Wood Center DIrector Translational Research Endowed Chair

Overview

Indiana University School of Medicine (IUSM) is seeking a visionary and translational leader to serve as Director of Translational Research as the Wood Center and hold an Endowed Chair. The successful candidate will be a distinguished MD/PhD physician-scientist with a track record of translational success, tasked with bridging the gap between basic science discovery and clinical application.

As the Director, the candidate will hold a dual appointment in the Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology & Pharmacology (BMBP) and the Department of Medicine. This leadership role is designed to act as a strategic catalyst—integrating clinical samples into the BMBP research environment while translating pre-clinical data to clinical trials.

• The Director is expected to contribute to center efforts in securing NCI SPORE grants, Program Projects grants and multi-PI grants.
• Oversee a strategic multi-year faculty expansion of Center faculty including recruitment of experts in medicinal chemistry, computational pharmacology, multi-omics, and cancer biology.
• Lead a closed-loop system dedicated to the identification, modeling, and delivery of novel therapeutics.

• A Robust Research Pipeline: A strategic Phase 2 recruitment plan to build a team of "target agnostic" medicinal chemists and computational pharmacologists specializing in PK/PD and delivery systems.
• Structural Biology Excellence:
  Integration with BMBP’s core strengths in Cryo-EM, NMR, and structure-based design to guide lead compound generation.
• Clinical Integration:
  Direct access to the IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center (an NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center) and Indiana University Health’s statewide network of 16 hospitals.
• Collaborative Partnerships:
  The Indiana Collaborative Initiative for Talent Enrichment (INCITE), which fosters partnerships with industry leaders such as Eli Lilly and Co., Roche, and the Indiana Biosciences Research Institute.

The priority review. The position will remain open until filled.

Indiana University School of Medicine is committed to being a welcoming campus community and we seek candidates whose research, teaching, and community engagement efforts contribute to robust learning and working environments for all students, staff, and faculty. We invite individuals who will join us in our mission to improve health equity and well-being for all throughout the state of Indiana.