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