Position overview
Position title: Director
Salary range: A reasonable salary range estimate for this position is $200,000 - $400,000
The UC academic salary scales are posted on the UCOP website . These scales set the minimum pay determined by rank and/or step at appointment. See the following table for the salary scale for this position Table 3: FACULTY--LADDER RANKS--BUSINESS/ECONOMICS/ENGINEERING
ACADEMIC YEAR . The base salary range, from the salary table(s), for this position is $150,100 - $241,400. "Off-scale salaries" and other components of pay, i.e., a salary that is higher than the published system-wide salary at the designated rank and step, are offered when necessary to meet competitive conditions, qualifications, and experience. Additional UCSD salary information can be found on the campus Academic Personnel Services website .
Application Window

Open date: July 1, 2026

Next review date: Friday, Jul 31, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time) Apply by this date to ensure full consideration by the committee.

Final date: Thursday, Dec 31, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time) Applications will continue to be accepted until this date, but those received after the review date will only be considered if the position has not yet been filled.
Position description

The University of California San Diego (UC San Diego) seeks an internationally recognized leader in data sciences with the intellectual leadership, academic entrepreneurship experience, and dedication to serve as the Director of the Halıcıoğlu Data Science Institute (HDSI). HDSI seeks a Director to propel HDSI into the next phase of its growth, while leveraging the tremendous intellectual, infrastructural, and financial resources of the Halıcıoğlu School of Data Science and Computing into enabling center-scale research projects with potential for high impact.

HDSI was founded in 2018 with the philanthropic support of Taner Halıcıoğlu, a UC San Diego computer science and engineering alumnus ('96) and an early Facebook engineer, which led to the institute being named in his honor. Since that time, HDSI has been a world leader in establishing the scientific foundations of the field of data science, developing new methods and infrastructure, and training students and partners to use data science to address pressing global problems. HDSI serves as a hub for data science and AI advances across the entirety of UC San Diego academics and with the national and international research community to accelerate discovery in every field of inquiry and drive real-world impact.

HDSI's new Director will be a strategic, transformative leader with a compelling vision for the future of areas of data sciences, including machine learning, artificial intelligence, high-performance computing, cyberinfrastructure, and the applications and services that enable researchers to make full use of leading-edge, world-class resources to advance human knowledge, health, and well-being. The successful candidate will be someone who combines this breadth of vision with effective leadership and management as demonstrated by a solid prior track record. To be successful, the Director will address the following opportunities and challenges, outlined further below:
• Create a vision for HDSI that charts the path ahead toward the future of data science at UC San Diego.
• Recruit, retain, and develop a world-class faculty and staff.
• Promote and champion interdisciplinary partnerships across HDSI and throughout UC San Diego.
• Build and scale academic programs in data science.
• Lead and develop external partnerships to expand HDSI's impact and generate philanthropic support.

As an institute, HDSI was built upon three foundational goals: transcending department and divisional boundaries to train talent for the transdisciplinary domain, catalyzing research in data science across campus, and building a data science ecosystem of researchers and practitioners working closely with industry partners. HDSI is a campus hub for Data Science that has emerged as a strong interdisciplinary academic department with students earning degrees in data science programs include BS, MS and PhD in Data Science, as well as joint degree programs including BS in AI, Master of Data Science (online), and Master of Advanced Studies in Data Science and Engineering. In addition, the Institute is readying plans to offer new joint degree programs in Business Analysis as well as MS in Data Science for the Physicians (MD-MS).

ROLE OF THE DIRECTOR OF HDSI
Reporting to the Dean of the Halıcıoğlu School of Data Science and Computing, the Director is responsible for the strategic direction and operational management of HDSI, including academic programs. The Director will play a key role in shaping the future of data science research nationally and will contribute to the next wave of scientific innovations in a collaborative and competitive global arena. At the same time, HDSI's new Director will continue to strengthen its engagement and alignment with UC San Diego's academic mission and advance the data sciences. The Director will lead an academic department with 53 faculty, 17 staff, and 1600 students with a budget of approximately $12M.

KEY OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES FOR THE DIRECTOR
To be successful in this role, the Director will address the following key opportunities and challenges, serving as an effective leader, relationship builder, change agent, and representative for all the members of HDSI:

*Create a vision for HDSI that charts the path ahead toward the future of data science at UC San Diego.

