Assistant Professor Health Behaviors Research for Cancer Prevention

Job Description

Virginia Tech seeks to recruit a health behaviors researcher whose work focuses on the initial prevention of cancer and/or its relapse for a tenure track faculty position at the assistant professor level. The successful candidate should utilize contemporary approaches including behavioral analysis, behavioral economics, neuroscience, neuroeconomics, genetics, computation and/or imaging to study important issues of decision-making and/or interventions to modify behaviors that may contribute to the initial development of cancer and/or its relapse. The study of interventions that address the contributions of diet, exercise, alcohol consumption, smoking, and/or exposure to other oncogenic activities such as tanning or vaping are of particular interest. You will join a team of successful established and early career health behaviors researchers working on substance abuse, nutrition, obesity and diabetes, alcohol use disorder, smoking as well as a growing cadre of teams of interdisciplinary cancer researchers working on the development of novel cancer diagnostics and therapeutics. The person hired for this position will join 39 other faculty led teams at the research institute, including 23 neuro- and behavioral scientists. The position will be located at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC (https://research.vtc.vt.edu) on the university’s health sciences campus in Roanoke, Virginia. In addition to the original 100,000 square foot research institute that opened in 2010, a new adjacent 139,000 square foot research building (http://fralinbiomed.info/buildingtour) recently opened in which the new faculty member will have their research program. Facilities at the research institute include multiple research MRIs for human and research, MR guided focused ultrasound, optically pumped magnetometry, multiple behavioral testing suites and human whole-body calorimeters, experimental kitchens.

The successful candidate should utilize contemporary approaches including behavioral analysis, behavioral economics, neuroscience, neuroeconomics, genetics, computation and/or imaging to study important issues of decision-making and/or interventions to modify behaviors that may contribute to the initial development of cancer and/or its relapse. The study of interventions that address the contributions of diet, exercise, alcohol consumption, smoking, and/or exposure to other oncogenic activities such as tanning or vaping are of particular interest.

Applications will be reviewed continuously until the position is filled. It is expected that initial interviews will begin in October, 2023. To apply, please submit your application including curriculum vitae, detailed statement of research accomplishments and plans, and teaching/mentoring philosophy at www.jobs.vt.edu, posting #526978. To complete the application, the applicant should be prepared to have at least three references post their letters of support to the same site.

Virginia Tech recognizes the critical importance of diverse teams of scholars. It seeks to diversify its faculty along multiple dimensions. Virginia Tech is a public global land-grant university, committed to research, teaching and learning, and outreach to the Commonwealth of Virginia, the nation, and the world. Building on its motto of Ut Prosim (that I may serve), Virginia Tech is dedicated to InclusiveVT- https://www.inclusive.vt.edu/ serving in the spirit of community, diversity, and excellence. We seek candidates who adopt and practice the Principles of Community (https://www.inclusive.vt.edu/Programs/vtpoc0.html), which are fundamental to our on-going efforts to increase access and inclusion and to create a community that nurtures learning and growth for all of its members.

Virginia Tech is an Equal Opportunity Employer. For inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies, contact the Office of Equity and Access at 540-231-2010 or Virginia Tech, North End Center, Suite 2300 (0318), 300 Turner St. NW, Blacksburg, VA 24061.

Inquiries about the position should be directed to the Executive Director of the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute (FBRI), Dr. Michael J. Friedlander at friedlan@vtc.vt.edu or the Director of the FBRI Center for Health Behaviors Research, Dr. Warren K. Bickel at wkbickel@vtc.vt.edu

Required Qualifications

Applicants should have an earned doctorate (PhD, MD and/or DVM), postdoctoral research experience, a record of accomplishment of research productivity through high quality publications and some record of past or preferably current extramural funding. Applicants with laboratory bench-based research and/or bioinformatics approaches will be considered.

About Virginia Tech

Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech pushes the boundaries of knowledge by taking a hands-on, transdisciplinary approach to preparing scholars to be leaders and problem-solvers. A comprehensive land-grant institution that enhances the quality of life in Virginia and throughout the world, Virginia Tech is an inclusive community dedicated to knowledge, discovery, and creativity. The university offers more than 280 majors to a diverse enrollment of more than 36,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students in eight undergraduate colleges, a school of medicine, a veterinary medicine college, Graduate School, and Honors College. The university has a significant presence across Virginia, including the Innovation Campus in Northern Virginia; the Health Sciences and Technology Campus in Roanoke; sites in Newport News and Richmond; and numerous Extension offices and research centers. A leading global research institution, Virginia Tech conducts more than $500 million in research annually.

Virginia Tech does not discriminate against employees, students, or applicants on the basis of age, color, disability, sex (including pregnancy), gender, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, or military status, or otherwise discriminate against employees or applicants who inquire about, discuss, or disclose their compensation or the compensation of other employees or applicants, or on any other basis protected by law.