TWO UCI tenure-track assistant professorship opportunities

The Departments of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry (MBB) and of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB) at the University of California, Irvine, invite applications for two tenure-track assistant professorships in microbiome research.

Host-microbiome interactions. The additive and synergistic factors influencing the host environment have important consequences for human health and disease. Our goal is to hire a researcher who is not focused on a particular disease, but rather investigates how to disentangle host-microbiome interactions broadly across diseases or animal hosts. Potential research areas for the position include (but are not limited to) investigating how the microbiome mediates host responses to pathogen infection, chemical challenge or injury, altering host metabolism or influencing host development or homeostasis. The home department of this faculty member would be in the MBB department, with the possibility of an additional appointment in EEB.

Evolution of microbiomes. Microbes adapt rapidly, even over several days. Microbial evolution within a community context is therefore key to understanding how microbiomes respond to disturbance. Within humans or other hosts, a disturbance might be a change in diet, disease progression, or administration of a treatment or probiotic. In the environment, disturbances can include environmental changes in nutrients and climate driven by anthropogenic activities. Potential research areas for the position include (but are not limited to) the evolution of antibiotic resistance in a community context, the evolution of microbiomes in response to global change, the evolution of drug metabolism, host-microbiome coevolution, or the comparative evolution of microbiomes across hosts. The home department of this researcher would be in EEB, with the possibility of an additional appointment in MBB.

The successful candidate is expected to develop an independent, externally funded research program leading to innovations in microbiome research. Building synergistic connections with existing research programs is encouraged. The candidate will also contribute to teaching and mentoring at the graduate and undergraduate levels and to university and professional service.

The researchers would join an actively growing and collaborative group of campus faculty studying the microbiomes of hosts and the environment, organized and facilitated by the UCI Microbiome Initiative. EEB and MBB are part of the School of Biological Sciences, a vibrant community of scholars comprised of over 120 faculty members including Fellows of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Royal Society. Biological Sciences at UCI is highly interdisciplinary with many connections to the Schools of Medicine, Physical Sciences, Information and Computer Sciences, and Engineering, among others.

UCI is a Minority Serving Institution (MSI), designated as a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) and as an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution (AANAPISI). These federal designations align with UCI’s aspiration to be a national leader and global model of inclusive excellence. UCI is a top ten public research university that excels at improving outcomes for students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds and as a consequence has consistently been ranked as the best university in the nation in promoting upward mobility of its graduates.

Review of applications will begin November 1, 2019 with applications and will remain open until the position is filled.

For application instructions for the Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry‘s tenure-track assistant professorship in microbiome research, please go to https://recruit.ap.uci.edu/JPF05519.

For application instructions for the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology’s tenure-track assistant professorship in evolution of microbiomes, please go to https://recruit.ap.uci.edu/JPF05626.

 

The University of California, Irvine is an Equal Opportunity /Affirmative Action Employer advancing inclusive excellence. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected categories covered by the UC nondiscrimination policy. As an inaugural recipient of an NSF ADVANCE award for gender equity, UCI is responsive to the needs of dual career couples, supports work-life integration through an array of family-friendly policies, and is dedicated to broadening participation in higher education. Salary is commensurate with qualifications and based on University of California pay scales.