School of Pharmacy - Medicinal Chemistry Assistant Professor

About VCU and Richmond, Virginia:

VCU is a top 50 public research university with a genuine commitment to student success and community service. One of just a handful of universities to receive both a "Very High Research Activity" status and a "Community Engaged" designation from the Carnegie Foundation, VCU also hosts the region's top-rated medical center. The City of Richmond is affordable, rich in culture and history, with many opportunities for recreation, entertainment, and community service. As a preeminent national, urban, public research university and academic health center, VCU is committed to organizational diversity, equity, and inclusion – an environment where all can thrive in their pursuit of excellence. In 2019 and 2021, the School of Pharmacy was recognized as the top academic unit at VCU in diversity, inclusion, and engagement (https://inclusive.vcu.edu/dashboard/rankings/).

Mission or Goal of Unit:

The mission of the Department of Medicinal Chemistry is the advancement of science through research and the training of undergraduate and graduate students in our discipline. The Department fosters a level of research and professional activity essential to the graduate program (M.S. and Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences) and to the professional growth of the faculty. The Department provides Pharm.D., graduate (MS & PhD) and undergraduate students with courses and research experiences that prepare them for their professional careers. It also provides service courses to other programs that require a medicinal chemistry foundation, and to other VCU students who wish to become more scientifically knowledgeable. The Department is committed to enhance diversity among its faculty, staff, and students. Finally, Department faculty members have a responsibility to provide service to their profession and to the university community.

Chief Purpose of this position:

The School of Pharmacy, Department of Medicinal Chemistry invites you to apply to our non-tenure (term) faculty position. The faculty member should be able to teach in one or more fields of chemistry (organic, physical organic, analytical chemistry, etc.), biochemistry (molecular and cellular), and computational studies (chemistry, biology, etc.) that complement and expand existing expertise in the Department of Medicinal Chemistry, VCU School of Pharmacy. The faculty member will assume teaching responsibilities in the professional, graduate and/or undergraduate program(s) of the university with special emphasis on topics related to fundamental sciences and its application to various disease states. A secondary purpose of the position is to help faculty members develop research capabilities in his/her area of interest.

Position Responsibilities:

Teaching: Faculty member will have teaching responsibilities in the areas of medicinal chemistry at the undergraduate, professional and graduate levels. Possible course assignments may include but are not limited to: lectures in MEDC310 (Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Design), selected lectures in various courses in the Pharm.D. curriculum, e.g., the Pharmacotherapy sequence and other graduate courses as needed. In addition, faculty will mentor research projects of undergraduate and graduate students who are registered for MEDC697 (Directed Research in Medicinal Chemistry).

Research: Faculty member may establish a research program with a record of publication in refereed journals and external funding. The successful applicant may develop interdisciplinary collaborations to enhance the research program in medicinal chemistry and drug discovery/design at VCU.

Service: Faculty member will serve on departmental, School, and/or University committees as necessary, as well as in a professional capacity in their field, e.g., reviewer, conference organizer, etc.

Required Qualifications:

• Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Degree in Medicinal Chemistry, organic chemistry, computational chemistry, biochemistry or related discipline.

• Post-doctoral or advanced training experience in design, discovery and development of drugs for the treatment of cardiovascular, cancer, neurological and/or infectious diseases.

• Demonstrated experience working in and fostering a diverse faculty, staff, and student environment or commitment to do so as a faculty member at VCU.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Three or more years teaching experience at the Pharm.D. and/or graduate level.

Application Process:

The search committee will review applications until the position is filled, but priority will be given to complete applications received by April 1st, 2024.

Application materials submitted must include the following documents:

• a letter of interest
• a curriculum vitae;
• synopsis of teaching philosophy; teaching contributions so far and projections in the future
• statement on diversity, equity and inclusion
• summary of research interests and plans
• names and contact information for three professional references

Further questions can be directed to the search committee chair, Malgorzata Dukat, PhD, at mdukat@vcu.edu. Review of applications will begin 30 days from posting date and continue until the position is filled.

Position Type: Teaching & Research Faculty
Full time equivalent: 100%
Tenure: Ineligible
Rank: Assistant Professor
Months: 12
Department: School of Pharmacy, Dept. of Medicinal Chemistry

Salary: Commensurate with experience

ORP Eligible: Yes

Contact Information:
Contact Name: Dr. Malgorzata Dukat
Contact Email: mdukat@vcu.edu