Associate Vice President for Research and Impact and Co-Director of Centre for Academic Affairs

Xi'an Jiaotong - Liverpool University – Centre for Academic Affairs

Job Description

Academic Leadership Position: Associate Vice President for Research and Impact and Co-Director of Centre for Academic Affairs

Report to: Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA)

Term of Office: Three-year term, renewable.

Recruitment type: International

About Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU)

In 2006, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU) was created by the University of Liverpool, UK, and Xi’an Jiaotong University, China – a C9 university in China. Offering a unique international education experience, XJTLU brings together excellent research practice and expertise from both institutions and gives students the skills and knowledge they need to secure careers in a global marketplace. XJTLU now has over 25,000 enrolled students in both Suzhou China and Liverpool in the UK, with plans to grow to 35,000 students soon. There are currently about 2,500 staff, among which about 1,300 academic staff from more than 60 countries. XJTLU offers our undergraduates and postgraduates over 120 programmes with a diverse spectrum of courses.

XJTLU will be celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2026, entering a new and exciting phase of its development for the next ten years. Adopting a new higher education model based on the concept of Syntegrative Education (SE), XJTLU has opened a new Entrepreneurial College (XEC) in a new campus located in Taicang city, which is a part of wider Suzhou. The XEC site is a pioneer of, and educational model for, the future campus in addressing challenges arising from the 4th Industrial Revolution. Other new initiatives include new working partnerships with University of Liverpool and Xi’an Jiaotong University, innovation of teaching and research through XJTLU Education + AI framework, and the continued development of new academies to build an institutional ecosystem.

With a focus on innovative learning and teaching, and research, XJTLU draws on the strengths of its parent universities, and plays a pivotal role in facilitating access to China for UK and other institutional partners. At the same time, XJTLU is exploring future education by blending the educational theory, best practice and culture from West and East.

For detailed information about the university, please visit www.xjtlu.edu.cn 

Role Summary

The Associate Vice President for Research and Impact and Co-Director of Academic Affairs plays a critical dual leadership role in shaping, overseeing, and delivering the University’s research strategy and academic operations. The role integrates two core functions: (1) providing strategic direction for the University’s research and impact agenda, fostering a culture of innovation, encouraging interdisciplinary collaboration, and enhancing external engagement, and (2) co-directing academic affairs to ensure that research and impact activities comply with governance and policy standards, as well as supporting research initiatives that are central to the university’s educational strategy. 

The role works closely with the Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA), School Deans, Associate Deans for Research, Operation Directors of CAA, as well as Directors of ERDI, in the formulation and implementation of research strategy across the University - and externally with partners in industry and society – on all matters relating to Research & Impact. This remit includes, inter alia, research productivity, research culture(s) and research environment(s). In particular, the AVPR&I and Co-Director will lead on the strategic development of areas such as research excellence, research environment, research income generation, research performance and output, research impact in society and communities. The postholder plays a critical role in advancing XJTLU’s strategic aspirations in areas such as Education + AI, collaborative research with industries, and global research networks, with sensitivity to both Chinese and international higher education contexts, whilst ensuring that research and impact activities are consistent with XJTLU’s unique positioning as a research-led international university pioneering new models of higher education for the future. The AVPR&I and Co-Director will also help drive initiatives in research-led teaching in liaison with the Associate Vice President for Education and Co-Director of the Centre for Academic Affairs. 

