Candidate search: Head, Office of International Science and Engineering (OISE)

U.S. NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION 
2415 EISENHOWER AVENUE 
ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA 22314 

Dear Colleague: 

The National Science Foundation is beginning a national search for the Head, Office of International Science and Engineering (OISE), and seek your assistance in identifying outstanding candidates. The new Office Head (OH) will succeed Dr. Kendra Sharp, who has served with distinction in this position since February 8, 2021. 

OISE oversees NSF's international research and education efforts and works closely with our disciplinary research directorates to develop an agency-wide strategy to cultivate international collaboration. The Office Head is a member of the NSF executive leadership team, who communicates and interacts with all of the staff, programs, and activities of the Foundation. The incumbent advises the Director, Deputy Director, and other senior officials on issues related to international scientific collaboration. The Office Head leads a diverse group of approximately 35 staff including managers, program directors, analysts, and other mission support staff. Linked below are information sheets that summarize OISE's activities and the responsibilities of the position, together with the criteria for the search. Also linked is a PDF version of this letter. 

I am pleased that Dr. Margaret Martonosi, H.T. Adams '35 Professor of Computer Science, Princeton University will chair the search committee. The Committee consists of the following members: 

  • Dr. Sudarsanam (Suresh) Babu, UT/ORNL Governor's Chair of Advanced Manufacturing Professor, University of Tennessee Knoxville 
  • Dr. Patricia Gruber, Science and Technology Advisor to the Secretary, Department of State 
  • Dr. Bette Loiselle, Director, Tropical Conservation and Development Program Center for Latin American Studies, University of Florida 
  • Dr. Allen Robinson, Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering Dean 
  • Dr. Vaughan Turekian, Executive Director, Policy and Global Affairs, U.S. National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine 

Both the Committee and I seek your help in identifying candidates who are outstanding leaders, have a deep commitment to scholarship, have the diplomatic poise to represent NSF in inter-agency and international settings, and understand the issues involved with international science collaborations among a diverse community of researchers and stakeholders. Candidates must also have the skills and temperanment to serve effectively as a key member of the NSF executive leadership team, working with the NSF Director and other Assistant Directors and Office Heads on a broad range of international programmatic and policy activities. 

Employment in the position may be on a permanent basis in the Federal Service or by temporary assignment under provisions of the Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA). US Citizenship is required. Candidates interested in an SES appointment must apply online via USAJobs. The vacancy will be posted the first week of October. The candidate must be able to acquire and maintain a Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) security clearance. We welcome recommendations of individuals from any sector, including academia, industry, not-for-profit, and government. The National Science Foundation is an equal opportunity employer committed to engaging in highly qualified staff that reflect the diversity of our nation. 

Please send your recommendations, including any supporting information that you can provide, to the OISE Search Advisory Committee via e-mail to isesrch@nsf.gov. We would appreciate receiving your recommendations by November 6, 2024 

Thank you for your help with this important task. 

Sincerely, 
/// signed /// 
Karen Marrongelle 
Chief Science Officer 

Enclosures

Return to the OD home page
 

Search Advisory Committee Review Criteria Head, Office of International Science and Engineering, NSF 

We are seeking demonstrated evidence of: 

Strategic Vision 

  • Broad knowledge of the major intellectual, operational, and policy challenges and opportunities related to international science, engineering, and education. 
  • Ability to think both strategically and creatively to formulate integrated plans for international research and education activities, partnerships, and collaborations, especially those involving multiple disciplines. 
  • Ability to bring about strategic change, both within and outside OISE, to meet organizational goals. Includes the ability to establish and implement an organizational vision in a continuously changing environment. 

