Company Description:
The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is a Carnegie R1 and community-engaged research university at the heart of the U.S.-Mexico border region that is increasing access to excellent higher education. We advance discovery of public value and positively impact the health, culture, education, and economy of the community we serve. UTEP enrolls 24,000 students - 84% of whom are Hispanic and half of whom are the first in their families to attend college. UTEP offers 170 bachelor's, master's and doctoral degree programs at the only open-access, top-tier research university in America.
El Paso's border location makes it an ideal venue for academic programs and research studies on topics of national interest such as bilingual education/language acquisition, health equity, border environment and immigration, environmental sustainability and infrastructure, and international trade and commerce.
El Paso's active arts and culture community features the state's longest-running symphony orchestra, a nationally recognized chamber music festival, a vibrant street art and mural scene, art galleries, museums, and a full schedule of seasonal events and festivals. UTEP adds to the arts and entertainment scene with concerts and live events at the city's largest indoor and outdoor venues; theater, music and dance productions; contemporary and student art galleries; and a natural history museum and desert gardens. El Paso residents can also easily travel to our sister city of Ciudad Jurez, Mexico, to enjoy great food, markets and cultural events.
El Paso is also an ideal location for people who love the outdoors, as home to one of the nation's largest urban parks - Franklin Mountains State Park - and many options for year-round hiking, mountain biking and rock climbing.
For sports fans, the UTEP Miners offer exciting Division I college athletics at several campus venues including Sun Bowl Stadium - where one of the oldest football bowl games takes place annually - and the Don Haskins Center arena. Southwest University Park, located a mile away in lively downtown El Paso, is home to the El Paso Chihuahuas, the Triple-A baseball affiliate of the San Diego Padres, and the El Paso Locomotive FC, a professional soccer team founded in 2019.
THE COLLEGE OF SCIENCE AT A GLANCE
The College of Science programs and facilities, spanning six buildings, are designed to promote interdisciplinary teaching, learning, research, and community engagement among our students. The College supports the University in four key areas (http://www.utep.edu/science/). First, the Central Office for Readiness and Engagement (CORE) advises all Science undergraduate majors from entry through graduation. Second, the Medical Professions Institute (MPI) seeks to increase diversity in the medical profession community (physicians, dentists, veterinarians, pharmacists, etc.) by fostering the academic and professional development of UTEP students. Third, the College services all UTEP colleges by providing instructional support for all non-majors. Fourth, the College houses and supports the Border Biomedical Research Center (BBRC), a collaborative endeavor that includes faculty from other UTEP Colleges, collaborations with hospital systems, and community engagement via a sound infrastructure of core laboratories made possible with a $20M NIH grant to address border health issues in the Paso del Norte Region.
The College has 145 tenured/tenure-track faculty, as well as a number of primarily instructional faculty across five departments?Biological Sciences; Chemistry and Biochemistry; Earth, Environmental and Resource Sciences; Mathematical Sciences; and Physics. Each department offers at least one PhD program. There are 3,462 science majors, including 139 pursuing MS degrees and 255 pursuing PhDs. The interdisciplinary programs housed within the College of Science include the Bioinformatics program and the Computational Science program.
RESEARCH
The Science faculty submit an average of 200 research proposals annually. Currently, there are 212 active grants with a grant and subcontract portfolio of $115M. Annual research expenditures typically exceed $26M. Major strategic research thrusts in the College include: Understanding Earth's Critical Zone; Strategies to Conserve and Sustain Limited Resources; Data Science, Quantum, Informatics and Analytics for Global Solutions; and Hispanic Health Disparities. Twenty current and former faculty members from UTEP have been recognized among the top 2% of the most cited researchers in the world within their respective specialty areas. Of those named in the Standard-Elsevier ranking released in fall 2024, eleven were from the College of Science. Graduate and undergraduate students actively participate side-by-side with faculty mentors, paving the way for their future contributions to the scientific community.
