Chief Academic & Research Information Officer (CARIO)

Job Summary

Michigan Medicine is seeking a Chief Academic & Research Information Officer (CARIO) to provide executive leadership for the strategy, design, and enablement of informatics, digital, and technology capabilities supporting research, education, and academic operations across the enterprise.

Reporting to the Chief Digital & Information Officer (CDIO), the CARIO serves as the senior-most leader responsible for aligning academic and research priorities with enterprise digital, data, and technology capabilities. This role ensures Michigan Medicine remains at the forefront of basic, translational, and clinical research, while advancing innovation in medical education and the development of a learning health system.

The CARIO also serves as the Medical School's senior information technology executive and is accountable to the CDIO for enterprise IT strategy, architecture, standards, and security; to the Vice Dean for Research and the Vice Dean for Medical Education for academic and research informatics priorities; and to the COO for the delivery, cost, and performance of academic and research IT services supporting the Medical School.

The CARIO operates at the intersection of research, clinical care, education, and digital innovation, partnering closely with academic leadership, research administration, and IT executives to enable high-impact discovery, efficient research operations, and seamless integration of research into care delivery.

Qualified candidates may be considered for a faculty appointment. The CARIO contributes to Michigan Medicine's academic mission through scholarship, thought leadership, and national engagement.

Organizational Scope

The CARIO provides executive leadership across research and academic informatics and digital enablement, including:
 

• Research Informatics Strategy & Platforms (e.g., CTMS, REDCap, IRB, regulatory systems)
• EHR for Research and Embedded Clinical Trials Enablement
• Academic & Education Systems and Digital Learning Technologies
• Research Application Development & Software Engineering
• Bioinformatics & Computational Research Enablement (in partnership with Research and Data leaders)
• Research Data Integration and Interoperability (in partnership with the Chief Data & AI Officer)
• Faculty & Researcher Engagement and Informatics Enablement
• Multi-institutional Research Collaboration and Data Networks
• Medical School Academic & Research IT Operations and Service Delivery

The CARIO operates within a federated IT and research ecosystem, coordinating capabilities across Michigan Medicine, the Medical School, the U-M campus, and external partners. 

Reporting Structure & Medical School Accountability
 

• Reports to: Chief Digital & Information Officer (CDIO)

• Medical School operational accountability: UMMS COO, who provides operational oversight and contributes to annual goals and performance evaluation

• Academic accountability: Vice Dean for Research, for research informatics strategy and priorities; Vice Dean for Medical Education, for education technology strategy and priorities

• Leadership team membership: HITS Leadership Team; Medical School Senior Staff

• Supervises: AcadIT Directors

• Resource scope: AcadIT annual budget and FTE count of 136

• Service and investment planning: Develops an annual Medical School IT service and investment plan in partnership with the COO, aligned with the Dean's Office budget cycle

• Service levels: Establishes service level agreements for Medical School-funded and Medical School-dependent services, including those delivered by other HITS divisions.

Responsibilities*

Academic & Research Informatics Strategy
 

• In partnership with the Chief Health Informatics Officer define and execute a comprehensive academic and research informatics strategy aligned with Michigan Medicine's mission in research, education, and patient care.

• Serve as the executive leader ensuring integration of digital, data, and technology capabilities across the research lifecycle, from discovery through translation to clinical impact. 

• Advise the CDIO, the Vice Dean for Research, the Vice Dean for Medical Education, and the COO on emerging informatics trends, investments, and opportunities that enhance research competitiveness and academic excellence.

Research Platforms, Applications & Ecosystem Enablement
 

• Oversee development, implementation, and optimization of core research platforms and systems, including CTMS, IRB, REDCap, and regulatory environments. 

• Lead strategy for EHR-enabled research, including embedded clinical trials, research workflows, patient recruitment, and outcomes tracking.

• Ensure seamless integration across research applications, enterprise systems, and clinical workflows.

• Advance modern development practices for research applications, software engineering, and user experience design.

