Research Center Director, Neuroscience

Children's National Hospital (CN)

Based in Washington, D.C., the hospital was established in 1870 to help every child grow up stronger. Today, the 323-bed acute care hospital is the only freestanding healthcare facility exclusively for children and the only Level I Pediatric Trauma Center in the Washington, D.C.-Baltimore metropolitan area. Children's National serves as the regional referral center for pediatric emergencies, trauma, cancer, cardiac and critical care as well as neonatology, orthopaedic surgery, neurology and neurosurgery. Children's National has a regional presence, with 16 specialty care centers spread throughout Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. and two ambulatory surgery centers in Maryland. The Pediatric Health Network is the region's premier pediatric focused clinically integrated network with 1,500 primary and specialty care physicians and Children's National owns another 17 primary care offices located throughout Maryland and Washington, D.C.

Children's National is ranked as a top hospital in the nation by the U.S. News & World Report in the 2024-25 Best Children's Hospitals annual rankings. This marks the eighth straight year Children's National has made the Honor Roll list, a distinction awarded to only 10 children's hospitals nationwide. In addition, Children's National tied for #1 pediatric hospital in the Mid-Atlantic region, which includes New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, the District of Columbia, West Virginia and Virginia. It primarily serves patients in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia and attracts many out-of area second opinions from respected peers and through our Global Services program.

Children's National Research Institute (CNRI)

The research institute is the academic arm of CN. Today, over 800 faculty and staff work to improve the health and quality of life for children and families through dynamic, advanced, and integrated research, innovation and education efforts. https://research.childrensnational.org

The Center for Neuroscience Research (CNR), is one of six academic research centers as part of the Children's National Research Institute (CNRI). CNR is a vibrant research center located in open lab space on the top floor of the main Childrens' National Hospital in Washington, DC, comprising over 50 bench and clinical neuroscientists focused on neurodevelopment and neurodevelopmental disorders across model systems. CNRI has academic partnerships with The George Washington University, Georgetown University, Howard University, The University of Maryland and Virginia Tech. In recent years, Children's National has placed a strong emphasis on commercializing its research outputs and intellectual property. This strategic focus has led to the formation of over 20 companies, two of which are now part of the JLABS enterprise situated at the new research campus at the former Walter Reed site. The commercialization efforts not only translate research findings into practical applications but also stimulate economic growth and job creation in the region. The research enterprise is substantially supported by federal agencies, which provide more than 70% of the institution's research funding. Notably, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) contributes approximately 60% of this federal funding.

Children's National is transforming pediatric medicine for all children through exceptional clinical care delivery, superlative training for the next generation of pediatric physicians, researchers and caregivers and nationally/internationally known research programs that improve the understanding, prevention, treatment and care of childhood diseases.

The Director of the Center for Neuroscience Research (CNR) will lead the diverse scientific community of Children's Research Institute (CRI) at Children's National Health System (CNHS) to build new initiatives and collaborations both across and outside of the organization. The Director will identify strategic priorities for investment and provide leadership in neuroscience research, scholarship, education and assume responsibility for all facets of the Center's finance and administration. The Center Director will identify areas of strategic importance in neurosciences, and recruit talented and diverse faculty in key areas, to enhance resources for existing faculty and trainees, develop comprehensive annual and long-range budgets and plans consistent with the Center's objectives; implement annual reviews and performance reporting for the center as a whole. This will involve working closely with both bench and clinical faculty which comprise CNR. The director will further work with our academic partners to enhance collaborations, joint initiatives, mentoring programs and new partnerships with industry and biotechnology to translate research discoveries into knowledge in the service of society.

Minimum Education

* Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Or M.D. (Required)

* Medical Doctor (M.D.) Or Ph.D. (Required)

Minimum Work Experience

• 10 years prior experience leading a sponsored program funded research program.

• Demonstrated excellence and productivity in scholarship demonstrated by scholarly activity resulting in development and dissemination of new knowledge or insight that have resulted in a seminal.

• Contribution in a field of research, using novel and creative investigational methods. (Required)

Required Skills/Knowledge

* Leads an internationally known research program in a scientific area, supported by extramural funding preferably supported by the NIH.

