Profile of the Chief Research Officer at Major Research Universities in the United States and Examination of the Current Pathways to the Position

A study to construct a profile of the Chief Research Officer (CRO) was conducted through aggregation of data through a survey instrument distributed to CROs at 240 Carnegie Classified research institutions. Resumes of CROs were voluntarily submitted and job descriptions were obtained and content analyzed. The career pathways and the profile of the CRO are described based on the data collected. The data revealed that the CRO typically is a white male, over 50 years of age, married with children, holds a terminal degree and makes over $100,000 per year. Four career pathways were determined to exist. The least traveled pathway to the position of CRO was found to be through lower level staff positions occupied by individuals simply progressing through the ranks of research administration within the higher education institution's research office. The most often traveled career path to the position of CRO was found to be the academic pathway.