Chair, Department of Biology College of Arts and Sciences University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB)
The UAB College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) invites applications for the position of Chair of the Department of Biology. The department has 19 full time faculty members, more than 1,000 undergraduate majors, and over 70 MS and PhD students. Departmental strengths include a world-class research program in diverse areas of Biology including Aquatic Biology, Cancer Biology, Comparative Physiology, Developmental Biology, Ecology, Evolution, Immunology, Microbiology, and Molecular Biology. A strong undergraduate honors research program and a fifth-year masters program provide our students with outstanding opportunities to develop professional skills in addition to fundamental knowledge of Biology. PhD students engage in high quality laboratory and field-based research in their areas of emphasis, with a high rate of placement in competitive postdoctoral and industry positions. The graduate program in Biology was recently ranked 34th nationally. The successful chair candidate must combine excellence in management with a fundamental understanding of the operation and advancement of a research-focused Biology department at a Carnegie Research Extensive University (RU-VH). The chair is responsible for overall departmental Administration and reports to the Dean of CAS. The successful candidate will be expected to provide strategic direction, vision, and leadership to the department and to participate actively in development and outward facing activities now undertaken by chairs across the US at RU-VH institutions. The Chair is the chief academic, financial, and strategic officer for the Department. He or she must work to recruit and retain outstanding faculty, further the recruitment of outstanding students at all levels, contribute to the intellectual life of the department as an active faculty member, and promote the department within the University and, as importantly, outside the University, to secure new sources and streams of support. The University especially emphasizes interdisciplinary research among the units within CAS and with the large UAB Medical Enterprise located on the same campus. A PhD in Biology or a closely related field is required. Candidates must possess a distinguished record of scholarship, teaching, and professional service consistent with appointment at the rank of Full Professor with tenure. Candidates must exhibit excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills, and offer evidence of previous successes in personnel and program management. The successful chair must exhibit interest and ability with regard to intellectual property, commercialization, and entrepreneurship. With a total student enrollment exceeding 17,000 students and over 2,200 full-time faculty members, UAB is the major teaching-research university in the state of Alabama. As one of two universities in Alabama with the Carnegie RU-VH rating, UAB is a national leader in NIH funding, and is the largest employer in the state. UAB has ranked in the national top ten for student diversity over the past several years with over one hundred countries represented on campus. Living in the Birmingham region offers the successful candidate a wide array of community and recreational options. Applicants should submit (1) a cover letter summarizing qualifications and explaining interest in the position, (2) a complete curriculum vitae, (3) a statement of vision and management style, and (4) contact information for at least five references. References should represent a wide spectrum including employers, employees, and peers. References will not be contacted without prior permission of the candidate. Screening will begin on October 1, 2012, and will continue until the position is filled. A start date of July 1, 2013 is preferred. Please send application materials in PDF format to [email protected] Do not submit paper applications. For more information or to make inquiries about this position, contact Anthony Skjellum, PhD Chair, Biology Chair Search Committee [email protected] UAB is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer committed to fostering a diverse, equitable and family-friendly environment in which all faculty and staff can excel and achieve work/life balance irrespective of ethnicity, gender, faith, gender identity and expression as well as sexual orientation. UAB also encourages applications from individuals with disabilities and veterans. A pre-employment background investigation is performed on candidates selected for employment.
