Department/Organization
208301 - Biomedical Sciences

Rank
Professor

Position Summary
The College of Community Health Sciences at the University of Alabama is seeking an innovative, visionary, and inclusive leader to serve as the Chair of the newly established Department of Translational Science and Medicine (DTSM), starting in Fall 2025. This role offers a unique opportunity for a distinguished scientist to lead and shape a growing department at a prominent R1 research university. The Chair will be responsible for strategically recruiting the next generation of faculty, expanding and enhancing the department’s research portfolio, fostering a robust teaching culture, advancing both graduate and undergraduate education, and promoting a welcoming environment in which staff, faculty, and students excel. Additionally, the Chair will play a key role in mentoring junior faculty, supporting their professional development, and guiding their growth within the department. Appointments to the faculty of The University of Alabama are based on the personnel requirements of the University’s academic programs and on the goal of achieving and maintaining excellence in its teaching, research, and service/academic citizenship activities.

Detailed Position Information
The ideal candidate will possess a strong background in both fundamental and applied research and an outstanding record of scholarship and extramurally funded, independent research in one or more of the following key areas:
• Clinical-Preclinical Research Interface: Expertise in bridging clinical applications with preclinical findings across all medical disciplines to enhance understanding and treatment of complex diseases. Candidates may be experts in any specific specialty.
• Drug Metabolism, Pharmacokinetics (DMPK), and Pharmacodynamics (PD): Expertise in assessing drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity, with advanced skills in Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetics (PBPK) modeling and Pharmacokinetics/Pharmacodynamics (PK/PD) principles to optimize drug efficacy and safety across diverse therapeutic applications and innovative formulations.
• Biomaterials: Skilled in creating advanced delivery systems for small molecules, biopharmaceuticals, cell-based therapies, and emerging therapeutic innovations.
• Pharmacology: Leading efforts in drug discovery and development to advance therapeutic solutions across a wide array of medical conditions.
• Translational Neuroscience: Conducting research to integrate drug delivery strategies with animal models, focusing on comprehensive studies of drug metabolism, pharmacology, and individual variability to advance the development and application of small molecules, biopharmaceuticals, cell-based therapies, and other cutting-edge medicines.
The successful candidate will have a proven record of academic and administrative excellence, including:
Mentoring and Scientific Leadership: Established track record of academic and administrative leadership, including mentoring junior faculty and providing scientific direction in drug discovery and novel drug delivery strategies for immuno-inflammatory diseases.
Curriculum Development & Teaching Excellence: Experience in designing and developing curricula, with a commitment to interdisciplinary education at both undergraduate and graduate levels. Proven dedication to teaching and student mentorship.
Research Expertise: Significant experience in drug discovery, development, and innovative drug delivery strategies.
Intellectual Contributions: Strong record of significant intellectual contributions, including publications and securing extramural funding.

Minimum Qualifications
A doctoral degree in the pharmaceutical sciences, pharmacology, biomedical engineering, chemistry, or a related discipline or clinical doctorate (PharmD, MD).

Preferred Qualifications
Proven track record at the full professor level at an R1 university. Candidates with prestigious achievements in STEM and exceptional national and international reputations will be eligible for consideration for significant endowment support through appointment as a Shelby Distinguished Professor (provost.ua.edu/Shelby/).

Instructions and Required Materials for Application
1) Cover Letter: A detailed cover letter addressing your interest in the position, your qualifications, and how you align with the department's needs. 2) Curriculum Vitae: A comprehensive CV highlighting your academic and administrative achievements, research experience, publications, and funding history. 3) Administrative Experience and Vision Statement: A three-page document detailing your previous administrative roles, your management style, and your strategic vision for the Department of Translational Science and Medicine. 4) Research Achievements and Goals Statement: A three-page document summarizing your previous research accomplishments, ongoing projects, and future research objectives. 5) Teaching Interests and Philosophy Statement: A one-page statement describing your teaching interests, philosophy, and approach to education, including any experience with interdisciplinary courses. 6) References: A list of five professional references with their contact details. The search committee will request reference letters if necessary.

