Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research)

Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research)

The University of Hong Kong (HKU) invites nominations, expression of interest and applications for the position of Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) (VP & PVC (Research)).

The University 

Founded in 1911, HKU is the first and foremost institution of higher learning in Hong Kong.  It has attained its pre-eminence as a research-led comprehensive university through upholding the highest standards of excellence in its research pursuits, teaching and learning, scholarship, and service to the community.  

The University is consistently ranked amongst the world’s top universities: 2^nd in Asia and 25^th in the world (QS 2019), 9^th in the world for Graduate Employability (QS 2020), and was identified as the most international university by Times Higher Education (World's Most International Universities 2019).   

As Asia’s Global University, HKU has a strategic vision firmly anchored by the ‘3+1 Is’ of Internationalisation, Innovation and Interdisciplinarity, all converging on Impact.  Research and innovation form a core pillar of the University’s academic endeavours.  It is committed to sustaining areas of excellence, cultivating areas of growth and encouraging cross-institutional collaborations.  Its Strategically Oriented Research Themes encompass not just areas of strength, but also ambition and potential, such as SmartBio and HealthTech, Future Innovative Technologies, Smart Systems and Sustainable Society, and Intelligence, Data, E-Commerce and Automation.  

There are ten Faculties at the University: Architecture, Arts, Business & Economics, Dentistry, Education, Engineering, Law, Medicine, Science, and Social Sciences.  The University’s students and staff – including over 2,500 professoriate and other academic staff, about 17,000 undergraduates and over 12,000 graduate students – come from Hong Kong and over 100 countries, generating a unique breadth of experience and perspective.  According to Clarivate Analytics, 114 of HKU’s Professors were ranked among the world’s top 1% of scientists.                                      

The Position

The VP & PVC (Research) is a key member of the Senior Management Team, and will partner with the President & Vice-Chancellor, the Provost & Deputy Vice-Chancellor, and the Deans to ambitiously expand the research enterprise of HKU; to lead cutting-edge developments in disruptive technologies, health, business, and the arts and humanities; and strategically to grasp the vibrant opportunities brought about by the development of the Greater Bay Area in China, the entrepreneurial globe, and the thriving research environment in Hong Kong.

The successful candidate will take a leadership role in driving the University’s overall research policies and strategies as well as in the development of research students and policies of postgraduate education.  Major responsibilities include:

• charting the research landscape and identifying and meeting the emerging research opportunities of the future locally, nationally and internationally; strengthening existing initiatives and expanding into new multidisciplinary fields;
• developing institutional research policies and procedures, and ensuring the integrity of research processes and policies;
• strategizing and diversifying sources of research funding;
• stewarding the overall physical and computational infrastructure necessary for research leadership;
• overseeing research postgraduate education and training; 
• cultivating relationships and facilitating the establishment of collaborative research partnerships; and
• promoting translational research and facilitating innovation, technology transfer and entrepreneurship.

The successful candidate should be an outstanding scholar at full Professor level or above, with distinguished international standing.  He/She will have the ability to develop and communicate a strategic vision for a scholarly enterprise with broad University constituencies and provide leadership to pursue the vision.  Demonstrated experience and success in a leadership role in administering a large research enterprise; extensive knowledge of and experience with research funding issues, policies and sources; demonstrated experience and commitment in postgraduate training and development; and experience in managing the relationship between research and technology transfer/entrepreneurship are looked for.  The ability to interact with funding bodies and industries to effectively engage resources is expected.  Knowledge and experience with the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) in Hong Kong or other university assessment mechanisms would be desirable.  The successful candidate will be energetic, entrepreneurial-minded, and possess strong communication and people skills.

Nomination, Expression of Interest and Application

Nominations, expression of interest and applications should be directed to the email address below in confidence.  Review of nominations and applications will begin in late November/early December 2019, and will continue until the post is filled.  The University is an equal opportunities employer and is committed to equality, ethics, inclusivity, diversity and transparency.