Department/: Pharmacology and Toxicology (1903)
Location: University of Arizona Health Sciences

Position Summary    

The University of Arizona (UA) seeks applicants for Assistant/Associate/Full Professor (NTE) (Director, Arizona Center for Drug Discovery) with experience in leadership in advancing drug discovery efforts. The director will assist with the establishment of a new Center for Drug Discovery that is aligned with the University’s strategic goals, produces value in a cost effective manner, and delivers on commercialization of research efforts ongoing in the pharmaceutical and diagnostic fields. The Director will be responsible for advancing the mission of drug discovery at the UA, which encompasses both the main and adjoining UA Health Sciences campus. The Director will be appointed and housed in the College of Pharmacy in Tucson but will be expected to maintain close relationships with the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, the UA Cancer Center, and the College of Medicine in Tucson and Phoenix. The successful candidate will be an internationally recognized leader with a PhD or MD and a substantial record of NIH-funded research or extensive experience in the pharmaceutical industry and peer-reviewed scholarly productivity. She or he will have the in-depth knowledge and ability to effectively lead scientific researchers and academicians while embracing the importance of academic distinction, diversity, and financial sustainability.

Under new leadership, the College of Pharmacy is poised for growth in the areas of therapeutic target identification, drug discovery, computational chemistry, systems biology, metabolomics, and computational biology technologies over the next several years. The College, which ranks 8th of all pharmacy schools nationally, is home to the Southwest Environmental Health Sciences Center, the Center for Toxicology, and the Program in Drug Discovery. Excellent opportunities exist for research collaborations within an active community of basic and clinical scientists in academic departments across the University, as well as participation in numerous Centers of Excellence that include the BIO5 Institute, the Sarver Heart Center, the Arizona Respiratory Center, and the Precision Medicine Initiative. A strong partnership with Tech Transfer Arizona (within Tech Launch Arizona) exists, and it is expected that the Director will foster new commercial ventures resulting from drug discovery.

Outstanding UA benefits include health, dental, and vision insurance plans; life insurance and disability programs; paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays; UA/ASU/NAU tuition reduction for the employee and qualified family members; state and optional retirement plans; access to UA recreation and cultural activities; and more!

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Duties & Responsibilities    

• Personal vision and commitment to lead and advance a strong and exemplary campus-wide Arizona Center for Drug Discovery program.
• In conjunction with faculty, develop and promote the Center reflective of the needs of the College of Pharmacy and the wider needs of the University.
• Provide strategic leadership for a wide portfolio across biological targets, therapeutic areas and therapeutic modalities in drug discovery from early state research to phase 2 clinical trials.
• Leadership in overall alliance management and strategy for drug discovery; contributing to securing novel alliances and responsible for successful delivery against partnership expectations.
• Identification of novel opportunities across a wide range of therapeutic areas which can include projects for new grant applications, start-up companies, intellectual property, and partnerships.
• Serve on the University of Arizona review committee to evaluate drug discovery proposals.
• Travel to make connections with University of Arizona personnel, pharmaceutical companies, foundations, and other entities as needed to build the drug discovery program.
• Identify and promote research and scholarly activity in the drug discovery area.
• Develop and facilitate faculty recruitment in the drug discovery area.
• Mentor junior faculty.
• Participate in teaching and research activities.
• Demonstrated experience in translating drug discovery opportunities toward clinical development.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities    

• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and collaborative research experience in team efforts in drug discovery and development.
• In-depth knowledge and ability to effectively lead scientific researchers and academicians, while embracing the importance of academic distinction, diversity, and financial sustainability.

Minimum Qualifications    

• PhD or MD degree.
• Record of NIH-funded research or extensive experience in the pharmaceutical industry and peer-reviewed scholarly productivity.

Rank: To be determined.
Tenure Information: Career-Track (NTE)
FLSA : Exempt
FTE: .50
Full Time/Part Time: Part Time
Number of Hours Worked per Week: 20
Benefits Eligible: Yes - Full Benefits
Posted Rate of Pay: DOE - salary commensurate with AACP/AAMC pubic school benchmarks
Job Category: Faculty
Type of criminal background check required: Name-based criminal background check (non-security sensitive)