Professor Term (Open Rank) - Director of Orthopaedic Research

University of Louisville•Aurora, CO

About The Position

The University of Louisville Department of Orthopedic Surgery is hiring a full-time term faculty member to serve as Director of Orthopaedic Research. The position is intended to make research usable for busy surgeons. The Director works with faculty and residents to turn clinical ideas into answerable questions and feasible study designs. Core staff then develop protocols, submit IRB applications, collect and analyze data, and draft papers, while surgeons shape the clinical message and present the work. The Director helps the department compete for industry, foundation, and federal grants, with faculty serving as principal investigators. The role includes leading a multi-investigator research portfolio, supervising professional staff in partnership with surgical faculty, overseeing compliance, and directing resident research. The appointment is renewed annually.

Requirements

Doctoral degree.
Substantial peer-reviewed publication record in musculoskeletal science.
Leadership experience with a multi-investigator portfolio, including IRB oversight, trainee mentorship, study design with clinicians, and supervision of professional staff.
Demonstrated grantsmanship involving industry, foundation, or federal proposals in support of faculty principal investigators.
Eligibility for Professor (Term).

Nice To Haves

Prior orthopaedic faculty appointment at associate professor level or above.
National scholarly visibility.

Responsibilities

Meet with surgeons and residents to refine research questions, assess feasibility, and design studies.
Manage a single research intake process and accept, reshape, or decline studies within one week.
Maintain authorship and data standards; ensure departmental datasets do not leave the core without a written agreement.
Help the department secure funding by identifying industry, foundation, and federal opportunities, pairing faculty with opportunities, and contributing study design, methods, and grantsmanship.
Route proposals through the School of Medicine sponsored programs office; faculty remain principal investigators.
Hire and supervise core staff, beginning with the clinical research coordinator.
Oversee IRB, HIPAA, and sponsor compliance.
Provide a monthly dashboard to the Chair.
Direct resident research by ensuring each resident has a named mentor and a tracked project.
Place medical students and other learners on projects that serve department needs.
Ensure surgeons present research findings.