Director of Research Computing Services - 525166 - The University of Alabama
Alabama, AL
About the Job
Department/Organization
219101 - University Libraries
Rank
Associate/Full Professor
Position Summary
The University of Alabama (UA) Libraries seeks a proactive and innovative individual to serve as the Director of Research Computing Services. Reporting to the Senior Associate Dean, and in consultation with the Dean of University Libraries, the Director of Research Computing Services will be responsible for leading and developing a vision for research computing in University Libraries, as well as determining new ways to engage in the developing campus vision for high-performance computing.
Detailed Position Information
The University of Alabama (UA) Libraries seeks a proactive and innovative individual to serve as the Director of Research Computing Services. Reporting to the Senior Associate Dean, and in consultation with the Dean of University Libraries, the Director of Research Computing Services will be responsible for leading and developing a vision for research computing in University Libraries, as well as determining new ways to engage in the developing campus vision for high-performance computing. The University Libraries Research Computing Services is an evolving program that seeks to support introductory computational research across the disciplines including, for example, programmatic workflows, scripted information retrieval, informatics, bibliometrics, High-Performance Computing (HPC), Geospatial Information Services (GIS), cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, large language models, and quantum computing. Specifically, this position will lead and support HPC for the University Libraries and in assistance to University students, staff, and faculty; will provide guidance on Linux and Bash support (SSH, SCP, etc.); and will provide leadership to support topics such as introductory HPC, parallel computing/GPUs, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and large language models. Research Computing Services in University Libraries will work toward enhancing researcher workflow automation, build foundations for quantum computing, and assist with transforming local computational workflows to HPC or cloud computing.
To support these efforts, the Director of Research Computing Services will lead a unit comprised of University Libraries student assistant developers, staff, and faculty librarians. The Research Computing Services team will support introductory research computing across the disciplines through instruction, outreach, and reference consultations, serving to provide introductory support for both instruction and collaborative multidisciplinary research needs across campus. Moreover, the Research Computing Services team will develop unique projects and tutorials aimed at advancing and teaching research computing strategies for curriculum and academic research applications. This position plays an active role in liaison activities associated with High-Performance Computing at The University of Alabama with various stakeholders and contributes on campus to these efforts.
In addition to leading computing services in the University Libraries, this position will serve as the Chemistry and Chemical Engineering subject liaison. Subject liaisons support both in-person and virtual library research, instruction, consultation, and outreach programs within assigned liaison areas. This position works with campus faculty to develop instruction materials and library assignments and to identify needs and opportunities for outreach in assigned academic departments. As part of the liaison role, this position will assist with instructional design initiatives and projects and continuously create digital learning objects in support of teaching and learning.
The ideal candidate will have direct experience supporting research computing topics and chemical information and will be highly motivated to cultivate faculty and student collaborations. The candidate must possess the ability to deal with change, ambiguity, and initiatives that are typical of an academic setting. The person in this position will be encouraged to pursue grant writing opportunities and submission of projects relevant to the mission of University Libraries and The University of Alabama and will maintain a robust research agenda of active publication.
Responsibilities of the position may change as University Libraries continue to evolve.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
• Lead Research Computing Services in the University Libraries and actively develop strategic partnerships within University Libraries and with other academic units (e.g., Office of Information Technology).
• Serve as the subject liaison to the departments of Chemistry & Biochemistry and Chemical & Biological Engineering.
• Promote computational workflows across campus, leveraging technology such as computational notebooks, versioning software, high performance computing, cloud computing, and automated workflows/continuous integration.
• Advocate for increased use of open and University Libraries subscription information for computational research (e.g., text mining, informatics, bibliometrics, data visualization).
• Supervise research computing students, staff and faculty librarians.
• Lead and develop a robust program to support research computing across the UA campus, including regular introductory workshops, course-integrated instruction, reference consultations, tutorials, and documentation. Example topics include programmatic workflows, reproducible/interactive code sharing, scripted information retrieval, informatics, bibliometrics, high-performance computing, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence/machine learning.
• Support and collaborate with faculty and students on research computing projects.
• Assess ongoing computational research and teaching at UA. Collaborate with University Libraries Area Computing Services to ensure that available library technology and software is meeting the needs of faculty and students.
• Collaborate with library liaisons to integrate research computing into instruction and reference.
• Maintain knowledge of workflows, new technologies, software, current trends and opportunities in research computing and chemical information.
• Participate in appropriate national and international professional societies and organizations related to research computing and chemical information.
• Engage in research, scholarship, or creative activity through publication and presentation.
• Responsibilities of the position may change as University Libraries continue to evolve.
SALARY/BENEFITS: This is a 12-month tenured/tenure-track faculty appointment at the Associate Professor or Professor rank. Salary is commensurate with qualifications, experience, and advanced degrees. Benefits include professional development support, tuition fee waiver, and matching retirement contributions.
Minimum Qualifications
• Master’s degree in Library & Information Sciences from an ALA-accredited institution, or terminal degree in a STEM field.
• 10+ years of progressively responsible experience in an academic research library.
• Proven experience developing and providing library services related to chemical information, computer programming, and computational research.
• Experience leading and mentoring student assistants.
• Strong understanding and experience with automated information retrieval methods via scholarly APIs.
• Experience with Linux, Bash, Python, and High-Performance Computing.
• Knowledge of academic computational workflows with Git, Jupyter Notebooks, and scripting.
• Ability to successfully initiate, track, and manage projects.
• Record of contributing to and publishing open-source software.
• Demonstration of ability, interest, and willingness to assume additional and/or new responsibilities, along with the ability to set and model high performance standards.
