University of Illinois Chicago Hiring for Associate Director, UICentre, College of Pharmacy at Chicago, IL Full Time

About the University of Illinois Chicago

UIC is among the nation’s preeminent urban public research
universities, a Carnegie R1 research institution, and the largest university in Chicago. UIC serves over 34,000 students, comprising one of
the most diverse student bodies in the nation and is designated as a Minority Serving Institution (MSI), an Asian American and Native
American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPSI) and a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). Through its 16 colleges, UIC produces
nationally and internationally recognized multidisciplinary academic programs in concert with civic, corporate and community partners
worldwide, including a full complement of health sciences colleges. By emphasizing cutting-edge and transformational research along with a
commitment to the success of all students, UIC embodies the dynamic, vibrant and engaged urban university. Recent “Best
Colleges” rankings published by U.S. News & World Report, found UIC climbed up in its rankings among top public schools in the
nation and among all national universities. UIC has nearly 260,000 alumni, and is one of the largest employers in the city of Chicago.

Description

About the UICENTRE:The UIC Collaborative Engagement in Novel Therapeutic
Research and Enterprise (UICentre) is a cross-college academic drug discovery center on the UIC campus, housed in the College of Pharmacy.
The mission of the UICentre is to catalyze the formation of multidisciplinary teams of scientists and clinicians that collaborate to
translate basic scientific discoveries and clinical observations into new therapies for areas of unmet medical need. Nine staff scientists
in the UICentre conduct research and provide consultations on target validation, bioassay development, high-throughput screening,
hit-to-lead medicinal chemistry, lead optimization, and pre-clinical drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics. UIC has a strong track record in
entrepreneurship and drug development: UIC scientists invented Prezista™, Shingrix™, TICE-BCG™, and Phexxi™.

Job Summary

The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) and College of Pharmacy seek qualified applicants for the
position of Associate Director, UICentre. This is a senior management position within the UICentre, reporting to the Director, with the
possibility of a courtesy faculty appointment. The primary responsibility of the Associate Director will be to lead and supervise the Target
Validation/Bioassay team, thereby supporting a portfolio of research projects across multiple disease states. In addition, the Associate
Director will assist the Director to build upon campus intellectual strengths and property to create the infrastructure necessary to
stimulate and enhance the application of chemical, pharmaceutical, and translational knowledge and elevate biomedical discoveries at UIC to
a level of clinical application. The Associate Director will conceptualize and facilitate cross-disciplinary and cross-unit scientific
interactions, promoting communications and collaborations between the scientific support teams of the UICentre, faculty research groups,
internal and external entities, and the public.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the
  Target Validation/Bioassay Development team of the UICentre
• Work with the Director to design and build new collaborative drug
  discovery programs
• Develop and optimize novel, custom, and complex biochemical and cell-based functional potency assays, i.e.,
  bioassays
• Interact cross-functionally with drug design, medicinal chemistry, mass spectrometry, DMPK, and other (pre-)clinical
  teams
• Engage with basic and clinical translational scientists across the University of Illinois System
• Explore alliances
  with representatives from local industry, biotechnology ventures, Chicago area academic drug discovery groups, and (inter)national
  consortia
• Build collaborative relationships to support joint endeavors with campus and system partners such as the Center for
  Clinical and Translational Science, the Office of Technology Management, Illinois Ventures, Discovery Partners Institute, and West Loop
  Innovations
• Initiate and support efforts to garner sponsored research, gift, and other revenue streams to support UICentre
  projects
• Perform other related duties and participate in special projects as assigned.

Qualifications:

• PhD degree in the biomedical sciences
• Five to ten years’ experience in
  quantitative biology/bioassay development in an academic or industrial drug discovery setting
• Advanced knowledge of drug discovery,
  development, and commercialization
• Track record of high-quality scientific achievement and productivity in a collaborative
  environment
• Demonstrated ability to managing multiple and complex projects simultaneously
• Excellent interpersonal,
  communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior
  laboratory and personnel management experience
• Demonstrated success in obtaining external research funding
• Qualifications
  for a research track courtesy faculty appointment as defined by the norms and standards of the College of Pharmacy and an associated
  academic department