Director, Horn Point Laboratory

Cambridge, Maryland

Guiding our state, nation, and world toward a more sustainable future.

The Opportunity

The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) seeks an experienced, engaging, and mission-driven Director of the Horn Point Laboratory (HPL). A “Globally Eminent, Locally Relevant” institution, UMCES has a long history of leadership in the science of coastal and ocean environments and their watersheds. For more than 90 years, we have been dedicated to advancing the environmental sciences through discovery, integration, application, and education, leading the way toward better management of Maryland’s natural resources and restoration of the Chesapeake Bay — the nation’s largest estuarine system. 

UMCES is committed to leveraging our research infrastructure and intellectual expertise to address some of the most pressing environmental problems facing society. The Director is responsible for the well-being of the Horn Point Laboratory community and inspiring excellence and growth of HPL and UMCES.  The Director plans and implements program directions for research, public outreach and education; administers facilities; oversees personnel; leads fundraising activities; and develops and manages the Laboratory budget. The position reports directly to the president, Dr. Peter Goodwin and is a member of the UMCES executive leadership team. 

University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science

Our faculty engage in applied science and advisory work across multiple disciplines encompassing such research areas as ocean, coastal, and estuarine science; climate and energy; environmental chemistry and toxicology; fisheries and aquaculture; molecular and microbial processes; terrestrial ecology and land management; water resources and watersheds; marine biotechnology; and environmental entrepreneurship. UMCES serves as a trusted scientific advisor to state and national leaders, providing world-class, unbiased research to inform public policy, while educating future scientists to meet the global environmental challenges of the 21st century.

With a current annual operating and research budget of approximately $50 million – roughly half of which comes from the state – UMCES encompasses a network of six units across Maryland and includes the Appalachian Laboratory in western Maryland, the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory in southern Maryland, the Horn Point Laboratory on the Eastern Shore, the Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology in Baltimore, the Maryland Sea Grant College located in College Park, and the Integration and Application Network in Annapolis.  UMCES is home to some 350 scientific and support staff, including 75 faculty members and nearly 100 graduate students who engage in cutting-edge research and science application within the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem and in locations around the world. UMCES awards M.S. and Ph.D. degrees, and aims to advance and expand its educational programming. 

Our assets and strengths include:

  • Global eminence and innovation: Outstanding research across diverse disciplines working at local, regional, national, and international levels with contemporary relevance to such issues as climate change, ocean and coastal health, and ecosystem management. 
  • Local relevance: Stature and credibility within Maryland, a state that has a longstanding commitment to higher education, that supports and values basic and applied research, and that is dedicated to the health and sustainability of the Chesapeake Bay and its ecosystems.
  • Applied science: Nearly all of our faculty are engaged in research activities that have application, advisory, and policy elements.
  • Commitment to an inclusive workplace: UMCES has an intimate organizational culture of collaboration, shared governance, and effective leadership, and is actively working to make the environmental sciences more diverse, equitable, and inclusive. 
  • Commitment to student mentorship: UMCES students work closely with their faculty advisors. UMCES graduates have gone on to environmental policy roles in Washington DC and serve in leadership roles in agencies, universities, NGOs and the private sector.

As a comparatively small, independent research and education university within a sizable, highly respected public higher education system, UMCES has both flexibility and strong institutional support to continue to play an outsized role in environment research, education, and problem solving.

Director, Horn Point Laboratory

The Horn Point Laboratory (https://www.umces.edu/hpl) is located outside Cambridge, MD on the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay and currently has a staff of 125 employees, including 25 faculty and 28 graduate students pursuing M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in environmental science through the inter-institutional Marine, Estuarine and Environmental Science Program (www.mees.umd.edu). HPL research program strengths include ocean science, marine ecosystem studies, coastal resilience, fisheries science and complex interdisciplinary ecological science.  

This is a rare and compelling opportunity to lead a talented team of researchers, staff and students to contribute to addressing environmental challenges facing society.  The position is a fully supported 12-month position with the flexibility of balancing administrative responsibilities with a strong and active research program. The successful candidate will have a STEM doctoral degree, experience working in environmental science and an academic background to qualify for the rank of Full Professor. Salary will be commensurate with experience.  

Duties

The position will involve:

  • Shaping the future of HPL and the environmental sciences
  • Articulating and realizing UMCES’ values and mission, and a passion for strengthening the environmental well-being of the region;
  • Enhancing HPL’s collegial workplace;
  • Leading a large research program with a diverse range of funding sources;
  • Advancing the profile of HPL’s science, including developing and executing a strategic vision;
  • Applying written, presentation, and communication skills as a spokesperson for HPL and UMCES;
  • Networking to promote HPL to multiple constituencies, including growing relationships with donors, foundations and supporters of HPL;
  • A commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, including working well with individuals from all backgrounds;
  • Flexibility and adaptability in leadership to advance strategic programs;
  • Encouraging the education of the next generation of environmental scientists, including mentorship of faculty and students and identification of professional development opportunities; 
  • Working effectively with HPL’s staff to meet facilities and financial objectives;

To Apply

Please submit a cover letter describing interest in the position and expressing a brief (up to 2 page) vision for the Horn Point Laboratory within UMCES, curriculum vitae, a statement (up to 1 page) of contributions to, and aspirations for, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and contact information of three references using the UMCES job portal below. 

https://umces.peopleadmin.com/postings/1488

Review of applications will begin on February 21, 2022 and the position will be open until filled. 

UMCES is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer. The University System of Maryland and UMCES value all forms of diversity. Women, members of minority groups, and individuals with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.