"George Lynn Cross Endowed Chair in Biological Sciences-Microbiome-Microbiome Interactions"

Position Title:

George Lynn Cross Endowed Chair in Biological Sciences-Microbiome-Microbiome Interactions

Location: University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus

Department: Biological Sciences

Position Type: Faculty

Qualifications:

• Ph.D. in Microbiology or a related discipline.
• Established record of forming and leading research teams.
• Sustained record of high-quality research and publications.
• Demonstrated record of sustained nationally competitive extramural funding.
• Familiarity with effective teaching practices and mentoring approaches that support students from a wide range of backgrounds.
• Demonstrated experience in convergent and interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary approaches to solving complex societal problems.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Record of scholarship sufficient for appointment as an Associate or Full Professor
• Demonstrated record of excellent in teaching
• Evidence of ability to build partnerships within and across institutions

Application Instructions:

Applicants should submit 1) a cover letter describing their interest in the position and their fit in the School of Biological Sciences The cover letter may address examples of strategies for broadening access.; 2) a full curriculum vitae; 3) a research portfolio describing your current and future scholarship, consisting of up to a three-page narrative and up to three representative publications; 4) a teaching portfolio detailing your experience and approach to classroom teaching and student mentorship, including your approach to classroom teaching and advising undergraduate and graduate students, with up to a two page narrative and optional syllabus for a course you are interested in teaching; 5) names and contact information for three confidential letters of recommendation.; 6)Additional materials may be requested at a later date. Applications must be submitted online via Interfolio at https://apply.interfolio.com/174930

The search committee will begin reviewing applications on November 15th, 2025 and will continue until the position is filled.

Inquiries should be directed to:

Dr. Jeff Kelly, Director, School of Biological Sciences
University of Oklahoma
jkelly@ou.edu

Description:

The School of Biological Sciences (SBS) at the University of Oklahoma (OU) invites application for a full-time 9-month tenured or tenure-track position Associate or Full Professor with a start date of August 2026, and will maintain a 1:0 teaching load as a condition of being appointed to the endowed chair position. This position is one of three in a cluster-hire focused on advancing understanding of microbiomes. The other two positions are focused on host-microbiome interactions and plant-microbiomes.

We seek an innovative, creative, and collaborative colleague with a record of leading scholarship in microbiome-microbiome interactions who will bring a highly productive, cross-disciplinary, and externally funded program of scholarship to OU.

The ideal candidate will have demonstrated success in using a combination of empirical and computational approaches to problems in metabolic processes in areas such as regulation of the inflammation, bacterial pathogenesis, and microbiome-immune system interactions. Further, the successful candidate will have: (1) a record of forming and leading productive interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary teams that work on convergent approaches to solving complex and pressing biomedical problems associated with disease; (2) successfully built collaborations within and outside their institution; and (3) mentored research trainees and taught courses related to the microbiome.

The SBS was recently established through the integration of the departments of Biology and Microbiology and Plant Biology to align graduate programs and research with faculty strengths and the OU Norman Research Strategic Verticals and Lead On Strategic Plan.

OU invests in its faculty by providing support and resources through the Center for Faculty Excellence and Vice President for Research and Partnerships Office. The Dodge Family College of Arts and Sciences supports faculty development through mentoring, new faculty orientation series, and access to research and educational support. We encourage candidates to apply who are seeking to work in a rapidly growing college with collegial interdisciplinary groups and strong academic units.

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