HDSI has quickly launched as a hub of data science to the broader campus by bringing together leading scholars and researchers in the field. The organization is in a transitional phase, moving from its founding to a first-of-its-kind academic department and a campus-wide institute. In consultation with the HDSI faculty, the Dean of the Halıcıoğlu School of Data Science and Computing, and campus leadership, the Director will build on the established success of HDSI by developing a vision and establishing priorities for its future that are mutually beneficial to HDSI, the Halıcıoğlu School of Data Science and Computing, UC San Diego, the UC system, and the broader international field of data science. The Director will provide intellectual and administrative leadership by articulating and implementing a vision that builds on HDSI's research and academic efforts. This will involve evaluating and redesigning operational and administrative structures for HDSI to ensure the organization is primed for success. Leading a unit in start-up mode will require the Director to be comfortable navigating ambiguity while managing conflicting advice to build consensus among key stakeholders that positions HDSI as a connector, innovator, and leader to the campus and beyond.

*Recruit, retain, and develop a world-class faculty and staff.

Central to the mission of HDSI is the excellent faculty and staff who advance the institute toward fulfilling its goals. The Director will serve as the chief attractor of talent, strengthening HDSI's faculty and staff, while also growing its research base across innovative growth areas in the field. HDSI's combined departmental budget and endowment funding enable interdisciplinary research groups and operational research staff not typically available in standard departments. Given the interdisciplinary nature of HDSI, the Director will identify, proactively explore, and build research teams and projects that respond to prominent calls and opportunities offered by various related research funding organizations. This will require the Director to oversee HDSI's staffing and operations, while being strategic and fiscally responsible for the hiring of faculty and staff to advance its pursuits.

The Director will also invest in retention efforts and professional development opportunities for faculty and staff, including supporting junior faculty in tenure and promotion. A critical component of HDSI includes its culture, which the Director must maintain in an inclusive environment that supports the development of a talented and ambitious faculty and staff.

*Promote and champion interdisciplinary partnerships across HDSI and throughout UC San Diego.

HDSI is positioned as a hub that integrates with other units through joint appointments, shared programs, and collaborative research initiatives, which have been foundational to the institute's success as a bridge across campus in data science. The Director will continue supporting these efforts by consulting and collaborating with campus academic leaders in areas of mutual interest and on major new undertakings and investments that will further enhance UC San Diego's deployment of innovative data science infrastructure, resources, techniques, and services to advance its mission. As a leading spokesperson for data science research infrastructure and collaboration, the Director will engage those on campus, within the UC System, and beyond, in supporting a novel approach to advancing data science research and academic programs. This will require the Director to take on a campus-wide role, not just a departmental one, by focusing on cross-unit influence and coordination.

*Build and scale academic programs in data science.

HDSI offers students the opportunity to earn degrees in data science at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. As the demand for data science degrees continues to grow, the Director will ensure HDSI remains proactive and responsive to these needs by building interdisciplinary academic programs. This is a rare opportunity to define new academic programs, research structures, and long-term institutional models that could scale into multiple national institutes for HDSI. The Director will advise on activities that add to the financial strength of HDSI, including devising and operating executive training and certification programs. In turn, these programs will drive undergraduate and graduate enrollment for HDSI. Given UC San Diego's culture of interdisciplinarity, HDSI will better position the university in fulfilling its research and academic goals.

*Promote, develop, and lead external partnerships to expand the impact of HDSI and generate philanthropic support.

The Director will serve as the leading voice of HDSI in national and international forums, educating and enlightening audiences about the exciting work advancing the field of data science. The Director will engage and partner with public and private organizations, including industry and research labs, providing them with the opportunity to support, define, and fund new research, educational, and community engagement activities consistent with HDSI's mission. As a spokesperson for HDSI, the Director will lead fundraising efforts and seek to establish connections as a means to create new opportunities for faculty, students, and staff, and increase revenue streams for the unit. To be successful, the Director will partner with the Dean of the Halıcıoğlu School of Data Science and Computing to ensure alignment between the goals of both units when engaging external partners to su