Leadership, Direction, Representation 

  • Ability to lead people toward meeting the organization's vision, mission, and goals. Includes the ability to provide an inclusive workplace that fosters the development of others, facilitates cooperation and teamwork, and supports constructive resolution of conflicts. Ability to provide innovative and transformative leadership of people, reflective of NSF's organizational values. 
  • Ability to serve effectively as a member of NSF's senior management team, and build consensus both within OISE and across the agency on policy and plans. 
  • Ability to plan, prioritize, and coordinate interagency and international research and education programs. Includes ability to forge both government-to-government partnerships as well as those with industry, philanthropy and other non-traditional types of partners. 
  • Ability to manage a highly dynamic organization consisting of approximately 30-35 scientific and administrative professionals; ability to manage human, financial, and information resources strategically. 
  • Ability to expertly communicate NSF policy and strategic plans to the external community, including the National Science Board, public, Congress, industry, media, and colleagues in all STEM disciplines. Includes ability to use discretion with regards to sensitive matters. 
  • Ability to meet organizational goals and customer expectations. Includes the ability to make decisions that produce high-quality results by applying technical knowledge, analyzing problems, and calculating risks. 
  • Ability to effectively represent NSF and the U.S. government writ large in inter-agency, bilateral, multilateral, and high-profile public and diplomatic settings. Includes ability to evaluate impacts of policy changes within the U.S. government, as well as bilateral and multilateral settings, on NSF's international activities. 

Commitment 

  • Commitment to advancing the frontiers of science and engineering, stimulating innovation and addressing societal needs through research and education, and excelling as a federal science agency. Includes achieving goals of the NSF Strategic Plan through development of intellectual capital, integration of research and education, and establishment of partnerships. Includes an ability to articulate the role of international scientific collaboration in achieving those goals. 
  • Commitment to the appointment and development of a highly qualified staff that reflect the diversity of our Nation and to the equitable representation of underrepresented groups and institutions on advisory committees, in workshops, and proposal review panels. 
  • Commitment to equitable representation of underrepresented groups in the national STEM enterprise. 

Credibility within Research and Education Community 

  • Substantial research and education contributions and experience in academic, government, and/or private-sector settings as evidenced by publications, innovative leadership in research administration, and/or leadership awards. Ability to build coalitions internally and with other Federal agencies, foreign governments, and, as appropriate, other public and private organizations including research institutions, to achieve common goals. 
  • Demonstrated commitment to scholarship and significant scientific contributions, with an emphasis on international outreach and collaboration. 
  • Broad understanding of universities and other institutions, foreign and domestic, where research and education are conducted. 
  • Familiarity with the existing U.S. and international infrastructures that support research and education.
     

Overview of the Office of International Science and Engineering (OISE)

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent agency of the United States Government. Its vision is to enable the Nation's future through its strategic goals of transforming the frontiers of science and engineering, stimulating innovation and addressing societal needs through research and education, and exceling as a federal science agency. The Foundation seeks to realize these goals using five core values: scientific excellence, organizational excellence, learning, inclusiveness, and accountability for public benefit. NSF invests in research and education that will advance the frontiers of knowledge and establish the Nation as a leader in transformational science; cultivate a world-class, broadly inclusive science and engineering workforce and scientifically literate citizenry; build the Nation's research capacity with critical investments in advanced instruments, tools and facilities; and cultivate a capable and responsive organization that promotes excellence in science and engineering research and education. 

The Office of International Science and Engineering (OISE) is part of the NSF Office of the Director. OISE is the hub for international collaboration across the Foundation. The office manages its own portfolio of international research programs. OISE also works with the NSF research directorates to develop and promote an integrated, agency-wide strategy for international collaboration, including bilateral and multilateral programs. Further, OISE often represents NSF and collaborates across the agency to coordinate NSF input into policy discussions relevant to international research and education, both within the U.S. government inter-agency and in bilateral and multilateral settings. 

The Head, Office of International Science and Engineering (OH/ISE), serves as a key member of the NSF senior policy and management team. The Office Head, who reports to the NSF Director, provides leadership and direction to programs and initiatives within OISE and collaborates with Directorate leadership on programs and initiatives coordinated between OISE and their units. The Office Head regularly represents NSF in external international science and technology policy fora. The Office Head is responsible for planning and implementing programs, priorities and policy within the framework of statutory authority and National Science Board authority. The incumbent must have outstanding leadership abilities, a deep sense of scholarship, clear vision regarding opportunities and issues in international scientific collaboration, and a commitment to attaining agency goals.

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