Assistant Professor - Health, Human Disease, and Diagnostics

University of Texas at El Paso

Job Title:                    Assistant Professor – Health, Human Disease, and Diagnostics

Department:            Chemistry & Biochemistry

About The University of Texas at El Paso:

UTEP, a member of the University of Texas System, is a Hispanic Serving Institution that enrolls more than 25,000 students and is designated an R1 university (very high research activity) by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. UTEP serves its primary constituency with 167 bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in 10 colleges and schools. With about 80% Hispanic student population, UTEP proudly reflects the demographic composition of the bi-national region from which it draws the vast majority of its students. Eighty-three percent of students are from El Paso County. UTEP is the top university in the continental United States for graduating Hispanic students who go on to earn doctoral degrees in STEM fields. It also is recognized as one of the top universities in the U.S. for the number of Hispanic graduates in biomedical sciences. UTEP employs approximately 4,000 people (faculty, staff and students) and its rapidly growing research portfolio in the sciences, engineering, health-related fields, and other areas has over $100 million in total annual research expenditures. UTEP receives funding from the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and other agencies. For more information about UTEP, please visit our website https://www.utep.edu/.

El Paso is a highly livable, bicultural community of more than 800,000 people, which offers affordable homes and attractive neighborhoods. It is the safest large city in the United States. Sheltered by mountains on three sides, El Paso experiences more than 300 days of sunshine annually, and residents enjoy outdoor activities year-round. The city of El Paso is adjacent to both the state of New Mexico and the country of Mexico, making it a leading area for cultural diversity and border health research. El Paso has been repeatedly named among the safest largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States.

El Paso's active arts and culture community features the state's longest running symphony orchestra, a nationally recognized chamber music festival, art galleries, museums, and a full schedule of seasonal events and festivals. UTEP adds to the arts and entertainment scene with an award-winning dinner theater, music and dance productions, contemporary and student art galleries, and a natural history museum.
 
For sports fans, the UTEP Miners offer exciting Division I college athletics at several campus venues: Sun Bowl Stadium, the Don Haskins Center, Kidd Field, University Field and the Helen of Troy Softball Complex. Southwest University Park, located a mile away in lively downtown El Paso, is home to the El Paso Chihuahuas, the Triple-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. The El Paso Locomotive, a professional soccer team, was founded in 2019.

ABOUT THE CHEMISTRY & BIOCHEMISTRY DEPARTMENT:

The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry is a vibrant department housed in a state of the art building completed in 2011, with all the major instrumentation needed to uphold its very high research activity. The department offers a Bachelor of Science degree in both chemistry and biochemistry that are certified by the American Chemical Society. It also offers a Master of Science (M.S.) degree and a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree. These degrees are designed to be consistent with the student's professional goals, which include chemical or biochemical research in an industrial (agriculture, petroleum, pharmaceutical, plastics, etc.), academic, or national laboratory setting, as well as non-traditional STEM careers.

The department serves over 3,000 students per semester from multiple majors across the colleges of science, engineering and health sciences. The department hosts close to 60 students engaging in graduate research work at the MS and Ph.D. levels in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Environmental Science and Engineering and Bioinformatics. Furthermore, there are currently over 300 undergraduate students majoring in chemistry or biochemistry of which, a large percentage engage in undergraduate research.

Job Description:

The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry within the College of Science at The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is seeking applications for a tenure-track assistant professor faculty position in the area of chemistry and/or biochemistry pertaining to Health, Human Disease, and Diagnostics. The successful candidate will be expected to bring a new dimension to the Department while complementing its existing strengths in both the interdisciplinary and traditional domains within chemistry. Areas that will be given strong consideration include, but are not limited to, delineating the role of critical post-translational modifications within the human biome; "omics" such as metabolomics, proteomics, glycomics, and transcriptomics; the use of network and sub-network development to identify disease-drivers; and artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques towards advancing both a basic understanding of physiology and the development of therapies for pathology. Candidates advancing wearables for health monitoring and diagnostics, nanotechnology in medicine, CRISPR-CAS technology, "organs on a chip", knowledge-engineering in medicine, and biomedical science are also encouraged to apply. A successful candidate is expected to actively engage at a departmental level through curricular development activities, lead the expansion of the program through collaborations with other faculty, and attract external funding at levels needed to build and sustain his/her research program.

Requirements:

An earned doctorate in chemistry or biochemistry, with an emphasis on interdisciplinary and problem-based research as well as publications in relevant areas. Postdoctoral experience and a strong record of high-impact publications are highly preferred. Evidence of existing/prior funding will be given strong consideration. Applicants with potential to attract external funding, and the ability to teach at the undergraduate and graduate level are highly desired.

Additional Information:

Hiring decisions are based upon budget approval.

In keeping with its Access and Excellence mission, The University of Texas at El Paso is committed to an open, diverse, and inclusive learning and working environment that honors the talents, respects the differences, and nurtures the growth and development of all.

The University of Texas at El Paso is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. The University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation, or gender identity in employment or the provision of services in accordance with state and federal law. Discrimination on the basis of sex includes an employee's or prospective employee's right to be free from sexual harassment under Title IX of the Higher Education Amendments of 1972.

For accommodation information for employees and applicants with disabilities, please contact UTEP's Equal Opportunity Office at eoaa@utep.edu.

Application Instructions:

Only electronic submissions will be accepted. To assure full consideration, please submit the following as separate documents.

1. Letter of application
2. Curriculum vitae
3. Statement of teaching philosophy and interests
4. Research plan
5. Statement of commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and access as it relates to your research, teaching, service and mentoring
6. Complete contact information for three professional references

Contact Information: If you have questions about the position, you may contact Prof. Mahesh Narayan, Search Committee Chair at mnarayan@utep.edu.

Application review and Appointment Date: Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled and the anticipated appointment date is September 1, 2021. 

UTEP is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Interested candidates may apply by visiting www.utep.edu/employment