Key Responsibilities 

1. Strategic Leadership in Research and Impact 

• Serve as a member of the extended Senior Management Team and Academic Board.
• Chair appropriate university-level committees, including but not limited to the University Research Committee.
• In full collaboration with the VPAA, lead the implementation and development of the University’s Research Strategy, ensuring alignment with XJTLU’s Five-Year Strategy, globalisation aspirations, and Education + AI Strategic Framework, with an emphasis on research productivity, industry engagement, research objectives and income.
• Drive institutional innovation in research and impact, including AI-driven research activities, interdisciplinary research collaboration and strategic relationships with industry, government and society.
• Oversee the strategic development of research and impact in all academic units with an urgent emphasis on those academic units that are new, such as the Academies. This will include overseeing the ongoing development of localised research strategies as well as groups, institutes and centres.
• Proactively engage with the strategic development of postgraduate research and impact in collaboration with the Director of the Graduate School, Directors of PG Research, Directors of ERDI, and other stakeholders as appropriate.
• Provide strategic leadership and direction in relation to the development of key international collaborative partnerships and industry-linked research and impact initiatives.
• Provide strategic advice and direction about global trends and opportunities in research and impact where such is needed for units, including but not limited to the University Research Centres, Research Institutes, the International Technology Transfer Centre, International Innovation Hub and Key Labs.
• Lead on and develop, in conjunction with VPAA, Associate Deans of Research, Research Management Office, and other key stakeholders, strategies designed to increase external grant capture through negotiation and liaison with local, regional and international research funding bodies.
• Foster interdisciplinary and innovative research and optimise both collaboration with governments, industries and external partners in the city of Suzhou and the Yangtze Delta Region, and the impact of the University’s funding for research, in strategic development areas of, for example, AI, pharmacy, advanced materials, robotics, semiconductor, etc.
• Advise academic units and related administrative support teams regarding matters requiring strategic and/or academic judgement plus decision-making for all aspects of research, research impact development, research training, research ethics and governance, and research grants.
• Other duties assigned by the VPAA and the Senior Management Team. 

2. Operational Oversight of the Centre for Academic Affairs 

• Co-direct the Centre for Academic Affairs (CAA) to ensure efficient and high-quality academic governance, policy and operations, in critical areas including academic framework compliance, research ethics and integrity governance, research environment building, research policy making and improvement, grants and funding management, construction and development of research institutes and centres, and external and global partnerships.

• Work with Operation Director for Research and Graduate Studies, lead a multi-functional professional team within CAA, promoting professional development, cross-functional collaboration, and service excellence.

• Enhance pre- and post-award research support services, overseeing and optimising the entire funding lifecycle that enables researchers to successfully secure internal and external research projects.
• Oversee the development and implementation of the academic framework for postgraduate research programmes, including scholarship allocation, progression and examination regulations, and quality assurance mechanisms, to ensure outstanding student research experience and robust academic standards.
• Oversee the academic governance, establishment, and periodic review of University Research Institutes and Centres, ensuring their strategic alignment with institutional priorities and compliance with academic quality standards and regulatory frameworks.
• Promote a culture that emphasises data-driven decision-making and continuous improvement in academic administration to enhance the research ecosystem.

Person Specification

The ideal candidate will be highly strategic with the ability to consider the future research capability of the university. They will bring a forward-thinking leadership approach to research developments. The ideal candidate will bring a growth mindset and influencing skills, shaping a research culture that values transparency, collaboration and innovation.

Qualifications and Experience

• Substantial experience in senior academic leadership, ideally with both strategic and operational responsibilities.
• Proven track record of leading research innovation, especially in relation to AI-driven research, interdisciplinary collaboration and internationalisation.
• Deep understanding of both Chinese and international research and innovation ecosystems, including funding landscapes, research experience, impact assessment frameworks, research quality assurance and enhancement, and policy trends driving research excellence.
• Demonstrated ability to lead diverse teams, manage complex projects, and operate effectively in an intercultural environment.

Skills and Competencies

• Visionary leadership and ability to translate strategy into institutional impact.
• Strong interpersonal and cross-cultural communication skills.
• Experience leading large teams and managing change across complex structures.
• Deep knowledge of research governance, quality assurance, and strategic development processes for research centres, institutes, and interdisciplinary initiatives.
• Capacity to lead change across multi-campus and international contexts.
• Demonstrated commitment to enhancing the research environment, fostering a culture of the highest research integrity and ethics, and contributing to the strategic development of the university's research impact through collaborations with industry, government and society. 

Suitably qualified candidates are invited to apply for this position online:. Please send your CV plus a covering statement of up to 1500 words, explaining your experience and how you meet the expectations of the post. The deadline of application is 5pm on November 15th 2025. Interviews will be held shortly after this in anticipation of early 2026 as start date. 

Informal enquiries about the role can be made to the Vice President Academic Affairs, Professor Zhoulin Ruan Zhoulin.ruan@xjtlu.edu.cn.