Distinguished Scientist for the Cancer Early Detection Advanced Research Center (CEDAR)

Oregon Health & Science University seeks a Distinguished Scientist for the Cancer Early Detection Advanced Research Center (CEDAR) within the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute

Click here to view position profile: https://summitsearchsolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/OHSU_CEDAR_Dist_Sci_Profile.pdf

Location: Portland, Oregon

The Position:

Distinguished Scientists have a record of scientific and technical accomplishments, outstanding track records of publications and grant funding, or patent and industry experience. They are international leaders in their basic science, engineering, or computational fields, with exceptional leadership experience and demonstrated success in leading, managing and participating in large collaborative projects or programs. They are leaders in developing strategic relationships and partnerships with key constituents.

As a Distinguished Scientist in CEDAR, you will:

• Focus on the mentorship of CEDAR researchers and project teams.
• Leverage your deep scientific knowledge, expertise, and experience, as well as your success in forming teams, to support CEDAR’s team-based research.
• Cultivate collaboration and serve as a guide for CEDAR teams as they work together to solve cancer’s toughest problems.
• Collaborate with other leaders and the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute to inform and guide CEDAR’s scientific directions and focus areas.

Responsibilities:

Primary Responsibilities:

• Provide scientific, career, and team science-based mentorship and guidance to CEDAR researchers at all levels, including graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, RAs, scientists, and faculty.
• Collaborate to develop and implement mentorship resources for utilization by CEDAR researchers.
• Collaborate to identify critical, mission-focused scientific problems, design overall scientific approaches, and identify, acquire and manage resources to perform investigations.
• Serve as a standing member of the CEDAR Review Committee, which scores and decides on funding for internal research proposals.
• Develop, foster and maintain relationships with partners in academia and/or the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.
• Contribute to and build CEDAR’s culture of team science, including demonstrating CEDAR’s guiding principles.

Mentorship: Provide scientific and career mentorship and guidance to CEDAR researchers at all levels including graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, RAs, scientists, and faculty.

• Leverage deep experience to mentor teams to successfully secure research funding, including but not limited to advising how to write and present effective project and/or grant applications.
• Provide expert advice to teams on their scientific plan, methodology, and interpretation of complex experimental results.
• Mentor teams on preparing research results for presentation or written communication at internal and external forums such as review meetings, scientific advisory board meetings, abstracts, conference presentations, manuscripts, patent applications, and strategic partnerships.
• Maintain a high level of professional expertise through familiarity with current scientific literature.
• As needed, help develop innovative techniques and experimental systems to meet research program goals.

Scientific Oversight: In collaboration with CEDAR leadership, develop and oversee CEDAR team-science based research.

• Collaborate to identify critical, mission-focused scientific problems, design of overall scientific approaches, and to identify, acquire and manage resources to perform investigations.
• Promote team formation, assess team fit, review team progress, and promote maximum productivity.
• Foster and support teamwork.

Enabling Translational Research and Partnership Formation: Develop, foster and maintain relationships with partners in academia and/or in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.

• Enable and support the formation of research collaborations.
• Promote the advancement of specific sponsored research agreement (SRA) funded projects and ensure that external partners receive regular project updates.

Every OHSU Knight Cancer employee is expected to embody the Knight Cancer Institute’s guiding principles:

• We act BOLDLY—Breakthroughs require pushing the boundaries of science, exploring new frontiers, and thinking differently.
• We SUPPORT each other—Respect leads to trust, which leads to excellence.
• We work as a CONNECTED team—We must leverage our collective brainpower to conquer cancer because no one individual can do it alone.

Our Commitment to Diversity: CEDAR is committed to increasing the diversity of the campus community. We are dedicated to promoting inclusion and multiculturalism by having outstanding researchers of diverse backgrounds work together on multiple projects. We encourage high-risk, high-reward research projects because defeating cancer requires out-of-the-box thinking and new perspectives. Our research is milestone-driven to ensure that each project is fulfilling its stated goals. CEDAR’s Diversity Advisory Committee meets regularly and is engaged in actively refining CEDAR’s culture, team science, communication, outreach, and recruitment to foster a more inclusive, equitable community.

Qualifications:

Minimum:

• Doctoral degree (Ph.D, M.D./Ph.D) in a relevant field (e.g., basic sciences, engineering, computation).
• 12 or more years of relevant work experience.
• Outstanding track record of mentorship.
• Exceptional ability to build productive cross-functional collaborations both internally and externally.
• Excellent communication, analytical, and organizational skills.
• Outstanding record of publications, and/or patents, and/or partnerships, and/or translational outputs.
• Exceptional technical proficiency, scientific creativity, innovation and collaborative ability.
• Understanding of program management including funding and workforce management.

Preferred:

• Five (5) or more years in a research position, including at least 4 years of supervisory and project management experience.
• Expertise in early cancer detection in one of CEDAR’s focus areas: early detection technology, risk stratification, population health and prevention, prognosis assessment, early therapeutics.

About the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute:

At the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute, our vision is a world freed from the burden of cancer. Our mission is to end cancer as we know it, through innovative, collaborative research and education, providing prevention, detection, and care – one person at a time.

As pioneers in personalized cancer medicine, we continue to change the way the world understands and fights this disease by:

• Providing individually-tailored, compassionate care for every patient, from diagnosis through survivorship.
• Discovering new ways to prevent cancer.
• Developing new personalized cancer therapies.

