Arizona State University, a leading public research university rated first in the U.S. for innovation, seeks a dynamic, forward-looking director for the School of Earth and Space Exploration, with a concurrent appointment as a tenured Professor. ASU is a unique, internationally recognized institution dedicated to interdisciplinary collaborations, to reimagining university education, and to integrating excellence in research, teaching, and service. Guided by its charter, ASU serves more than 180,000 students on five campuses in the Phoenix metropolitan area, one of the fastest growing urban centers in the nation, and globally through ASU Online.
The next director of the School of Earth and Space Exploration will lead one of ASU’s most distinguished units on the flagship Tempe campus. Established in 2006, the school integrates and promotes exploration, discovery, and interdisciplinary collaboration across astrobiology, astrophysics, cosmology, geosciences, and planetary sciences, along with aligned discipline-based education research and technology development.
The new director will be a respected leader who is passionate about advancing access and excellence in both education and research. As an inclusive relationship builder, the new director will demonstrate the capacity to engage faculty across a range of disciplines while sustaining a culture of collaboration and interdisciplinary engagement within and beyond the school. The new director is envisioned to be a systems thinker and will lead the school’s energetic and committed community into the future by strategically identifying and fostering areas for growth, innovation, and partnership. The new director will report to the dean of natural sciences within The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Minimum qualifications, desired qualities, and additional information about the position, the School of Earth and Space Exploration, The College, and ASU can be found in the leadership profile above.
AGB Search is pleased to assist Arizona State University with this search. To apply for the director of the School of Earth and Space Exploration position, candidates are requested to submit the following: a curriculum vitae; a letter of interest that addresses the leadership opportunities and qualifications in the profile; and contact information for four references (to be contacted with candidate’s permission at a later date). Materials should be submitted to the AGB Search portal at: ASU Director, SESE by January 5, 2026 for best consideration. Nominations and expressions of interest in the director of School of Earth and Space Exploration opportunity are encouraged. Please direct them to ASUDirectorSESE@agbsearch.com or to the AGB search consultants listed below.
Kimberly Templeton, JD, Principal kimberly.templeton@agbsearch.com C: 540.761.9494
Nancy Targett, PhD, Executive Search Consultant nancy.targett@agbsearch.com C: 302.233.5202
Anne Hoffman, Executive Search Associate anne.hoffman@agbsearch.com C: 805.490.9161
Arizona State University is a VEVRAA Federal Contractor and an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other basis.
