"IRACDA SCHOLAR, Center on Health Advancement"

Job Details

Benefits: All VCU employee types are eligible for a wide array of benefits to support you during your employment at VCU. Consult the benefits website for information on benefits eligibility according to employee type.

Unit: School of Medicine MBU

Department: Center on Health Advancement

The Center on Health Advancement at Virginia Commonwealth University invites applications from qualified candidates seeking a postdoctoral position that provides both mentored research training and teaching experience. The VCU Institutional Research and Academic Career Development Award is a unique three-year postdoctoral program designed to train fellows in biomedical research and teaching. IRACDA is funded by the National Institutes of Health/National Institute of General Medical Sciences and combines a traditional mentored postdoctoral research experience with an opportunity to develop teaching skills through formal pedagogic training and mentored assignments at smaller, non-research-intensive institutions. The program facilitates the progress of postdoctoral candidates toward research and teaching careers in academia. Other goals are to provide a resource to motivate the next generation of scientists, as well as promote collaborations in research and teaching between VCU and Virginia State University (VSU). For the program, IRACDA fellows are matched with research mentors at VCU and teaching mentors at VSU.

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Conduct innovative research in your field under faculty mentorship.
• Develop independent research projects and contribute to ongoing laboratory investigations.
• Prepare manuscripts for peer-reviewed publication and present findings at scientific conferences.
• Participate in grant writing activities and assist with proposal development.
• Mentor undergraduate and graduate students in research methodologies.
• Collaborate with interdisciplinary research teams.
• Teach undergraduate courses and develop pedagogical skills through structured training programs.
• Engage in professional development activities including workshops, seminars, and career planning sessions.

Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications

• PhD in Biomedical Sciences Field
• Excellent Communication Skills
• Submit a Personal Statement (no more than 2 pages) addressing the following points:
  1. Explain why you are interested in the VCU IRACDA Program
  2. Discuss your professional and career goals and how you view VCU-IRACDA as essential for implementing these plans
  3. Explain how your past experiences and plans for the IRACDA experience will help you achieve these goals
  4. Talk about your future research interests. What do you see as the main theme or arc of your future research program?
  5. Discuss why you are interested in a particular VCU research mentor (or mentors if you are undecided at this time))
• Demonstrated Interest in Teaching - Submit a Teaching Statement addressing the following (no more than 1-1.5 pages):
  1. Discuss your vision for how teaching will be part of your future career
  2. Your conception of teaching and learning
  3. Summarize any previous lecturing, TA, laboratory mentoring or other teaching experiences you have had (if any)
  4. Provide a brief description and justification of how you teach or plan to teach (if you have not yet had any previous teaching experience)
• Ability to mentor to junior team members and ensure highest levels of standards of safety in the lab
• Eligibility to work in the United States

Preferred Qualifications

• Established publication record in the biomedical sciences and teaching experience
• Teaching experience
• Track record of successful collaboration with research teams
• Experience with statistical analysis software and data management
• Grant writing experience or training

Salary Range: Commensurate w/NIH Scale

FLSA Exemption Status: Exempt

Hours per Week: 40

ORP Eligible:

Flexible Work Arrangement: Fully Onsite

Rank: Non Faculty

Contact Information: Contact Name: Ettora Burrell
Contact Email: eeburrel@vcu.edu