"Full or Associate Professor in Infectious Disease Modeling"

The Pennsylvania State University is seeking a Full or Associate Professor in Infectious Disease Modeling to support the mission of the Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics (http://cidd.psu.edu/) of the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences. This is a cross-University search, and the position will be appointed in a department and College that is appropriate for the research and teaching program of the candidate.

The Penn State Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics (CIDD) is one of the largest and most active infectious disease research centers in the U.S. The center was established in 2003 to foster transformative, cross-college interdisciplinary research in the ecology and evolution of infectious disease in human, animal, and plant hosts. The center includes more than 70 faculty from across nine colleges. The center is part of the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, which exists to strengthen interdisciplinary life science research and graduate education across the University. Penn State consistently ranks among the nation's top 25 public research universities, with fiscal year 2024 research expenditures exceeding $1.3 billion.

Dynamic models of pathogen/parasite transmission, interactions with hosts, and evolution have been central to the CIDD mission and provide a critical link between faculty expertise from the bench-top to applications in health, agriculture, and conservation. The scope of data and systems to measure, interpret, forecast, and intervene in infectious disease systems has grown dramatically. CIDD is committed to leading cutting-edge modeling and computational approaches to leverage the breadth and depth of these novel data sources. We are seeking new faculty with a focus and established scholarship in infectious disease modeling to align with CIDD's goals to maintain its international leadership in the ecology and evolution of infectious disease. We specifically seek candidates who have led multidisciplinary projects to combine modeling and computational tools with large time series, epidemiological, or genomic data sets to address fundamental questions in pathogen or parasite persistence, evolution, and control.

Successful candidates are expected to have an established track record of successful extramural funding, published results from multidisciplinary research projects, and evidence of leadership of multidisciplinary scientific teams. They will be expected to contribute to the Center leadership through participation on the Executive Committee and development of research, training, and/or outreach initiatives. The Department and College tenure home is open for negotiation based on research interests and could be in one or more of the following colleges: College of Agricultural Sciences, College of Engineering, College of Health and Human Development, College of Liberal Arts, College of Medicine, and the Eberly College of Science. There is an expectation that the candidate will join the faculty of one of the Huck Institute's six Interdisciplinary Graduate Degree Programs.

In addition to establishing a rigorous externally funded research program in any aspect of infectious disease at Penn State, duties also include:

• Promote a culture of excellence in infectious disease research, teaching, and outreach across the Penn State system;
• Promote Penn State as a global leader in interdisciplinary infectious disease research through novel collaborations that integrate existing CIDD strengths;
• Lead the growth of the CIDD through strategic initiatives and development of collaborative, interdisciplinary research teams;
• Support the training of next generation of infectious disease researchers via classroom and experiential learning opportunities;
• Participate in strategic planning to ensure financial sustainability of the Penn State CIDD;
• Participate in the CIDD Executive Committee to develop and execute a strategic vision and approaches for the center;
• Engage current Penn State faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and student members of the CIDD to shape its future;
• Actively engage in mentorship of early career faculty hired in association with the Center; and
• Support community development and engagement at the student, staff, postdoctoral and faculty levels.

A PhD in any infectious disease-related field is required. The applicant should have an academic track record commensurate with the level of Full Professor with tenure, although exceptional applications at the Associate level will be considered. The successful applicant will join faculty members with complementary, interdisciplinary research interests, and have access to excellent core facilities https://www.huck.psu.edu/core-facilities.

Please submit a cover letter, CV, Research Statement, Teaching Statement, and the names and contact information for three references. For more information about the position, please contact Christina Grozinger, Director of the Huck Institutes or Matthew Ferrari, Director of the Penn State Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics.