Head of the Department of Molecular Microbiology

Search for the Head of the Department of Molecular Microbiology

Washington University in St. Louis, School of Medicine

St. Louis, Missouri

Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis (WUSM) seeks a distinguished scientist and leader to serve as Head of the Department of Molecular Microbiology. One of six preclinical departments in WUSM, the Department of Molecular Microbiology includes 14 full-time and 24 affiliated faculty, pursuing some of the most compelling questions across modern microbiology. The department head sets the intellectual priorities for the department and the microbiology community throughout the University, providing strategic vision and operational leadership for the department, and conceiving of and managing policy and resource allocation, including recruitments, to achieve its mission. This is a dynamic moment to join WUSM, as the University has made a series of critical investments in the growth of preclinical sciences at the School of Medicine. Building upon a legacy of excellence in one of the most preeminent departments in the country, the head will have the singular opportunity to lead the continued growth and development of the enterprise, maintaining its strengths, and building toward further successes.

Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has 2,263 faculty and 7,500 staff. In fiscal year 2018, grants and contracts totaling more than $579 million supported faculty research efforts. The School is comprised of 20 departments and is home to over 1,400 students. Attracting an exceptional group of residents and fellows as trainees, WUSM ranks first in the nation in the entering scores of its medical school classes and was recently ranked number eight in comprehensive medical schools by U.S. News & World Report. Eighteen Nobel laureates have been associated with the School of Medicine, 11 of its present faculty members have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences, and 20 faculty members belong to the Institute of Medicine. WUSM has extraordinary distinction in the life sciences and biological sciences, was recently ranked fourth in the nation in NIH funding, and leads research globally in a wide range of frontier research arenas across all of its basic science and clinical departments.

Programs in Microbiology and allied disciplines (Infectious Disease and Immunology) at WUSM are highly regarded, both domestically and globally. The Department of Molecular Microbiology is widely recognized as arguably the leading program focused on microbial pathogenesis. The Department provides an outstanding scientific environment for scientists interested in all aspects involving the roles of microbes in biology. Beyond its overall excellence in microbial pathogenesis research, the Department maintains several first-class focal areas, including bacteriology, molecular parasitology, global infectious disease, structural biology, and virology. Leveraging this intellectual breadth, the successful head will build on the existing assets of the Department and will grow partnerships within the allied disciplines as well as the many other centers of strengths across the School’s preclinical and clinical departments. The head will have the opportunity to grow the department through new recruits; articulate a vision to guide the department to new heights in both research and education; and, in doing so, substantially impact the field of Molecular Microbiology, writ large. 

To read the full position description and to submit inquiries, nominations/referrals, and applications, visit Isaacson, Miller’s website at www.imsearch.com/6801.