Sr. Associate Vice Chancellor for Research and Administration

Reporting to the UTHSC Vice Chancellor for Research, the Senior Associate Vice Chancellor for Research and Administration will assist the VCR with efforts to build strong teams of researchers who will accelerate the growth of research in all UTHSC colleges and at all major locations. The seven research areas of excellence described in the second edition of the UTHSC Operational Strategic Plan for Research are Cancer, Nervous System Disorders, Infection, inflammation, & immunity, Obesity, diabetes, & disorders of metabolism, Cardio-renal & vascular disease, Women’s health, and Regenerative medicine and stem cell-based technologies. Statewide partnerships including the TN-Clinical and Translational Institute, the Clinical Trials Network of TN, the Clinical Trials Governance Board, the TN Institute of Regenerative Medicine, and the Oak Ridge Institute have been created over the past five years. Over the 5-year period of the first Edition of the UTHSC Operational Strategic Plan for Research, ending June 30, 2021, Annual Grants and Contracts have grown by 43% to $121.7 million.

The Senior Associate Vice Chancellor for Research and Administration will assist with directing the development and implementation of UTHSC’s comprehensive research strategy, in keeping with its mission to move the university into the ranks of the top biomedical research institutions. This includes responsibility for creating innovative research opportunities and a state-of-the-art infrastructure to meet the needs of our researchers, positioning them to compete successfully for extramural funding.

The research infrastructure reports to the Vice Chancellor for Research. The Senior Associate Vice Chancellor for Research and Administration will assist with ensuring the operational and performance effectiveness of the centrally funded support units; developing and implementing strategies to continuously improve the infrastructure and services provided by central administration; and leading, managing and holding institutional responsibility for the research infrastructure and services.

The following areas, within the Office of Research, will report directly under the responsibility of the Senior Associate Vice Chancellor for Research and Administration:  Office of Sponsored Programs, Research Compliance (i.e., Institutional Review Board, Institutional Biosafety Committee, Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, Radiation Safety Committee, Research Conflict of Interest Committee and Export Controls), Electronic Research Administration, Research Safety Affairs and the Lab Animal Care Unit.

This position will serve as 100% administrative.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• PhD in the Biosciences, Business, Finance, or Accounting or an MD and 5 years of experience in research administration; OR Master’s and 10 years of related experience; OR Bachelor’s and 15 years of related experience.
• Distinguished record of research administrative leadership.
• Exceptional leadership qualities.
• Understanding of the broad mission of basic, translational and clinical research within an academic health science center.
• Record of working collaboratively with institutional leaders, faculty, staff and students.
• Demonstrated success in building teams and coalitions across an organization and with affiliated partners.
• Demonstrated success in working with a wide spectrum of external funding organizations.
• Knowledge of intellectual property management, including technology transfer and university-industry relations.
• A history of research space allocation and management.
• Demonstrated success in developing intra and inter-University research collaborations.
• Understanding and knowledge of multicultural and diversity issues and their importance to the community.

The Office of Research

The Office of Research manages nine institutionally supported and subsidized core facilities located on the UTHSC campus, including the Lab Animal Care Unit, the Regional Biocontainment Laboratory, the Molecular Resource Center, the Molecular Bioinformatics Core, the Flow Cytometry and Cell Sorting Core, the Proteomics & Metabolomics Core, the Research Histology Core, the Medicinal Chemistry Core, and the Advanced Imaging Core. These core facilities serve investigators based at UTHSC, LeBonheur Children’s Hospital, the Regional One Medical Center, and the University of Memphis (the greater Memphis area), as well as several external customers from around the U.S. and the world.

The research environment in Memphis and surrounding areas presents ample opportunity for innovative contributions in basic, clinical, and translational research. The population of Shelby County, where the UTHSC Memphis campus is located, is over one million; however, the UTHSC- affiliated teaching hospitals, which include more than 7,000 beds and 2,000 physicians, serve a population of more than three million people from counties in the five states contiguous to West Tennessee. The demographic composition of our environment and the vast clinical resources augur well for the development and growth of innovative patient-centered research with clinical and translational focus.

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center is the flagship statewide, public, academic health institution in Tennessee. Founded in 1911, the mission of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center is to improve the health and well-being of Tennesseans and the global community by fostering integrated, collaborative, and inclusive education, research, scientific discovery, clinical care, and public service. Employing more than 4,600 people on its faculty, staff, and not-for-profit corporation faculty practice groups, and with more than 3,200 students across the state, UTHSC contributes $4 billion to the economy of Tennessee.

Part of the University of Tennessee System, the Health Science Center is headquartered in Memphis and includes all six of UT’s doctoral-degree-granting health science colleges - Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Nursing, Graduate Health Sciences, and Health Professions. UTHSC spans the state with its four major, regional clinical health science locations in Memphis, Knoxville, Chattanooga, and Nashville, as well as more than 100 clinical education sites across Tennessee. UTHSC is the largest educator of health care professionals in the state and operates the state’s largest residency and fellowship advanced training programs.

Located in West Tennessee on the banks of the Mississippi River, Memphis is the second-largest city in the state and among the largest cities in the Southeast. The Greater Memphis metropolitan area has more than 1.3 million residents, and the city ranks among those with the lowest cost of living in the country. It is home to a vibrant restaurant scene, a revitalized Downtown, the Midtown Arts District, many scenic neighborhoods, an active medical district, and a burgeoning airport during a $214 million modernization.

Memphis boasts attractions, including Elvis Presley’s Graceland, the Memphis Grizzlies, historic Beale Street, the National Civil Rights Museum, the second-largest urban county park in the United States, and the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest.

Interested persons must apply online via the UTHSC Career Opportunities Website to be considered at

https://ut.taleo.net/careersection/uthsc_faculty/jobdetail.ftl?job=21000000ZE&tz=GMT-05%3A00&tzname=America%2FChicago

Applications received by September 1, 2021, will receive priority consideration.  Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled.  Questions can be directed to the chair of the Search Committee, Dr. Don Thomason (dthomaso@uthsc.edu), Ph.D., Professor Dean, College of Graduate Health Sciences.

The University of Tennessee is an EEO/AA/Title VI/Title IX/Section 504/ADA/ADEA/V institution in the provision of its education and employment programs and services.