Description

The Position:

The Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology is seeking its next Chair. Building on the accomplished leadership of Department Chair Dr. Karen S. Wilcox and the Department’s legacy of excellence and innovation, the new Chair will have the opportunity to continue to move the Department forward with an ambitious vision for growth and impact. The successful candidate will have the resources to maintain a world-class research program and develop additional innovative research programs in the Department through recruitment and internal investment. The new Chair will be expected to provide strategic leadership and direction for all aspects of the Department, including its research and education missions, strategic planning, budget and finance, and administrative operations. The Chair will also serve on the Executive Committee of the College and play a key role in influencing College-wide decision making. 

About the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology

Founded in 1948 by legendary pharmacologist Louis S. Goodman, the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology continues a rich legacy of excellence in pharmacology research and education. The Department offers training for the PhD degree and, starting in Fall 2025, a one-year Master's Degree program. Since 1948, the Department has trained hundreds of scientists who have gone on to be leaders in academia, industry, and government. 

The Department has 16 full-time faculty members and nine adjunct faculty members. Thirteen post-doctoral fellows work in 9 different labs in the Department. There are 18 current PhD students and 4 students in the new MS program. The Department is particularly interested in advancing research and discovery in areas that include but are not limited to:

      Analytical and Forensic Toxicology, with a long-standing research emphasis on drugs of abuse, including psychostimulants, and select environmental toxicants;

      Cardiovascular Pharmacology and Toxicology, focused on several areas of cardiovascular research, including the effect of neuropeptides on cardiovascular function, the effects of epileptic seizure activity on myocardial activity, mechanisms of neointimal hyperplasia associated with vascular grafts, myocardial ion channel physiology and pharmacology, and signal transduction in cells of the cardiovascular system;

      Drug Discovery and Development, employing several approaches to discovery and development of new therapeutic agents for antimicrobial resistance, epilepsy, cyanide poisoning, and substance abuse disorder;

      Drug Metabolism and Biochemical Toxicology, investigating enzyme mechanisms, regulation of drug metabolism genes, genetic factors that cause individual differences in responsiveness to xenobiotics, features that cause drug/drug interactions, and bioactivation of xenobiotics to toxic intermediates. Much of this research is focused on enzymes, transporters, and cellular processes in specific organs, such as liver, lung, brain, and intestine;

      Genomic and Molecular Pharmacology of Cancer, with an emphasis on discovery of signaling cascades that underlie cellular plasticity and using chemical biology tools to discover and develop therapies; 

      Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience, focused on drug abuse, antiseizure medications, mechanisms underlying the development of epilepsy, and understanding substance abuse disorder and developing interventions; and 

      Pharmacogenomics, addressing leading edge questions by developing and applying genetic, genomic and computational approaches. The program emphasizes merging pharmacology and genomics to address questions related to disease treatment.

 The Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology provides broad, multidisciplinary training that enables students to pursue careers in a variety of settings, including colleges and universities, pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, government laboratories, and private research institutes and foundations. The guiding philosophy of the Department emphasizes the development of scientific investigators who have a broad interdisciplinary background in modern biomedical sciences (cell and molecular biology, physiology and biochemistry), as well as training in the concepts and approaches of pharmacology and toxicology. The Department also trains individuals in state-of-the-art approaches to hypothesis-driven research. The Department’s graduate students hail from all regions of the country, as well as internationally, and enjoy close working relationships with their faculty mentors, rich and diverse research opportunities, and flexible programs of study based on their individual needs and interests. 

About the College of Pharmacy:

The University of Utah College of Pharmacy is located in the state-of-the-art L. S. Skaggs Research Institute and is part of University of Utah Health (UHealth), an umbrella health sciences center encompassing a wide scope of clinical and research enterprises. Through the University of Utah Therapeutics Accelerator Hub (U2TAH), the College and the Huntsman Cancer Institute have invested in commercialization of faculty discoveries to bring innovative therapies to patients. Strong philanthropic and grant support has propelled the College of Pharmacy into the top ranks of pharmacy schools nationally and it is consistently ranked among the top programs nationally in terms of National Institutes of Health (NIH) research productivity. The College is a national leader in applying science to personalized medicine to improve health care delivery through optimized medication outcomes. The College has four departments: Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medicinal Chemistry, Pharmacotherapy, and Molecular Pharmaceutics. To learn more: https://pharmacy.utah.edu/

Requirements

Responsibilities:

Key responsibilities of the Chair include:

      Developing with departmental colleagues a shared vision and strategic direction for the Department;

      Effectively managing the Department’s budget and infrastructure in furtherance of the Department’s direction, and responding with acumen to changes and challenges in the research funding environment;

      Overseeing faculty recruitment, development and evaluation;

      Supporting the Department’s outstanding faculty by promoting a collaborative, inclusive, and high-performing environment for research, mentorship, and teaching;

      Providing inspirational mentorship of Department faculty, fellows, students, and staff;

      Maintaining and supporting an active and productive research program;

      Participating in and providing leadership for the Department in the areas of research, teaching, and service;

      Providing leadership within the College as a member of the Executive Committee;

      Engaging with faculty across the health sciences to enhance interdisciplinary research and teaching.

Qualifications:

      A PhD or other advanced degree in pharmacology, toxicology, or related field of study;

      Demonstrated scholarly and/or professional achievement with distinction sufficient to merit appointment at the rank of professor is desired;

      Demonstrated ability to serve as a leader and build collaborative teams within and across departments;

      International reputation for research accomplishments;

      Commitment to teaching excellence in subjects relevant to both graduate (PhD, MS) and professional (PharmD) programs in the College of Pharmacy;

      Because the Department Chair will have the opportunity to recruit new faculty and expand the research scope of the Department, the ability to collaboratively develop and effectively implement a compelling vision for the future of the Department is essential; and

      Excellent managerial and communication skills.

Appointment and Compensation:

This is a full-time, 12-month position. Compensation will be commensurate with qualifications and experience.