• Proven interpersonal skills evidenced by working cooperatively and maintaining effective working relationships with colleagues, faculty, staff, and students.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a complex and changing environment; proven ability to work both independently and collaboratively and complete tasks according to an established timeframe, manage multiple priorities, and meet deadlines.
• Commitment to conduct research and scholarship consistent with a tenure-track/tenured faculty appointment; commitment to engage in continuing professional development.
Preferred Qualifications
• Ph.D. in a STEM field. • Experience with quantum computing. • Knowledge of parallel computing and GPU programming. • Familiarity with data curation workflows. • Experience with cloud computing such as Microsoft Azure, Google Colab, or GitHub Codespaces • Experience with GIS (Geographic information system). • Experience with large language models or other AI/ML technologies. • Experience submitting grant proposals. • Experience developing LibGuides, tutorials, and digital learning objects. • Experience with Blackboard or another Learning Management System.
Instructions and Required Materials for Application
Applications are accepted online only at https://careers.ua.edu Click Faculty Jobs, then University Libraries. Please include your application, Curriculum Vitae, and names, addresses, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses for three references, including one current supervisor. Position open until filled. Applications received by November 29, 2024, are assured of receiving full consideration. For questions regarding the search, contact Michael Arthur, Senior Associate Dean at maarthur@ua.edu.
About the Division/College/School
The University of Alabama Libraries, a system of four separate discipline-related libraries, is proud to support the research enterprise at the University of Alabama via a comprehensive and integrated network of resources, services, and technologies designed to meet the academic and research needs of students, faculty, and staff. We take pride in serving as a hub for innovation, knowledge creation and dissemination, research assistance, and collaborative learning.
Members of the University of Alabama family visited our physical and virtual spaces over 10 million times in 2022. Our print collections span over 6 million volumes, and we offer access to 2.5 million E-Books, 220,000 AV titles, and 98,000 E-Journals via our 685 databases.
University Libraries provides strong mentorship for faculty and staff, with ongoing collaborative opportunities, and administrative support for innovative services and ideas. We provide excellent support for needed technology and conference travel, and we are invested in academic freedom with teaching and research.
Our staff routinely update and maintain cutting edge programs of service in support of our stakeholders. Our faculty librarians have developed a robust instruction program, including a series of research data services and workshops, that consistently performs at the top of the SEC. We are heavily invested in performing the same high value research that our stakeholders produce, and that assists us in our data-driven strategic planning for the future. Our librarians have produced 75 peer reviewed journal articles in Tier 1 journals in the last 2 years.
If working with a talented group of professionals who value service, innovation, and high achievement, earning a nationally competitive starting salary, in a thriving college town, with a low cost of living, close to Birmingham, Atlanta, Nashville, New Orleans, and the Gulf Coast sounds interesting to you, start your application process with us to learn more!
About the University
The University of Alabama is located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, named one of Travel + Leisure’s 25 Best College Towns and Cities in the U.S. As one of the nation’s premier universities, UA offers bachelor’s, master's and doctoral degrees in nearly 200 fields of study. With more than 1,400 acres of tree-lined academic core campus and over 300 state-of-the art facilities, UA has been ranked among the most beautiful and most impressive college campuses in the South, in the state of Alabama and in the nation.
In Fall 2023, the Capstone set a new enrollment record with more than 39,000 students, including more than 8,200 in the freshman class. The current enrollment includes students from every county in Alabama, every state in the nation and 92 countries around the world. More than 1,100 National Merit Scholars are currently enrolled, making UA one of the largest enrolling institutions of the scholars in the country.
UA was recently recognized as a Top Producing Institution of Fulbright U.S. students for the seventh time in nine years, as well as a Top Producing Institution of Fulbright U.S. Scholars for the first time. UA is one of only 12 universities in the nation to receive both honors.
For reasons like this, the University made Forbes list of America’s Top Colleges for 2023 and Time magazine’s list of Top 50 Best Colleges for Future Leaders. It also made Princeton Review’s list of Top Value Colleges.
UA is also designated among the top doctoral research universities in the United States in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. One of the fastest growing major research institutions in the nation, UA saw a 21% increase in sponsored awards in the 2023 fiscal year.
Since 2015, UA has invested over $1.1 billion in the physical campus, adding more than 2.55 million gross square feet of space, over 150 new research-intensive faculty, signature research areas (e.g., “The Alabama Research Institutes”), and a growing number of partnerships with industry and with state and federal agencies.
The University employs nearly 2,100 faculty and over 4,500 staff, with 52 UA researchers included in the National Academy of Inventors. An additional 40 current faculty have received the NSF CAREER Award, the nation’s most prestigious recognition of top performing young scientists in disciplines ranging from nanoscience and engineering to biological sciences.
Background Investigation and EEO Statement
Prior to hiring, the final candidate(s) must successfully pass a pre-employment background investigation and information obtained from social media and other internet sources. A prior conviction reported as a result of the background investigation DOES NOT automatically disqualify a candidate from consideration for this position. A candidate with a prior conviction or negative behavioral red flags will receive an individualized review of the prior conviction or negative behavioral red flags before a hiring decision is made.
The University of Alabama is an Equal Employment/Equal Educational Opportunity Institution. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, genetic information, disability or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against because of their protected status. Applicants to and employees of this institution are protected under Federal law from discrimination on several bases. Follow the link below to find out more. "EEO is the Law" https://www.eeoc.gov/sites/default/files/migrated_files/employers/poster_screen_reader_optimized.pdf