Research Collaboration, Faculty Engagement & Service Integration
 

• Serve as the primary executive relationship leader for research faculty, academic leadership (including the Vice Dean for Research and the Vice Dean for Medical Education), and Medical School stakeholders. 

• Lead a federated model that coordinates research IT services across centralized IT, distributed units, and campus partners.

• Develop and manage a cohesive portfolio of research IT services, standardizing service definitions, service levels, and engagement models across providers. 

• Support grant development and execution by ensuring researchers have access to appropriate computing, data, and application capabilities.

Data, AI & Advanced Research Enablement
 

• Partner closely with the Chief Data & AI Officer to enable:

  • Research data integration and interoperability

  • Access to high-quality, governed datasets

  • AI/ML capabilities for research and clinical discovery

• Identify and prioritize high-impact AI and advanced analytics use cases in research environments. 

• Support participation in national and international research data collaboratives, registries, and multi-site trials.

Advanced Computing, Cloud & Emerging Technologies
 

• Define research requirements for advanced computing, cloud platforms, and scalable environments, in collaboration with the CTO.

• Enable secure, scalable environments for:

  • Genomics and precision medicine

  • Computational biology and bioinformatics

  • AI model development and training

• Evaluate and pilot emerging technologies that advance research productivity and innovation.

Governance, Compliance & Risk Management
 

• Establish and oversee governance for research informatics, systems, and workflows, ensuring alignment with institutional priorities.

• Ensure compliance with HIPAA, IRB, federal research regulations, and data use agreements. 

• Partner with Security, Legal, and Compliance functions to enable secure and compliant research innovation.

Portfolio, Financial & Operational Leadership
 

• Oversee the research informatics and academic IT portfolio, including prioritization, investment planning, and resource allocation.

• Develop and manage operational and capital budgets aligned with research growth and institutional priorities, developing Medical School-funded budgets jointly with Medical School leadership.

• Lead vendor strategy, build/buy decisions, and external partnerships supporting research IT capabilities. 

Leadership, Talent & Organizational Development
 

• Lead and develop multidisciplinary teams across research informatics, engineering, engagement, and academic systems. 

• Build a culture of innovation, service, accountability, and continuous learning.

• Foster informatics literacy and digital capability across faculty, researchers, and learners.

Academic Mission & External Leadership
 

• Where a faculty appointment is held, contribute to scholarship, teaching, and service.

• May serve as a principal investigator or collaborator on funded research initiatives. 

• Represent Michigan Medicine in national and international research informatics organizations and collaboratives. 

Required Qualifications*

• Advanced degree in biomedical informatics, computer science, data science, or related field. 

• 15+ years of experience in research informatics, data, or technology leadership within academic medicine or complex research environments. 

• 7+ years of executive or senior leadership experience managing multidisciplinary teams. 

• Demonstrated success enabling research platforms, informatics systems, and large-scale research initiatives. 

• Deep knowledge of research compliance, regulatory frameworks, and data governance. 

• Proven ability to work effectively in federated, matrixed, and academically complex environments. 

• Demonstrated success leading IT service organizations with accountability for budgets, service levels, and customer outcomes in an academic medical center or comparable environment.

Desired Qualifications*

• Established national or international reputation in research informatics or computational science.
• Track record of extramural funding, publications, or leadership in large-scale research collaborations. 
• Experience with enterprise EHR systems (e.g., Epic) in research contexts. 
• Experience with national research networks (e.g., CTSA, PCORI, NIH collaboratives). 

Modes of Work

Positions that are eligible for hybrid or mobile/remote work mode are at the discretion of the hiring department. Work agreements are reviewed annually at a minimum and are subject to change at any time, and for any reason, throughout the course of employment. Learn more about the work modes.

Additional Information

The Chief Academic & Research Information Officer serves as the executive bridge between Michigan Medicine's research and academic mission and its digital, data, and technology capabilities, ensuring the organization remains a national leader in discovery, education, and translational impact.

U-M EEO Statement

The University of Michigan is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.