems, economics, policy, and workforce development.

Expand partnerships with industry, federal agencies, national laboratories, state agencies, and international collaborators.

Develop and lead large-scale research initiatives and center-scale proposals to federal sponsors including DOE, DoD,

USGS,

NSF, NIST, and related agencies.

Establish

and grow industry partnerships, consortia, and collaborative research programs

with

Federal Labs (

e.g.

DOE Labs)

that accelerate technology translation and workforce development.

Coordinate strategic investments in shared research infrastructure, pilot-scale testbeds, and workforce programs that support critical minerals and materials innovation.

Advance educational and workforce initiatives that prepare students, postdoctoral scholars, and technical professionals for careers in the critical minerals and materials ecosystem.

Serve as an advocate and spokesperson for Penn State's critical minerals and materials activities at the regional, national, and international levels.

Maintain

an internationally recognized program of scholarship consistent with appointment at the rank of

Professor.

Director Resources

The successful candidate will receive a competitive

salary and

startup package

commensurate

with their experience and consistent with Penn State policies. In addition, Penn State is committed to providing the resources necessary to

establish

the

Penn State

Critical Materials Alliance as a nationally recognized center of excellence

that

convenes

academia, industry, and government

. This support will include the operational and programmatic infrastructure needed to foster interdisciplinary collaboration, develop strategic partnerships, and accelerate the growth of large-scale research and workforce initiatives. Resources will be provided through a collaborative investment involving the University,

participating

colleges, and interdisciplinary institutes, with the goal of

establishing

a sustainable, nationally recognized Alliance.

Required Qualifications

Candidates must

possess

An earned doctorate in engineering, materials science, geosciences, chemistry, physics, or a closely

... For full info follow application link.

Penn State is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer, and is committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. If you are unable to use our online application process due to an impairment or disability, please contact 814-865-1473.

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