Hannah Johnson Champions Faculty Development and Innovation
The Dietrich School’s new Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Recruitment, Professor Hannah Johnson, has been working on a number of initiatives aimed at making faculty feel more welcome and engaged from the moment they accept their job offer.
As indicated in her job title, Johnson’s work falls into two broad categories: research support and faculty recruitment.
“In my research capacity, I work to connect faculty to different resources that support their research agendas, whether that's on campus or externally,” explains Johnson. This includes connecting faculty with specific opportunities and supporting them as they prepare funding applications. Johnson also plans extensive programming to familiarize faculty with available resources, ensuring they can access the support they need.
With 30 departments and 12 different programs at the Dietrich School, Johnson faces the challenge of connecting with a large and diverse faculty body. She addresses this by advertising opportunities and maintaining open lines of communication. She prioritizes open dialogue and faculty involvement in new initiatives.
“I think it's really important to work on new initiatives as a dialogue wherever possible, and really encourage a lot of faculty involvement,” she says. Her commitment extends to supporting faculty at all career stages.
“My own priorities are really in sync with those we've identified as a leadership team as part of our pillars and priorities for the Dietrich School,” offers Johnson. “I feel really lucky to be part of this team because it's been clear from the start just how many values we share. The emphasis on collaboration has been really great.”
Despite being new to the role, Johnson has already successfully implemented impactful programming. One major accomplishment is the launch of the Dietrich Innovation Initiative (DI2), which provides internal funding for faculty and staff who want to tackle ambitious projects.
DI2, which rolled out in the spring, offers three tiers of funding: launch support for short-term projects, major development grants for longer-range projects, and moonshot-level grants for major efforts. The initiative is designed to be flexible, allowing applications from faculty and staff at any rank, whether as individuals or teams, and for a variety of projects including research, course development, and student initiatives. A major priority for the program is to promote risk-taking and innovation, especially projects that depart from “business as usual.”
“I've been so excited to see this move forward; we really want to encourage faculty to think big and take real intellectual risks and work for positive change. If we want that, then we need to say it, and we need to incentivize it. And that's really what the Dietrich Innovation Initiative is all about,” Johnson says. “Our faculty are so creative, and they have a wealth of ideas. We're hoping that this will open the door for them to explore even further in their research trajectories.”
The first application cycle for DI2 will be this fall.
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