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The University of Colorado Boulder is taking bold steps to address today’s most pressing environmental challenges. A core component of this ambition is the newly established Sustainability Research Initiative (SRI), a strategic effort to advance research in sustainability and resilience.

CU Boulder is seeking an Executive Director for the SRI to accelerate the university's efforts to become a national leader in environmental resilience and sustainability research.

The Executive Director will play a critical role in expanding CU Boulder’s sustainability research portfolio and guiding the strategic direction of the SRI. This new position will report directly to the Vice Chancellor for Research & Innovation and will maintain a close, dotted-line relationship with the inaugural Vice Chancellor for Sustainability.

91ÖÆƬ³§ the Sustainability Research Initiative (SRI)

The SRI is being established to support CU Boulder’s sustainability goals by fostering research across a broad spectrum of disciplines, as well as elevating the expertise and efforts of CU Boulder’s diverse academic departments, research centers, and institutes. The SRI will drive interdisciplinary research and innovation by uniting the university’s expertise in earth sciences, engineering, energy, environmental policy and ethics, business and more.

The initiative is a key part of CU Boulder’s long-term sustainability strategy, which includes reducing the university’s environmental footprint, promoting resilience, and addressing the most pressing global sustainability issues.

SRI Executive Director

The Executive Director will be instrumental in shaping the initiative’s future by its leading strategic development and operational management. This role will involve:

• Strategic Leadership: Guiding the SRI to align with CU Boulder’s overarching sustainability, environmental reslience and climate action goals.
• Partnership Development: Cultivating key internal and external partnerships with government agencies, industry leaders, academic institutions and philanthropic organizations to secure significant external funding for groundbreaking research, technology commercialization and deployment of sustainability solutions.
• Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Integrating diverse academic perspectives from CU Boulder’s colleges, institutes and research centers to foster a collaborative research environment that promotes innovative solutions to sustainability challenges.
• Research Expansion: The Executive Director will create pathways for faculty and researchers to expand the impact of their sustainability research, enhancing the university’s statewide, national and global influence.