Director, The Penn State Critical Materials Alliance

POSITION SPECIFICS

The Pennsylvania State University invites applications and nominations for the inaugural Director of the Penn State Critical Materials Alliance (Penn State CMA), a strategic university-wide initiative focused on advancing research, workforce development, industry engagement, and innovation across the critical minerals and materials value chain. Penn State possesses the breadth required to address the entire critical minerals and materials lifecycle - the new Director will be instrumental in aggregating and focusing expertise across campus. The Penn State CMA is a university-wide initiative managed by the Materials Research Institute (MRI) on behalf of Penn State's Office of the Senior Vice President for Research. The Alliance brings together faculty and research infrastructure from across the University, including the Colleges of Earth and Mineral Sciences, Engineering, Eberly College of Science, Smeal College of Business, and Information Sciences and Technology, together with Penn State's Applied Research Laboratory (ARL) and major interdisciplinary institutes including the Institute of Energy and the Environment (IEE), National Security Institute (NSI), and Institute for Computational and Data Sciences (ICDS). The Director will provide visionary leadership for a growing interdisciplinary effort spanning resource discovery and characterization, extraction and separation, advanced materials processing and manufacturing, circular economy approaches, artificial intelligence and supply-chain analytics, and the societal dimensions of critical minerals and materials development. The successful candidate will hold a tenured faculty appointment at the Professor rank in an academic department aligned with their expertise and will work closely with colleges, interdisciplinary institutes, and research centers across the University. Exceptionally accomplished candidates currently at the Associate Professor rank may be considered when their record supports appointment at the Professor rank. The Director will be responsible for building and leading a nationally recognized interdisciplinary program that positions Penn State as a leader in securing domestic supply chains for critical minerals and materials essential to energy technologies, advanced manufacturing, national security, and economic competitiveness.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a strategic vision for the Penn State CMA.
• Build and lead interdisciplinary teams spanning multiple colleges, institutes, and campuses.
• Foster a collaborative culture that integrates expertise across exploration, extraction, processing, manufacturing, recycling, AI-enabled systems, economics, policy, and workforce development.
• Expand partnerships with industry, federal agencies, national laboratories, state agencies, and international collaborators.
• Develop and lead large-scale research initiatives and center-scale proposals to federal sponsors including DOE, DoD, USGS, NSF, NIST, and related agencies.
• Establish and grow industry partnerships, consortia, and collaborative research programs with Federal Labs (e.g. DOE Labs) that accelerate technology translation and workforce development.
• Coordinate strategic investments in shared research infrastructure, pilot-scale testbeds, and workforce programs that support critical minerals and materials innovation.
• Advance educational and workforce initiatives that prepare students, postdoctoral scholars, and technical professionals for careers in the critical minerals and materials ecosystem.
• Serve as an advocate and spokesperson for Penn State's critical minerals and materials activities at the regional, national, and international levels.
• Maintain an internationally recognized program of scholarship consistent with appointment at the rank of Professor.

Director Resources

The successful candidate will receive a competitive salary and startup package commensurate with their experience and consistent with Penn State policies. In addition, Penn State is committed to providing the resources necessary to establish the Penn State Critical Materials Alliance as a nationally recognized center of excellence that convenes academia, industry, and government. This support will include the operational and programmatic infrastructure needed to foster interdisciplinary collaboration, develop strategic partnerships, and accelerate the growth of large-scale research and workforce initiatives. Resources will be provided through a collaborative investment involving the University, participating colleges, and interdisciplinary institutes, with the goal of establishing a sustainable, nationally recognized Alliance.

Required Qualifications

• An earned doctorate in engineering, materials science, geosciences, chemistry, physics, or a closely related field.
• Qualifications commensurate with appointment as a tenured Professor at Penn State; exceptionally accomplished Associate Professors may be considered when their record supports appointment at the Professor rank.
• An internationally recognized record of scholarship and research accomplishments relevant to critical minerals, materials, energy technologies, advanced manufacturing, resource systems, recycling, supply chains, or related fields.
• A demonstrated record of leading large interdisciplinary research programs, centers, institutes, consortia, or comparable collaborative efforts, with the stature and credibility to lead senior faculty across multiple academic units.
• Strong communication and relationship-building skills with academic, industry, government, and community stakeholders.
• Demonstrated commitment to fostering collaborative and inclusive research environments.
• US Citizen or Green Card Holder

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience leading multi-institutional or center-scale research initiatives.
• Experience working with federal agencies and national laboratories.
• Experience developing industry partnerships and translational research programs.
• Knowledge of one or more areas relevant to the critical minerals and materials value chain, including exploration, extraction and separation, advanced manufacturing, circular economy and recycling, supply-chain resilience, artificial intelligence and digital systems.
• Experience building workforce development, educational, or training programs.

Applications should include a curriculum vitae, Research & Leadership Statement, and professional references.

About the Penn State Critical Materials Alliance (Penn State CMA)

The Penn State CMA is Penn State's university-wide organization for coordinating research, education, workforce development, industry engagement, and strategic partnerships in critical minerals and materials. Managed by the Materials Research Institute on behalf of the Office of the Senior Vice President for Research, the Alliance brings together faculty, facilities, and programs from across the University to address the entire critical minerals and materials value chain—from resource discovery and extraction to processing, advanced manufacturing, recycling, and supply-chain resilience. The Penn State CMA serves as Penn State's focal point for interdisciplinary collaboration and external engagement, accelerating large-scale research initiatives, technology translation, workforce development, and partnerships with industry, federal agencies, national laboratories, and state organizations. By integrating expertise across the Colleges of Earth and Mineral Sciences, Engineering, Eberly College of Science, Information Sciences and Technology, Smeal College of Business, the Applied Research Laboratory, and major interdisciplinary institutes—including the Materials Research Institute (MRI), Institute of Energy and the Environment (IEE), National Security Institute (NSI), and Institute for Computational and Data Sciences (ICDS)—the Alliance positions Penn State as a national leader in advancing secure, sustainable, and resilient critical minerals and materials supply chains.

About Penn State

About Penn State Penn State is a top-ranked public research university and one of the largest and most comprehensive universities in the United States. With more than $1.4 billion in annual research expenditures and a longstanding commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration, Penn State provides an exceptional environment for research, innovation, education, and public impact.

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