The Institute of European Studies (IES) is seeking a new Director, effective fall 2024. This is a five-year position, with the possibility of one five-year extension at the end of the first term. We invite nominations (including self-nominations) of tenured Berkeley faculty who are highly qualified. The candidate should have a well-established research and professional reputation as well as leadership and administrative abilities.
About the Institute of European Studies (IES)
UC Berkeley’s IES is the leading research center on Europe in the western US and among the top three such in the nation. It is the vibrant focal point for all of UC-Berkeley’s programs related to Europe, and it contains the Center for British Studies, the Center for German and European Studies, the Center for Portuguese Studies, the Jean Monnet Center of Excellence, Austrian Studies, the BENELUX Program, Irish Studies, Spanish Studies, Modern Greek and Hellenic Studies, the Peder Sather Center for Advanced Study, the France-Berkeley Fund, the Program for the Study of Italy, the Center for Excellence in French and Francophone Studies, and the Nordic Studies Center.
The origins of IES date from 1990 when the government of the Federal Republic of Germany chose the University of California as one of three Centers of Excellence in the United States with the mission of enhancing America’s understanding of contemporary developments in Europe.
IES spearheads activities across several areas, including but not limited to:
OUTREACH: A US Department of Education Title VI National Resource Center for more than three decades, IES leads innovative programs of public outreach that bring research findings to a broader audience (approximately 80+ public events per academic year).
FACULTY RESEARCH: IES has 300+ faculty affiliates, several in STEM fields, whose work substantively engages European Studies topics and/or research partners based in Europe. IES funds faculty research primarily through the Peder Sather Center and the France-Berkeley Fund research competitions (approximately $1 million+ awarded per academic year). The new IES faculty director will expand commitments to existing research funds and seek new donor partnerships for new funding sources for faculty research.
STUDENTS: IES has been active in expanding funding opportunities for Berkeley students in European Studies and currently offers 30+ fellowships with European partner universities across 9 countries and Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) grants for undergraduate and graduate students studying West European languages. The new IES Director will be expected to expand student funding opportunities further.
Since 2020, IES is part of Global, International & Area Studies (GIAS), a research cluster composed of the following autonomous units: the Institute of International Studies (IIS), the Institute of Slavic, Eastern European and Eurasian Studies (ISEEES), the Institute for South Asia Studies (ISAS), the Center for African Studies (CAS), the Center for Latin American Studies (CLAS), the Institute of European Studies (IES), the Center for Middle Eastern Studies (CMES), and the Canadian Studies Program (CSP). The new IES director will represent IES at the GIAS faculty board.
Qualifications
Applicants must be a tenured Berkeley faculty member and should demonstrate the following criteria:
- A distinguished record of scholarship in European Studies or related fields, broadly conceived,
- Leadership qualities to provide a forward-looking vision,
- The willingness and competence to engage in fundraising efforts and grant applications in order to sustain and expand financial resources,
- The capacity to foster innovative interdisciplinary research in European Studies,
- The ability to promote outreach to the campus, policy-making constituents, and the general public,
- Dedication to the principles of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, and commitment to UC Berkeley's Principles of Community
Application Process
Nominations, including self-nominations, should be sent to Gia White at gia@berkeley.edu, with subject line “Directorship, Institute for European Studies,” no later than February 7, 2024.
All suitable candidates for the position will be contacted by the chair of the search advisory committee.
If they are willing to be considered, they will be requested to send a statement of interest with a brief description of a vision for IES (max. 2 pages) and a CV (max. 2 pages) as one pdf form as an e-mail attachment to Gia White at gia@berkeley.edu, with subject line “Directorship, Institute for European Studies,” by February 28, 2024. Interviews for the position will take place in March 2024.