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The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) invites applications for the Director of its Goddard Planetary Heliophysics Institute (GPHI) Center from current members of the UMBC community. Applications are encouraged from UMBC faculty members with duties primarily in research (e.g., associate and senior research scientists) or from tenured faculty. The incumbent should hold a Ph.D. in a related field. The expected start date for this position is February 1, 2026.
This is a part-time appointment that provides partial salary support (20% of base salary) and an administrative supplement.
GPHI is funded primarily by a Cooperative Agreement with the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) led by Catholic University of America (CUA) under the Partnership for Heliophysics and Space Environment Research (PHaSER) agreement, of which UMBC is a partner. GPHI currently has a research staff of approximately 20 research faculty scientists, who collaborate with scientists at GSFC and other entities in The Heliophysics Science Division (HSD) of NASA GSFC including five laboratories that conduct research on the Sun, solar wind, Geospace, ionosphere, thermosphere, mesosphere, and space weather. More information about the program is available at gphi.umbc.edu.
The GPHI Director provides the overall scientific vision and leadership for the Center and serves as the Center's principal interface to the PHaSER Director at CUA, and to UMBC’s leadership and academic community. The Director, in collaboration with the PHaSER partners, is responsible for the overall management of the Center and its personnel, and for the scientific quality and integrity of the research performed by the Center's research faculty and staff, who are located at GSFC.
The GPHI Director brings a demonstrated portfolio of scientific and technical expertise in heliophysic sciences and holds a distinguished research portfolio and reputation in a related and relevant area. As part of this position, the GPHI Director will be expected to devote a significant amount of time on research and is expected to actively contribute to the education and mentorship of early career scientists.
As GPHI Director the incumbent reports directly to the Vice President for Research & Creative Achievement at UMBC.
UMBC has a history of over a quarter Century of successful cooperative partnerships with GSFC, with over 250 faculty, scientists, and researchers actively working across multiple research centers. In addition to GPHI, UMBC is working with GSFC under the Center for Space Sciences and Technology (CSST – csst.umbc.edu) and the Goddard Earth Sciences Technology and Research II center (GESTAR II – gestar2.umbc.edu). According to the NSF HERD Rankings, UMBC is currently ranked at #10 in NASA funding among all U.S. Colleges and Universities.
Over the past three decades, UMBC has built a reputation as a national powerhouse in the research and education arena. UMBC is the only Maryland university designated as a Minority Serving Institution (MSI) and a Carnegie Classified Research 1 (R1) institution. It is also Maryland’s only Carnegie R1 institution that also holds a Carnegie Classification as a Community Engaged Institution. The development of a comprehensive research culture at UMBC has led to significant growth in its research portfolio, with research expenditures reported to the NSF HERD survey almost doubling over the past six years to $151 million in FY24. More information about UMBC’s extensive research portfolio and our institutional commitment to inclusive excellence in research and teaching is available at research.umbc.edu.
UMBC’s commitment to innovative teaching, relevant research across disciplines, and supportive community empowers and inspires inquisitive minds. Renowned for undergraduate and graduate education, UMBC combines the learning opportunities of a liberal arts college with the creative intensity of a leading research university.
UMBC’s campus is located on 500 acres just off I-95 between Baltimore, MD and Washington DC, and less than 10 minutes from the BWI airport and Amtrak station and in close proximity to many federal laboratories including GSFC. The university was founded in 1966 and has grown to approximately 13,500 students including some 2,500 graduate students enrolled in Academic Year 2025/26.
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