About the Division/College/School
The College of Community Health Sciences (CCHS) was founded in 1972 by William Willard, MD, author of the “Willard Report” and considered the “Father of Family Medicine,” with a mandate to train family physicians for Alabama, particularly its rural areas. The College also provides medical student education as the Tuscaloosa Regional Campus of the four-campus University of Alabama School of Medicine, based at UAB in Birmingham. The College’s mission focuses on improving the health of individuals and communities in Alabama and the region through leadership in medical education and primary care; the provision of high-quality, accessible health care services; and scholarship.

CCHS is sponsor of the UA Family Medicine Residency and seven fellowships for family physicians. The Residency, a 16-16-16 program now in its 45th year, is the second largest family medicine residency in the country. Of the more than 470 Residency graduates, 85% practice in the five-state area of the Southeast, with half in rural areas, and comprise 1 of 7 family physicians practicing in Alabama. Nearly 900 medical students have completed their clinical training at the College since 1974, entering Family Medicine and primary care careers at more than twice the national average.

The College’s nationally recognized Rural Pipeline Programs and the Institute for Rural Health Research, along with basic sciences, social sciences, and health professional faculty and resources on the UA campus and innumerable specialty and medical research faculty among the School of Medicine faculty, create a uniquely resource-rich environment for a medical educator. The College’s clinical enterprise also conducts 150,000 ambulatory visits and more than 10,000 admissions a year to a broad patient population, including UA faculty and staff and the general population of West Alabama.

For more information about the College, visit http://cchs.ua.edu

About the University
The University of Alabama is located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, named one of Travel + Leisure’s 25 Best College Towns and Cities in the U.S. As one of the nation’s premier universities, UA offers bachelor’s, master's and doctoral degrees in nearly 200 fields of study. With more than 1,400 acres of tree-lined academic core campus and over 300 state-of-the art facilities, UA has been ranked among the most beautiful and most impressive college campuses in the South, in the state of Alabama and in the nation.

In Fall 2023, the Capstone set a new enrollment record with more than 39,000 students, including more than 8,200 in the freshman class. The current enrollment includes students from every county in Alabama, every state in the nation and 92 countries around the world. More than 1,100 National Merit Scholars are currently enrolled, making UA one of the largest enrolling institutions of the scholars in the country.

UA was recently recognized as a Top Producing Institution of Fulbright U.S. students for the seventh time in nine years, as well as a Top Producing Institution of Fulbright U.S. Scholars for the first time. UA is one of only 12 universities in the nation to receive both honors.

For reasons like this, the University made Forbes list of America’s Top Colleges for 2023 and Time magazine’s list of Top 50 Best Colleges for Future Leaders. It also made Princeton Review’s list of Top Value Colleges.

UA is also designated among the top doctoral research universities in the United States in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. One of the fastest growing major research institutions in the nation, UA saw a 21% increase in sponsored awards in the 2023 fiscal year.

Since 2015, UA has invested over $1.1 billion in the physical campus, adding more than 2.55 million gross square feet of space, over 150 new research-intensive faculty, signature research areas (e.g., “The Alabama Research Institutes”), and a growing number of partnerships with industry and with state and federal agencies.

The University employs nearly 2,100 faculty and over 4,500 staff, with 52 UA researchers included in the National Academy of Inventors. An additional 40 current faculty have received the NSF CAREER Award, the nation’s most prestigious recognition of top performing young scientists in disciplines ranging from nanoscience and engineering to biological sciences.

Background Investigation and EEO Statement
Prior to hiring, the final candidate(s) must successfully pass a pre-employment background investigation and information obtained from social media and other internet sources. A prior conviction reported as a result of the background investigation DOES NOT automatically disqualify a candidate from consideration for this position. A candidate with a prior conviction or negative behavioral red flags will receive an individualized review of the prior conviction or negative behavioral red flags before a hiring decision is made.

The University of Alabama is an Equal Employment/Equal Educational Opportunity Institution. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, genetic information, disability or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against because of their protected status. Applicants to and employees of this institution are protected under Federal law from discrimination on several bases. Follow the link below to find out more. "EEO is the Law" https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ofccp/regs/compliance/posters/pdf/eeopost.pdf