* Familiar with state of art research methods and is an active participant in setting national agenda in the specific research discipline as evidence by membership in national committees, society boards or alike.

* Proven leadership abilities with experience supervising multiple direct reports ranging from trainees to senior scientists, with excellent interpersonal as well as written and verbal communication skills.

* Ability to maintain quality, and safety standards.

* Previous experience managing a research program in an academic research setting.

* A strong commitment to innovation, interdisciplinary collaboration, and education.

* Vision and experience to promote communication and collaboration both across and outside of the organization, catalyze new ventures, and build consensus around strategic priorities for academic research, scholarship, education and outreach in neuroscience research.

* Evidence of ability to develop and carry out a strategic vision for excellence.

Required Licenses and Certifications

* If the Director is a physician who will be actively involved in patient care, he/she will have to be fully licensed and credentialed as an attending staff physician on the medical staff of Children's National Medical Center. (Required)

Functional Accountabilities
Vision and Strategy

• Lead the strategic planning of the Center including establishing vision, mission, short-term and long-term goals.

• Plan, implement, direct, and evaluate the strategic plan objectives to ensure the research program moves to Top Tier program level that is able to recruit high quality faculty, trainees and staff.

• See the potential in and understand the use of informatics resources and cutting-edge technology in the conduct of research.

• Identifying areas of strategic importance in neuroscience research collaborating to identify and recruit talented and diverse faculty and in key areas, enhancing resources for existing faculty and trainees.

Conduct of Research

• Consistently demonstrate adherence with the standards for the Responsible Conduct of Research.

• Plan, conduct, manage research projects within the federal and institutional regulations and policies governing the conduct of research.

• Responsible for appropriate use of research funds.

Commitment to Research

• Conduct research of significant scientific value in the basic and/or translational science area(s) relevant to his/her practice specialty.

• Appreciate and promote "bench-to-bedside" collaborations to ensure that basic, translational and clinical science are not conducted in silos.

• Participate in reviewing manuscripts for peer-reviewed journals.

• Publish in high-impact peer-reviewed, scientific, quality and management journals.

• Submit applications for grants or contracts for funding of research projects.

• Lead/serve on internal and external research committees, workshops, special interest groups.

• Develop effective collaborations with internal and external stakeholders.

Program Administration

• Develop comprehensive annual and long-range budgets and plans consistent with the Center's objectives.

• Ensure compliance with organizational and departmental policies and procedures, and regulatory standards.

• Develop state-of-the-art, flexible resources required by CNR investigators.

• Develop a comprehensive, valid and reliable program to assess trainees and junior investigators achievement across the full range of competencies.

• Mentor, graduate/post-doctoral trainees and faculty.

• Plan, direct, and foster new interdisciplinary initiatives, including research, education and training, and/or outreach initiatives.

Leadership

• Assume responsibility for leadership activities both within the Center and across the CNRI.

• Identify and assess new opportunities for the research community arising from rapidly evolving developments in the neuroscience research. This involves working closely with faculty and other Centers and Institutes as well as the GWU School of Medicine and Health Sciences, to foster collaboration and information sharing.

• Coordinate activities among the centers, research groups, and the neuroscience community; facilitating connections across the organization and developing and sustaining mechanisms that promote collaboration and communication across the neuroscience spectrum to promote team science.

• With other CRI Center Directors, advise the Chief Academic and Chief Research Officers on policies and oversight related to the continued successful growth of the research enterprise.

• Sustain own program of extramurally funded research relevant to the mission of the Center.

• Actively support CNR education and training for diverse trainees at all career stages and from multiple disciplines.

• Secure external funding for institution wide research and development projects in neurosciences and continue to pursue an active research career.

• Promote multi-disciplinary ("team science") by actively engaging internal and external stakeholders.

• Foster the establishment of new partnerships with industry and biotechnology in order to develop novel research tools and translate research discoveries.

• Provide leadership for the development of innovative research education, training, and career development strategies.

* Teamwork/Communication

* Performance Improvement/Problem-solving

* Cost Management/Financial Responsibility

* Safety