Position Focus:

It is expected that this position will be involved in addressing all allegations of research misconduct brought forward through Yale’s formal academic misconduct process.

This position will also lead the process of advising on advance approval and disclosure requirements related to faculty member’s external institutional or funder relationships, and reviewing possible instances of incomplete disclosure or reporting of external activity. The Director will develop and implement a tracking system for all required reviews.

This position will collaborate with the Office of General Counsel (OGC), the cognizant dean's office, research integrity officers (RIO), the Conflict of Interest Office (COI) and faculty committees, and others to promptly address allegations or evidence of possible research misconduct or incomplete external activity disclosure or reporting.

Essential Duties

Research Integrity

1. Collaborate with all necessary parties, especially the RIO and OGC, to ensure specific allegations of possible research misconduct are appropriately reviewed and addressed. This includes:a. Oversee the overall process of reviewing and addressing specific allegations to ensure adherence to Yale policy and applicable regulation. This includes keeping reviews on-track by ensuring that inquiry and investigative committee (committee) meetings, sequestrations, and witness interviews are scheduled and conducted in a timely manner.b. Prepare correspondence to parties (complainants and respondents), witnesses, committee members, and others during the review of specific allegations.c. Oversee and execute sequestrations, which includes collaborating with the RIO, OGC, and Information Technology Services, and ensuring that all relevant materials are appropriately collected and safeguarded.d. Develop the factual background for the committee. Common examples include identifying:i. Yale connections to co-authors and other involved individuals, including dates of employment, titles, associated departments/laboratories/principal investigators, etc.;ii. Current locations and contact information for involved individuals no longer at Yale;iii. Funding sources (including sponsors, material providers, etc.) linked to the questioned research;iv. Journal articles deriving from the questioned research; andv. Grant applications (and ensuing grants) drawing on the questioned research.e. Provide training and guidance to committees on Yale’s academic misconduct process and interviewing witnesses. Prepare committees for witness interviews, which includes drafting question lists.f. Arrange for written or electronic evidence to be available to the committee and witnesses at interviews, at the committee’s direction.g. Attend and document witness interviews.h. Project manage the process. E.g., attend committee meetings, identify to-do items, and make sure it is clear who is handling which, handle many of them, track them, and report on them.i. Maintain and organize the electronic and written evidence. Make it accessible to the committee for its reviews and deliberations.
2. Track the status/progress of all research misconduct cases, maintain statistics on research misconduct allegations and cases, and prepare Yale’s annual ORI report.
3. Track all reporting requirements required and work with the appropriate offices, including the Office of Sponsored Projects, to ensure timely reporting.
4. Periodically update RIOs, OGC, and Provost’s Office regarding experience with the review process, case summaries, any trends in case content, etc., and recommend amendments to university policies, programs, and procedures as needed.External Research and Affiliations Disclosure and Reporting
5. Collaborate with all necessary parties, to determine faculty external collaborations related to their research endeavors have been appropriately reviewed, approved, disclosed, and reported.This includes the following:a. Collection and review of all related documentsi. Grant proposals and awards;ii. Internal supporting documents;iii. COI disclosures;iv. Publications; andv. Consulting Agreements, Appointment Letters.b. Develop background documents for senior leadership.c. Participate in interviews.d. Analyze documents and make recommendations to leadership on next steps.
6. Track all cases under review.
7. Track all required external activity reporting requirements and work with the appropriate offices, including the Office of Sponsored Projects, to ensure timely reporting. Additional Duties
8. Develop training, in collaboration with others, for faculty and staff related to scientific integrity and transparency and scientific security in research.
9. Develop or revise applicable policies, procedures, templates, or other documents at the direction of the Provost’s Office, OGC, and RIOs.

Required Education and Experience

1. Bachelor’s degree plus a minimum of 10 years of experience working in some combination of research, research administration, or research compliance at an institution of higher education, academic medical center, federal agency conducting and/or sponsoring research, or similar organization.
2. Demonstrated experience in working with sponsored research, especially National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Science Foundation (NSF) sponsored research.
3. Demonstrated experience in conducting investigations, especially research misconduct investigations.
4. Experience in developing and implementing educational programs.
5. Experience in writing policies, procedures, handbooks, forms/templates, and effective practices documents.

Required Skill/Ability 1:

Working knowledge of federal agencies’ policies and regulations governing research misconduct, specifically those applying to NIH and NSF sponsored research.

Required Skill/Ability 2:

Excellent investigative skills, including expertise in planning investigations, conducting witness interviews, gathering and assessing evidence, constructing factual narratives and timelines, conducting forensic analysis, applying standards of proof, and drafting comprehensive investigative reports.

Required Skill/Ability 3:

Ability to interpret and apply regulation and policy to different factual scenarios.

Required Skill/Ability 4:

Demonstrated leadership skills, excellent verbal and written communications skills, and excellent interpersonal skills. Self-motivated and broad thinking.

Required Skill/Ability 5:

Demonstrated skills using computers and various software tools.

Preferred Education, Experience and Skills:

An advanced degree, particularly a J.D. and/or a Ph.D. or other graduate degree in a scientific field. Experience working as a researcher or scientist.

Weekend Hours Required?

Occasional

Evening Hours Required?

Occasional

Drug Screen

No

Health Screening

No

Background Check Requirements

All candidates for employment will be subject to pre-employment background screening for this position, which may include motor vehicle, DOT certification, drug testing and credit checks based on the position description and job requirements. All offers are contingent upon the successful completion of the background check. Please visit www.yale.edu/hronline/careers/screening/faqs.html for additional information on the background check requirements and process.

Posting Disclaimer

The intent of this job description is to provide a representative summary of the essential functions that will be required of the position and should not be construed as a declaration of specific duties and responsibilities of the particular position. Employees will be assigned specific job-related duties through their hiring departments.

Affirmative Action Statement:

Yale University considers applicants for employment without regard to, and does not discriminate on the basis of, an individual’s sex, race, color, religion, age, disability, status as a veteran, or national or ethnic origin; nor does Yale discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity or expression. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 protects people from sex discrimination in educational programs and activities at institutions that receive federal financial assistance. Questions regarding Title IX may be referred to the University’s Title IX Coordinator, at TitleIX@yale.edu, or to the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, 8th Floor, Five Post Office Square, Boston MA 02109-3921. Telephone: 617.289.0111, Fax: 617.289.0150, TDD: 800.877.8339, or Email: ocr.boston@ed.gov.

Note

Yale University is a tobacco-free campus