The Center for Integrative and Translational Research (CITR) is working to develop the first comprehensive data repository integrating determinants of health (social, behavioral, genetic, environmental, and physiological factors), stress biomarkers, and multi-omic biomarkers of disease as a platform for completing health related studies of Mexican-origin people, thereby leveraging the opportunities afforded by the community living in the El Paso/Juarez Borderplex. The Imaging and Behavioral Neuroscience (IBN) research facility opened in spring 2024. Indio Mountains Research Station (IMRS), a natural laboratory of 41,000 acres located in the Chihuahuan region, is the ideal place for natural science classes, particularly for courses in Geology, Environmental Science, Archeology, Astronomy, and Biology. The UTEP Department of Chemistry boasts a range of advanced equipment and technology, including NMR spectrometers (600 MHz and 300 MHz), X-ray single crystal diffractometer, XPS, AFM, SEM, Cryo-EM, GI-XRD, and profilometry for chemical analysis and thin film analysis, alongside instruments like a Bruker EMX Plus X-band EPR/ESR, JEOL AccuTOF TC-100 Mass Spectrometer, and DART (Direct Analysis in Real Time) for specialized research applications; allowing students to engage in diverse research areas like synthetic and analytical chemistry, materials science, and spectroscopy. The College also has local High Performance Computing services providing access to computing resources for complex data analysis, numerical problems, and scientific software code and access to Texas Advanced Computing Center with supercomputer capability. These and other technologies located within the college serve to provide faculty and students a competitive advantage.
Job Description:
The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) seeks a visionary, creative, and engaging leader for the College of Science. The Dean will lead a dynamic academic community that drives innovative research and transformative learning in the binational Paso del Norte region. The Dean will play a critical role in advancing the University's strategic plan, providing leadership and direction for the future of the College, aiming to achieve global impact, and ensuring the highest standards of excellence in education, research, and service.
The Dean is the chief academic officer and administrative leader of the College of Science and serves as a key member of the University leadership team, reporting directly to the Provost. Working collaboratively with faculty and staff to advance the College's mission, the Dean will represent the College within the University and among a wide range of external constituencies. The Dean will continue to promote UTEP's impactful mission; strengthen collaborations with industry and community partners; and build on existing research and scholarship to promote access to excellence in education and research at UTEP. The Dean will be responsible for development efforts with external partners, as well as alumni and other donors, in support of the goals of the College.
Requirements:
Minimum expectations for the successful candidate:
- Qualifications commensurate with an appointment as a tenured full professor in the College
- Demonstrated excellence in leadership and management indicative of innovative approaches, and the ability to make clear and informed decisions
- Superior communication skills, political adroitness, and the capacity to represent the College effectively to local, national, and international constituencies
- A record that demonstrates a meaningful commitment to, and accomplishment in, advancing inclusive excellence
- A dedication to the core values of the University
- Demonstrated excellence in supporting faculty and staff development through innovative programs, mentorship, and strategic initiatives that enhance professional growth and institutional success
Desirable qualities in a successful candidate
- Progressive administrative leadership
- An open, engaging, and collaborative leadership style, partnering with and motivating faculty, staff, and students to take the College to a heightened level of success
- A clear understanding of leading-edge methods and instructional technologies to support teaching and learning
- Demonstrated record of effective interdisciplinary collaborations
- Demonstrated commitment to efforts that support student persistence and enhance career preparation of students
- Demonstrated ability to grow extramural funding, attract and retain top-tier scientists, and training graduate students.
- Demonstrated ability to create structures and processes to promote faculty success in national and international honorific awards
- Experience with strategic planning
Additional Information:
In keeping with its access, excellence, and impact mission, The University of Texas at El Paso is committed to an open, diverse, and inclusive learning and working environment that honors the talents, respects the differences, and nurtures the growth and development of all. We seek to attract faculty and staff who share our commitment.
The University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation, or gender identity in employment or the provision of services in accordance with state and federal law. Discrimination on the basis of sex includes an employee's or prospective employee's right to be free from sexual harassment under Title IX of the Higher Education Amendments of 1972. Inquiries-including the filing of a Formal Complaint or reporting an incident-about the application of Title IX may be referred to the Title IX Coordinator, who can be reached by phone at (915) 747-8358, by email at titleix@utep.edu, or by mail at 500 W. University Ave., El Paso, TX, Kelly Hall, Room 312.
For accommodation information for employees and applicants with disabilities, please contact UTEP's Equal Opportunity Office at eoaa@utep.edu.
Application Instructions:
Applications will be reviewed beginning October 15, 2025, and will be accepted until the position is filled.
Applicants must submit a CV, a letter of interest, and a list of five professional references. The letter of interest should describe their suitability for the position by addressing their qualifications, experiences, and contributions that elucidate their congruence with the UTEP institutional mission and strategic plan (https://www.utep.edu/strategic-plan/).
Nominations and queries should be sent to the Chair of the Search Committee, Stephen Crites, Ph.D., at: https://utep.questionpro.com/t/AOwDDZ5h39.
