Advertising Summary: The VCU College of Health Professions
invites applications for a senior tenure-track faculty position
specializing in Brain Health and Neurodegeneration. We seek an
established, highly motivated, visionary scientist with a
consistent record of extramural funding, interdisciplinary
collaboration, and leadership in advancing knowledge of brain
health and neurodegenerative disorders - including research
examining topics from cell-to-society and biological, behavioral,
and/or social factors influencing optimal outcomes.
Institutional Investment & Growth Trajectory
This position is part of a University-wide initiative to recruit
high-impact tenured faculty members to support its rapidly growing,
transformative research portfolio, with University sponsored
research awards of more than $550m in FY25. The College of Health
Professions is collaborating with the Office of the Provost and the
Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation to
identify talented research faculty.
Strategic Alignment & Scope
This hire aligns with the CHP strategic priority to build on
current expertise in brain health, aging, and neurodegenerative
conditions across the lifespan and will amplify scientific
discovery and dissemination in Neurodegeneration and Aging. The
candidate will catalyze an interdisciplinary, cohesive, and
comprehensive research agenda, leveraging VCU’s status as a
top-tier research university to advance health equity, improve
health outcomes, and optimize health care delivery. This strategic
priority position provides a competitive salary and a generous
start-up package. The College of Health Professions also offers a
dedicated pre- and post-award research management team to ensure
seamless grant transfers and/or grant administration.
Unit: College of Health Professions
Department: Deans Office AHP
Department Summary:
An Unmatched Interdisciplinary Ecosystem
The College of Health Professions’ research vision is to discover
research innovations that impact health outcomes and health care
delivery. As a highly interdisciplinary college located in a
vibrant academic medical campus, our research faculty share
expertise in and passion for the intersection of neurodegenerative
conditions, brain health, and healthy aging across multiple domains
and perspectives. The College includes 9 departments with
professions spanning the continuum of care, from bench (medical
laboratory sciences) to bedside (e.g., occupational and physical
therapy) to health and community systems (e.g., health
administration, gerontology), and is home to the Virginia Center on
Aging. We are uniquely positioned within a thriving health sciences
campus and share this passion for neuroscientific research and
neurodegenerative disorders with colleagues in, for example, the
Schools of Public Health, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Medicine. The
environment fosters interdisciplinary collaboration to meet our
collective university-wide mission of excellence in research,
teaching, and service that fosters innovations in practice and
translational science, thus improving the quality of human life,
solving complex challenges, and restoring health for all
people.
Duties & Responsibilities:
Research & Scholarship
- Program of Research: Develop and lead an internationally
recognized research program in neurodegeneration, brain health, and
health sciences.
Grant Acquisition: Secure competitive external funding from
national and international agencies to support research activities,
with a focus on R-level, Center, and training grants.
Dissemination: Publish high-impact peer-reviewed articles and
disseminate findings to academic, clinical, and public
audiences.
Collaboration: Build interdisciplinary collaborations across
VCU, health professions, neuroscience, rehabilitation sciences, and
public health.
Teaching & Mentorship
- Teach and mentor faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and students in
areas such as neurobehavioral science, brain health, research
methods, grant writing, and similar.
- Contribute to graduate and professional education in health
professions and neurobehavioral science.
Service & Leadership
- Provide leadership in departmental, college, and university
committees.
- Participate in strategic initiatives related to research
infrastructure and capacity.
- Engage with the Richmond and surrounding communities,
healthcare providers, patient advocacy groups, and community
organizations to ensure research is relevant and translates to
community needs, aligning with VCU’s mission as a community-engaged
institution.
- Contribute to policy discussions, review panels, editorial
boards, and evidence-based guidelines for neurodegenerative care to
accelerate the translation of science into practice.
Qualifications:
Minimum Qualifications
- Education: PhD or equivalent terminal research degree in Health
Professions, Neuroscience, Rehabilitation Sciences, Psychology, or
a related field
- Eligibility for appointment at the rank of Associate or Full
Professor (tenure-eligible)
- Sustained record of scholarly productivity, recent extramural
funding (R01 or similar) as Principal Investigator, and currently
funded with a history of success in securing major research grants
and managing large-scale projects
- Demonstrated expertise in the study of neurodegenerative
diseases (e.g., Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, ALS) across the continuum
of care
- Commitment to research that complements and amplifies existing
expertise in the College of Health Professions and VCU
- Demonstrated ability to work in and foster an environment of
respect, professionalism, and civility with a population of
faculty, staff, and students from all backgrounds and experiences,
or a commitment to do so as a faculty member at VCU
Preferred Qualifications
- Eligible for licensure in Virginia as applicable
- Experience mentoring doctoral students, post-doctoral trainees,
and new faculty
- Experience with biomarkers, surveillance, prevention,
intervention, or implementation science
- Commitment to interdisciplinary and translational
research
- Vision for advancing health professions and health sciences in
prevention and care in neurodegenerative conditions
Salary Range: $200,000 - $275,000 + Start Up
Benefits: All full-time university staff are eligible for
VCU’s robust
benefits
package that includes comprehensive health benefits, paid annual
and holiday leave, generous tuition benefits, retirement planning
and savings options, tax-deferred annuity and cash match programs,
employee discounts, well-being resources, abundant opportunities
for career development and advancement, and more.
FLSA Exemption Status: Exempt
Restricted Position: No
ORP Eligible: Yes
Flexible Work Arrangement: Hybrid
Rank: Open
Tenure: Tenure Track
Months: 12 months
Contact Information:
Contact Name: Drs. Faika
Zanjani & Lana Sargent
Contact Email: fzanjani@vcu.edu &
lsargent@vcu.edu