The OHSU Knight Cancer Institute is on the leading edge of discovering new ways to prevent, detect and treat cancer. With over 400 clinical trials currently in progress, we are searching for new cures, standards of care, treatments and therapies for cancer.

The OHSU Knight Cancer Institute became Oregon’s only NCI-designated cancer center in 1997. The institute is known internationally for its leadership in fighting cancer at the molecular level. The most celebrated cancer discovery in a generation—the targeted drug Gleevec—was developed at OHSU by Brian J. Druker, M.D., the director of the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute and JELD-WEN Chair of Leukemia Research. Druker is also a member of the National Academy of Sciences and a former Howard Hughes Medical Investigator.

Druker has been recognized with numerous awards, including the Sjöberg Prize from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Warren Alpert Prize from Harvard Medical School, the Lasker-DeBakey Award for Clinical Medical Research, the Japan Prize in Healthcare and Medical Technology, the Tang Prize in Biopharmaceutical Science, and the Prince Mahidol Award for outstanding achievements in medicine and public health worldwide. He has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine, the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

To learn more visit: https://www.ohsu.edu/knight-cancer-institute

About CEDAR (Cancer Early Detection Advanced Research):

The Cancer Early Detection Advanced Research Center (CEDAR) is a collaborative organization within the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute. At CEDAR, our mission is to detect and stop lethal cancers at the earliest stage, because early detection saves lives. This is an ambitious goal, one that requires diversity of perspectives, creativity, and innovation. We are composed of 100+ chemists, biomedical engineers, computationalists, clinicians and support staff, conducting groundbreaking translational cancer research.

We fund our own research and centralize our resources and support in order to accelerate discovery. We are an organization that encourages researchers from any level, from graduate students to senior scientists to faculty, to propose a project idea, secure funding, and lead a project.

Our guiding principles inform everything we do. They inspire our organizational structure, our research support, and our long-term strategy.

At CEDAR, we are changing how cancer research is done.

We conduct groundbreaking translational cancer research to help improve the lives and health of our community. We have three major societal aims: reduce cancer mortality and maintain a high quality of life for patients; create a global early detection community; and have a positive impact on the Oregon economy.

To learn more visit: https://www.ohsu.edu/knight-cancer-institute/cedar

About OHSU:

OHSU is Oregon’s only public academic health center, and a system of hospitals and clinics across Oregon and southwest Washington. We are an institution of higher learning, with schools of medicine, nursing, pharmacy, dentistry and public health – with a network of campuses and partners throughout Oregon. We are a national research hub, with thousands of scientists developing lifesaving therapies and deeper understanding. We are a statewide economic engine and Portland’s largest employer. And as a public organization, we provide services for the most vulnerable Oregonians, and outreach to improve health in communities across the state.

Across our missions of healing, teaching and discovery, we unite some of the world’s brightest minds in a singular vision: to rethink everything. We are creators of precision cancer medicine. We are innovators of an education model that lets each student forge a unique path. We are the top-rated health care provider in Oregon.

We are also a community — one of different colors, genders, orientations, cultures and interests. Each of us chose Oregon’s lush forests and sapphire rivers. Each of us chose OHSU’s relentless pursuit of new ideas. Together we are working toward a cause bigger than any of us: to bring health and hope to all. To learn more about OHSU Facts: https://www.ohsu.edu/about/ohsu-facts

To view OHSU’s Mission: https://www.ohsu.edu/about/ohsu-vision-mission-and-values

Diversity and Inclusion:

Over the University’s history, OHSU has grown into a world-class teaching hospital and research center that educates, employs, and cares for people from many cultures, belief systems, and experiences. Diversity is vitally important to OHSU’s evolution as a world-class health and science university. Being a diverse institution creates an intellectually vibrant climate where a variety of ideas and perspectives work together to foster innovation. Diversity is key to maintaining a competitive workforce advantage. Integrating diversity into all areas and all parts of its mission is critical to OHSU’s strategic goal of being a great organization, “diverse in people and ideas.” OHSU is dedicated to improving the health and quality of life for all Oregonians through excellence, innovation and leadership in healthcare, education, research, and community outreach and recognizes that diversity of people and ideas are essential to succeed and thrive. To learn more about OHSU’s Anti-Racism Action Plan: https://www.ohsu.edu/about/ohsu-anti-racism-action-plan

Application Instructions:

While applications and nominations will be accepted until the position is filled, parties who apply by January 5, 2022 will be given first consideration. All applications and nominations will be held in confidence. Please submit a PDF version of your CV/resume and a letter of interest explaining your interest in and suitability for this position.

For more information or to offer recommendations or nominations:

Stephanie Rivas-Fowler
Senior Consultant
Summit Search Solutions, Inc.
Direct: 530-677-9945
srivasfowler@summitsearchsolutions.com

Oregon Health & Science University values a diverse and culturally competent workforce. OHSU is proud of its commitment to being an equal opportunity, affirmative action organization that does not discriminate against applicants on the basis of any protected class status, including disability status and protected veteran status. Individuals with diverse backgrounds and those who promote diversity and a culture of inclusion are encouraged to apply. To request reasonable accommodation contact the Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Department at 503-494-5148 or aaeo@ohsu.edu