Advertising Summary: Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Medicine is a premier academic medical center located in the heart of Richmond. Accounting for almost half of VCU’s sponsored research, the School of Medicine is internationally recognized for patient care and education. Virginia Commonwealth University is an equal opportunity employer.

Unit: School of Medicine

Department: Cellular, Molecular and Genetic Medicine

Department Summary: The Department of Cellular, Molecular and Genetic Medicine is dedicated to unraveling the fundamental biology that supports health and drives disease. Our faculty, trainees and students tackle some of the most pressing challenges in biomedical science, from the molecular and genetic roots of disease to the complexities of whole-body physiology.

Our foundational studies are driving the frontiers of scientific discovery, pushing the boundaries of what we understand about biology, disease and the human body. From our labs in downtown Richmond to research collaborations around the world, our work is generating new knowledge, influencing the direction of biological science and redefining what is possible in biomedical research.

We are proud to be a community of passionate educators and mentors, deeply committed to empowering the next generation of scientists and leaders. With alumni enjoying successful careers across a broad spectrum of industries, our rigorous training programs offer students a transformative education that drives innovation today and creates lasting impact for tomorrow.

Mission:

The Department of Cellular, Molecular and Genetic Medicine (CMGM) at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine is committed to advancing molecular discovery, disease biology, and translational medicine through innovative research, education, and collaboration. The department brings together expertise in cellular biology, molecular mechanisms, genetics, genomics, computational biology, and disease-focused discovery to address major challenges in human health.

The Division of Biomedical AI within CMGM is being developed to integrate artificial intelligence, machine learning, and advanced computational methods with molecular discovery and biomedical research. The division will focus on developing AI-driven approaches that connect molecular and cellular mechanisms with disease modeling, therapeutic discovery, cancer biology, and precision medicine. A major goal of the division is to build highly collaborative research programs that bridge computational innovation with biological and translational discovery across CMGM, the School of Medicine, Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research, and other VCU research programs.

Chief Purpose of this Position:

The Department of Cellular, Molecular and Genetic Medicine seeks to recruit two junior faculty members (tenure eligible) at the rank of Assistant Professor in Biomedical AI and Computational Molecular Medicine. Successful candidates will develop independent, externally funded research programs that apply innovative artificial intelligence, machine learning, computational biology, and/or quantitative modeling approaches to important problems in molecular medicine.

We are particularly interested in candidates whose research aligns with one or more of the following priority areas:

1. Biomedical foundation models, virtual cells, virtual tissues, and digital twins

Candidates developing biomedical foundation models and AI-driven virtual cell, virtual tissue, and digital twin approaches that integrate single-cell, spatial, imaging, perturbation, and multi-omics data to model molecular programs, cellular states, tissue organization, disease progression, and therapeutic response.

2. AI for cancer research, tumor microenvironment, and therapeutic discovery

Candidates developing AI approaches for cancer research, tumor microenvironment modeling, spatial and single-cell analysis of cancer ecosystems, therapeutic response prediction, target discovery, and AI-enabled drug discovery.

3. Causal, perturbational, and mechanistic AI for biomarker and disease-mechanism discovery

Candidates developing causal, perturbational, and mechanistic AI approaches for biomarker discovery, therapeutic target prioritization, treatment-response prediction, and identification of disease-driving molecular or cellular programs.

Candidates working in other innovative areas of artificial intelligence research in the biomedical domain are also encouraged to apply, particularly those whose work can advance digital pathology, molecular discovery, disease biology, translational medicine, therapeutic discovery, precision medicine, or precision health.

Successful candidates will be expected to contribute to the growth of the Division of Biomedical AI within CMGM and to work collaboratively with investigators across CMGM, the broader School of Medicine, Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research, and other VCU programs. The positions offer substantial opportunities to collaborate with disease-focused, translational, and clinical research programs, including cancer research, clinical and translational science, molecular medicine, immunology, genomics, therapeutic discovery, and other areas of biomedical discovery.

Duties & Responsibilities:

Research: Develop rigorous, innovative, and externally funded research programs in Biomedical AI and Computational Molecular Medicine. Successful candidates will be expected to publish high-impact research, compete successfully for extramural funding, and build collaborative research programs with basic, translational, clinical, and computational investigators.

Research areas may include biomedical foundation models, virtual cells, virtual tissues, molecular/cellular/tissue-level digital twins, multimodal AI, single-cell and spatial omics, imaging-based AI, perturbation modeling, disease-state modeling, cellular communication modeling, tissue architecture modeling, tumor microenvironment modeling, cancer ecosystem analysis, therapeutic response prediction, target discovery, AI-enabled drug discovery, causal and mechanistic AI, biomarker discovery, and AI-driven precision medicine.

Candidates will be expected to serve as highly collaborative researchers who can contribute to team science across CMGM, Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research, and the broader School of Medicine.

Teaching: Contribute to graduate and professional education in computational biology, biomedical AI, machine learning, molecular medicine, genomics, systems biology, cancer biology, therapeutic discovery, and related areas. Responsibilities may include developing new course content, participating in existing courses, mentoring graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, and supporting training programs in computational and molecular medicine.

Service: Participate in departmental, school, university, and professional service activities. This may include service on committees, support of departmental initiatives, participation in faculty recruitment, manuscript and grant review, and engagement with the broader scientific community.

Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications

• PhD, MD/PhD, or equivalent doctoral degree in computer science, computational biology, biomedical data science, bioinformatics, biostatistics, statistics, or a related field

Advertising Summary: Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Medicine is a premier academic medical center located in the heart of Richmond. Accounting for almost half of VCU’s sponsored research, the School of Medicine is internationally recognized for patient care and education. Virginia Commonwealth University is an equal opportunity employer.

Unit: School of Medicine

Department: Cellular, Molecular and Genetic Medicine

Department Summary: The Department of Cellular, Molecular and Genetic Medicine is dedicated to unraveling the fundamental biology that supports health and drives disease. Our faculty, trainees and students tackle some of the most pressing challenges in biomedical science, from the molecular and genetic roots of disease to the complexities of whole-body physiology.

Our foundational studies are driving the frontiers of scientific discovery, pushing the boundaries of what we understand about biology, disease and the human body. From our labs in downtown Richmond to research collaborations around the world, our work is generating new knowledge, influencing the direction of biological science and redefining what is possible in biomedical research.

We are proud to be a community of passionate educators and mentors, deeply committed to empowering the next generation of scientists and leaders. With alumni enjoying successful careers across a broad spectrum of industries, our rigorous training programs offer students a transformative education that drives innovation today and creates lasting impact for tomorrow.

Mission:

The Department of Cellular, Molecular and Genetic Medicine (CMGM) at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine is committed to advancing molecular discovery, disease biology, and translational medicine through innovative research, education, and collaboration. The department brings together expertise in cellular biology, molecular mechanisms, genetics, genomics, computational biology, and disease-focused discovery to address major challenges in human health.

The Division of Biomedical AI within CMGM is being developed to integrate artificial intelligence, machine learning, and advanced computational methods with molecular discovery and biomedical research. The division will focus on developing AI-driven approaches that connect molecular and cellular mechanisms with disease modeling, therapeutic discovery, cancer biology, and precision medicine. A major goal of the division is to build highly collaborative research programs that bridge computational innovation with biological and translational discovery across CMGM, the School of Medicine, Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research, and other VCU research programs.

Chief Purpose of this Position:

The Department of Cellular, Molecular and Genetic Medicine seeks to recruit two junior faculty members (tenure eligible) at the rank of Assistant Professor in Biomedical AI and Computational Molecular Medicine. Successful candidates will develop independent, externally funded research programs that apply innovative artificial intelligence, machine learning, computational biology, and/or quantitative modeling approaches to important problems in molecular medicine.

We are particularly interested in candidates whose research aligns with one or more of the following priority areas:

1. Biomedical foundation models, virtual cells, virtual tissues, and digital twins

Candidates developing biomedical foundation models and AI-driven virtual cell, virtual tissue, and digital twin approaches that integrate single-cell, spatial, imaging, perturbation, and multi-omics data to model molecular programs, cellular states, tissue organization, disease progression, and therapeutic response.

2. AI for cancer research, tumor microenvironment, and therapeutic discovery

Candidates developing AI approaches for cancer research, tumor microenvironment modeling, spatial and single-cell analysis of cancer ecosystems, therapeutic response prediction, target discovery, and AI-enabled drug discovery.

3. Causal, perturbational, and mechanistic AI for biomarker and disease-mechanism discovery

Candidates developing causal, perturbational, and mechanistic AI approaches for biomarker discovery, therapeutic target prioritization, treatment-response prediction, and identification of disease-driving molecular or cellular programs.

Candidates working in other innovative areas of artificial intelligence research in the biomedical domain are also encouraged to apply, particularly those whose work can advance digital pathology, molecular discovery, disease biology, translational medicine, therapeutic discovery, precision medicine, or precision health.

Successful candidates will be expected to contribute to the growth of the Division of Biomedical AI within CMGM and to work collaboratively with investigators across CMGM, the broader School of Medicine, Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research, and other VCU programs. The positions offer substantial opportunities to collaborate with disease-focused, translational, and clinical research programs, including cancer research, clinical and translational science, molecular medicine, immunology, genomics, therapeutic discovery, and other areas of biomedical discovery.

Duties & Responsibilities:

Research: Develop rigorous, innovative, and externally funded research programs in Biomedical AI and Computational Molecular Medicine. Successful candidates will be expected to publish high-impact research, compete successfully for extramural funding, and build collaborative research programs with basic, translational, clinical, and computational investigators.

Research areas may include biomedical foundation models, virtual cells, virtual tissues, molecular/cellular/tissue-level digital twins, multimodal AI, single-cell and spatial omics, imaging-based AI, perturbation modeling, disease-state modeling, cellular communication modeling, tissue architecture modeling, tumor microenvironment modeling, cancer ecosystem analysis, therapeutic response prediction, target discovery, AI-enabled drug discovery, causal and mechanistic AI, biomarker discovery, and AI-driven precision medicine.

Candidates will be expected to serve as highly collaborative researchers who can contribute to team science across CMGM, Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research, and the broader School of Medicine.

Teaching: Contribute to graduate and professional education in computational biology, biomedical AI, machine learning, molecular medicine, genomics, systems biology, cancer biology, therapeutic discovery, and related areas. Responsibilities may include developing new course content, participating in existing courses, mentoring graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, and supporting training programs in computational and molecular medicine.

Service: Participate in departmental, school, university, and professional service activities. This may include service on committees, support of departmental initiatives, participation in faculty recruitment, manuscript and grant review, and engagement with the broader scientific community.

Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications

• PhD, MD/PhD, or equivalent doctoral degree in computer science, computational biology, biomedical data science, bioinformatics, biostatistics, statistics, or a related field