Professor and Chair of Pharmacology

Primary Purpose of Organizational Unit

Our mission is to improve the health and well‑being of North Carolinians and others whom we serve. We accomplish this by providing leadership and excellence in the interrelated areas of patient care, education and research. Patient care:
We promote health and provide superb clinical care while maintaining our strong tradition of reaching underserved populations and reducing health disparities across North Carolina and beyond.

Education:

We prepare tomorrow’s healthcare professionals and biomedical researchers from all backgrounds by facilitating learning within innovative and integrated curricula and team‑oriented interprofessional education to ensure a highly skilled workforce. Research:
We develop and support a rich array of outstanding health sciences research programs, centers and resources. We provide infrastructure and opportunities for collaboration among disciplines throughout and beyond our university to support outstanding research. We foster programs in the areas of basic, translational, mechanistic and population research.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine seeks an accomplished and visionary leader to serve as Chair of the Department of Pharmacology. This position offers an exceptional opportunity to lead one of the nation’s premier pharmacology departments, consistently recognized for excellence in research, education, and innovation. The department currently ranks fifth nationally in NIH funding and third among public universities, reflecting a strong research portfolio and a collaborative academic culture.

Founded in 1906 by William Mac Nider as the Laboratory of Pharmacology, the department is among the ten original pharmacology departments in the United States. It admitted its first doctoral candidates in 1968 and conferred its first PhDs in 1971. Since then, the department has expanded significantly in size, funding, and scope, contributing to advances in emerging fields such as stem cell biology, RNA interference, and gene therapy.

The mission of the Department of Pharmacology is to: 1. Educate and train the next generation of research scientists.
2. Determine the molecular and cellular basis of human disease.
3. Advance the development of novel therapeutics. The department fosters a multidisciplinary training environment with strengths across chemical and structural biology, quantitative cell biology, proteomics, computational biology, and drug design. Faculty research spans a broad range of areas including neuropharmacology, cancer pharmacology, and drug discovery and development. Methodologies include biochemical assays, electrophysiology, imaging, and behavioral studies. Faculty collaborate extensively across UNC’s research ecosystem, including the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Neuroscience Center, Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, Computational Medicine Program, and Eshelman School of Pharmacy.

The department is home to 32 primary faculty and more than 70 additional adjunct, research, or joint appointees. It is housed in the Genetic Medicine Building, a modern research facility shared with the Departments of Biochemistry & Biophysics and Genetics, and divisions within the Eshelman School of Pharmacy. This environment promotes collaboration and interdisciplinary innovation. The Chair will provide visionary leadership and strategic direction for the department’s research, education, and service missions.

Key responsibilities include:

• Defining and advancing departmental priorities.
• Promoting excellence in teaching, mentorship, and scholarship.
• Recruiting and developing outstanding faculty, staff, and trainees.
• Strengthening and expanding the research portfolio.
• Fostering a collaborative, inclusive, and safe academic environment.
• Representing the department to School of Medicine leadership and external partners.
• Enhancing the department’s national and international visibility.
• Building partnerships with industry, government, and philanthropic organizations.