Associate Professor or Professor

Oregon Health & Science University • Beaverton, OR

18h • Onsite

About The Position

The Vaccine & Gene Therapy Institute (VGTI) at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) seeks an accomplished, collaborative scientist whose research centers on human translational infectious disease or immunology. The successful candidate will lead an innovative, externally funded program using human populations, clinical cohorts, biospecimens, or patient-linked data to define mechanisms of infection and immunity and accelerate the development or evaluation of vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics, biomarkers, or curative strategies. The Institute seeks research that connects human disease, mechanistic discovery, experimental models, and clinical translation.

The faculty member will establish and grow an independent, nationally or internationally recognized research program; sustain peer-reviewed extramural funding; publish influential scholarship; build collaborations; and recruit, supervise, mentor, and develop a high-performing research team. The role also includes contributing to education, seminars, working groups, team science, and service, and fostering a rigorous, ethical, collegial, and inclusive research and training environment.

VGTI brings together multidisciplinary investigators working across infectious disease and immunology, with strengths including HIV/AIDS, herpesvirus biology, tuberculosis, malaria, emerging viruses, viral pathogenesis, vaccine development, host–pathogen interactions, and immunology of aging. Its West Campus location adjacent to ONPRC offers access to biosafety level 3 laboratories and shared technologies, including spatial profiling, single-cell transcriptomics, flow cytometry, genomics, virology, advanced imaging, quantitative PCR, and proteomics. OHSU clinical programs, statewide partnerships, and the Oregon Clinical and Translational Research Institute support human-focused investigation, including recruitment, biospecimen access, study coordination, and community engagement.

Academic rank, faculty track, tenure status, departmental appointment, and compensation will be determined in accordance with OHSU policy and commensurate with the candidate’s qualifications and experience. The appointment includes competitive start-up support, research and office space, access to OHSU and VGTI shared resources, and possible joint or secondary appointments. The final distribution of research, teaching, service, and any clinical effort will be negotiated at appointment.

Requirements

• Ph.D., M.D., M.D./Ph.D., D.V.M., or equivalent terminal degree in a relevant discipline.
• Academic accomplishments appropriate for appointment at the Associate Professor or Professor level.
• Established record of high-impact scholarship in infectious disease, immunology, or a closely related field.
• Sustained record of peer-reviewed extramural research support as a principal investigator or equivalent scientific lead.
• Demonstrated independence in developing and directing a productive research program.
• Substantive experience with human translational research involving cohorts, clinical samples, patient-linked data, clinical studies, or closely related approaches.
• Record of effective collaboration across scientific or clinical disciplines.
• Demonstrated excellence in mentoring trainees and research staff.
• Commitment to research rigor, responsible conduct, collegiality, and an environment in which people with varied backgrounds and perspectives can thrive.

Nice To Haves

• Experience leading multi-investigator grants, research networks, clinical-translational programs, or cross-institutional collaborations.
• Research that complements VGTI strengths while adding new human-focused capabilities, cohorts, technologies, or disease areas.
• Experience translating mechanistic findings into vaccines, diagnostics, biomarkers, therapeutics, clinical studies, or public-health applications.
• Established collaborations with clinical investigators, health systems, communities, industry, government agencies, or international research partners.
• For physician-scientists, relevant specialty training and eligibility for Oregon licensure if clinical effort will be included.

Responsibilities

• Establish, maintain, and grow an independent, nationally or internationally recognized research program in human translational infectious disease or immunology.
• Sustain a strong portfolio of peer-reviewed extramural funding and pursue collaborative, multi-investigator, programmatic, or center-level opportunities when appropriate.
• Connect human cohorts, clinical specimens, or patient-derived data with mechanistic studies and, where relevant, small-animal or nonhuman-primate models.
• Build productive collaborations across VGTI, ONPRC, OHSU clinical and basic-science units, and external academic, community, government, nonprofit, and industry partners.
• Publish influential scholarship and communicate findings to scientific, clinical, and public audiences.
• Recruit, supervise, mentor, and develop staff scientists, research staff, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and early-career investigators.
• Contribute to graduate, professional, or medical education and to VGTI’s intellectual life through seminars, working groups, team science, and service.
• Foster a rigorous, ethical, collegial, and inclusive research and training environment.
• Participate in Institute and University service appropriate to rank and experience.

Benefits

• Competitive start-up support, research and office space, and access to OHSU and VGTI shared resources.
• Health coverage.
• Retirement options.
• Paid time off.
• Professional-development resources.
• Other employee benefits.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree