Chair, Department Of Chemical Biology And Chemistry

The UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy (ESOP) seeks an aspirational and collaborative leader to serve as Chair of the Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry. This is a unique opportunity for an individual to lead a world-class faculty engaged in the education and research of the principles of drug discovery with a focus on identifying new therapeutic agents and targets. 

To view the full profile, please click here.

Introduction

Established in 1789, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH) was the first public university in the nation. Students enrolled starting in 1795, making UNC-CH the only public university to award degrees in the 18th century. Graduate programs were offered starting in 1876, followed by the creation of professional schools throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Today, UNC-CH enrolls over 18,000 undergraduate and over 11,000 professional and graduate students. The University offers 77 bachelor’s degree programs, 111 master’s degree programs, 65 doctoral degree programs, and 7 professional degree programs. 

UNC-CH, a member of the Association of American Universities, is one of the world’s premier research universities, with a highly collaborative culture among faculty of all disciplines and over $1.2B in annual research expenditures supporting endeavors with local, national, and global significance. UNC-CH is uniquely situated as one of the only US universities that houses five highly-rated Health Affairs schools on its campus, together with its College of Arts & Sciences and multiple outstanding professional schools. UNC-CH is known for collegial interactions and a stellar ability to assemble successful, multi-disciplinary teams to solve problems of great import to North Carolina, the US, and the world. As a proud public university, our research is intertwined with our mission of service to the citizens of North Carolina who established and support our endeavors. North Carolina, with its incredibly diverse geography, fast-changing demographics, and generative range of rural, urban, and suburban communities, offers opportunities for research partnerships and sites that few other locations can.

The Research Triangle, defined by UNC-CH, Duke, and NC State University at its corners, has always provided public-private research opportunities. Currently, the Triangle is witnessing an explosion of investment in the life, technological, data, health, and economic sciences. Thus, the potential to translate basic and applied research is at its highest level ever and is likely to grow. Lastly, the physical location of all academic schools and departments on a single, beautiful campus, and the livability and opportunities for personal and family growth in the Chapel Hill/Durham/Raleigh area, make UNC-CH a magnet for recruitment of top-notch research-oriented scholars.

The Eshelman School of Pharmacy 

The UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy is one of six health science schools (Pharmacy, Nursing, Dentistry, Public Health, Medicine, Social) at UNC-CH and is one of the oldest health science academic programs at Chapel Hill. The 113 faculty members in the School teach and mentor approximately 600 PharmD students and 145 graduate students. The School has built a reputation for its continued pursuit of excellence, rigorous education and training programs, cutting-edge multidisciplinary research, progressive pharmacy practices, efficient business operations, and its outstanding faculty, staff, and students. The School was named the number one School of Pharmacy in the U.S. by the U.S. News and World Report. In FY 22, faculty members in the School generated over $75m in external funding to support their research.

The School has seen significant progress on the implementation of its BEYOND
2021-2024 strategic plan, with the priorities, objectives, and initiatives being interwoven into its day-to-day operations. The strategic plan is a living document, evolving and changing with the needs of the School. However, this plan was created during the pandemic, and is set to end at the end of 2024. Since the environment continues to change around us in healthcare, education, pharmacy, and pharmaceutical science, the Eshelman School of Pharmacy is setting a course for the next five years after our current plan ends. Building on the same vision, mission, and values of the current strategic plan, the Dean’s Council is conducting a strategic refresh over the next fiscal year led by Associate Dean Roy Zwahlen.

The Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry

The Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry (CBMC) is one of five divisions in the School. Its work focuses on discovering new therapeutic agents and targets. Thousands of compounds researched here at the School have the potential for therapeutic applications impacting many disease targets, such as enzymes, specific drug receptors, and even the genome.

CBMC is comprised of 30 faculty with research strengths in the synthesis and structure-activity characterization of pharmaceutically relevant small molecules, the Chemical Biology of designed small-molecule ligands and their cognate drug targets, combinatorial biochemistry and proteomics, structural biology, chemo- and bioinformatics, and molecular modeling. Of the 30 faculty, 14 are tenure track, and 16 are research track. In FY 22, faculty members in the Division generated over $42m in external funding to support their research.

CBMC is home to the Structural Genomics Consortium and the Center for Integrative Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery. The Division Chair is responsible for helping lead these Centers, strategize outcomes, and plan for growth. Faculty of the division enjoy collaborative opportunities with CBMC’s Structural Genomics Consortium and the Center for Integrative Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, UNC’s six health science schools, and a stimulating regional research environment in the Research Triangle Park.

The Role

The UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy seeks a tenured Full Professor with duties in teaching; developing and maintaining individual research programs of distinction; contributing to collaborative research efforts; and providing service to a variety of constituencies at the local, state, national and international levels. This primary faculty appointment will come with an “at-will” secondary administrative appointment as Chair of the Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry. A faculty member that holds a Chair appointment is required to maintain an active scholarship program, teach, and stay current in their academic discipline.

Chair responsibilities include:

Faculty Development/Advocate

• Lead the recruitment, retention, reappointment, promotion, tenure, and post-tenure actions of faculty in compliance with School and University guidelines.
• Support and encourage ongoing faculty development, including, but not limited to; ensuring faculty alignment with our WE CARE values; fostering and promoting faculty wellbeing, engagement, performance, and productivity; ensuring faculty are positioned to reach their full potential; managing and resolving conflict between and among faculty.
• Work closely with the Executive Vice Dean-Chief Academic Officer (EVD-CAO) on all matters pertaining to faculty.

Leadership

• Provide long-term strategic direction and vision for the Division in alignment with the strategic plan of the School. Oversee the development, implementation, and monitoring of the division’s strategic plan.
• Engage in strategic partnerships to advance the work of the Division and the School. Build and nurture ongoing relationships and partnerships, including strategic alignment with the School’s affiliated Centers. Ensure awareness and engagement of Division faculty in key partnerships and in initiatives and programs associated with partnerships.
• Represent the needs of the School to the Division and represent the needs of the Division to School leadership. Facilitate effective communication between Division faculty and School leadership. Serve as the primary representative of the Division to the School, the University, the public, and the Academy nationally and internationally.Serve and actively engage as a member of the Dean’s Executive Committee.
• Be a role model for faculty on good citizenship and school engagement, actively participating in School-wide retreats, trainings, and other programs.

Management

• Oversee administrative & operational aspects of the Division, including oversight of Executive Vice Chairs and/or Vice Chairs. Manage Division budget(s) and personnel activities/actions (grant submission sign offs, IRB review and approvals, EPAP & COI approvals, faculty annual reviews, and staff performance evaluations). Facilitate regular Division meetings and retreats. Oversee Division fellowship programs, if applicable, in collaboration with fellowship directors. Oversee lab/office space assignments, in collaboration with the Executive Vice Dean-Chief Operating Officer.
• Oversee faculty contributions & accountability to fulfilling the educational mission, research mission, and service responsibilities of the School in alignment with rank and track.
• Consistent with the School’s grant guidelines, work closely with tenure track faculty to ensure appropriate effort is included on grants and contracts and that tenure track faculty are on the path to securing 40-80% salary offset through grants and contracts; discuss salary recovery expectations with faculty in annual reviews, and document that goals are being met, or if goals are not being achieved, document a plan for development, or re-evaluate the appropriateness of the goals in light of the faculty members responsibilities; assess faculty salary offset expectations when considering promotion, tenure, and post-tenure review and, if goals are not being achieved, document a plan for achieving the goals.

Qualifications

Qualified candidates must possess a PhD in Chemistry, Medicinal Chemistry/Pharmaceutical Sciences, Biochemistry, or a closely related discipline, as well as a strong track record of scholarship. The candidate must demonstrate great communication and interpersonal skills; the ability to develop collaborative and productive teams, to plan strategically and execute accordingly; be a team player, with experience managing, leading, and developing people; and be able to articulate and advocate a shared vision for the division to engage in the education and research of the principles of drug discovery, and align with our School’s WE CARE values.

Demonstration of leadership and engagement in and sustained contributions to the practice of pharmacy, chemistry, Biology and computational science is preferred. The most qualified candidate will already be at the Associate Professor level ready for promotion to Full Professor, or at the Full Professor level. In addition, the most qualified candidate will have demonstrated prior leadership and management experiences or, at a minimum, be able to clearly articulate their motivation and potential to do so.

Applications and Nominations

Priority consideration will be given to materials received by July 15, 2024. Applications should include a 1) current CV and 2) a letter of interest that addresses the responsibilities and qualifications described above.

Buffkin/Baker, an executive search firm, is assisting the university in the search. Inquiries of interest, nominations, and applications should be submitted electronically, in confidence, to:

Mr. Martin M. Baker, Managing Partner

Buffkin / Baker

unccbmcchair@buffkinbaker.com

Equal Opportunity Statement from UNC HR 

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or status as a protected veteran.