Open Rank Associate Professor/Professor in Fluid Biomarkers - AlzForum Foundation : Job Details

Posted 14 Jan 2025

Under the direction of the Herbert and Jacqueline Krieger Klein Alzheimer's Research Center at the Brain Health Institute (BHI), Rutgers seeks a faculty level expert in fluid biomarkers for a tenure-track position at the associate or full professor level at BHI, and Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS) within Rutgers Health. The faculty member should be experienced in the identification, validation, and utilization of fluid biomarkers in the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of Alzheimer's disease and AD-related disorders (ADRD). The successful candidate will work as part of a multidisciplinary team including neurologists, neuropsychologists, neuroimaging experts, and neuropathologists. The AD center will develop a research cohort of individuals at high risk for dementia. This cohort will be extensively phenotyped for clinical, cognitive, genetic, neuroimaging, behavioral, digital, and blood biomarker measures. In addition to scientific leadership, responsibilities will also include mentorship of young investigators. Applicants must have experience in conducting large-scale longitudinal fluid biomarker studies, and an interest in studying the earliest stages of AD. The successful candidate will be responsible for leading and conducting cutting-edge research in fluid biomarkers associated with ADRD.

Qualifying tenure-track applicants must have an established scholarly record demonstrating ability to develop and lead a program of independent, NIH (or other extramurally) funded research. Successful applicant(s) will serve as a core member(s) within the Herbert and Jacqueline Krieger Klein Alzheimer's Center at BHI, with a primary appointment in one of the relevant departments at RWJMS, including Psychiatry, Neurology and Neurosurgery. The Herbert and Jacqueline Krieger Klein Alzheimer's Center is a new center within BHI at Rutgers University with the mission of establishing an interdisciplinary, integrated program to provide comprehensive research focused on prevention and treatment of ADRD.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Research experience in fluid biomarkers associated with ADRD, especially with identifying novel biomarkers, developing assays, and validating the utility of biomarkers for diagnosis and monitoring disease.
• Experience applying statistical and data analysis techniques to interpret biomarker data.
• Ability to develop and lead a program of independent, extramurally funded research including a record of leadership of, or contributions to, major successful peer-reviewed grant proposals appropriate to the applicant's academic rank.
• Academic credentials that qualify for appointment at the associate professor level or above at Rutgers University including a record of successful extramural funding and peer-reviewed publications addressing Alzheimer's disease and AD-related disorders. Superb young investigators with NIH funding and a high potential for scientific independence and success will be considered.
• Record of successful multidisciplinary collaboration and mentorship of students and early stage investigators.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills and the ability to communicate research findings and concepts to both academic and non-academic audiences.
• Ability to successfully engage and communicate with study participants, community, and public policy leaders.
• Strong interest and enthusiasm in helping achieve successful implementation of the new cohort and contributing to cutting-edge science.
• Serve as a key leader in developing a well phenotyped dementia risk cohort.
• Provide leadership in ensuring robust, harmonizable protocols regarding fluid biomarkers of AD/ADRD.
• Lead a program of extramurally funded research in AD/ADRD that will contribute to the development of, and leveraging of, the research cohort.
• Lead and collaborate on manuscripts using cohort data.
• Lead and contribute to grant proposals that support future funding of cohort data collection and address research questions of high scientific and public health importance in AD.
• Successfully compete for extramural funding.
• Contribute to research communication activities with participants, and community audiences.
• Participate in mentoring, training, and professional development of staff, post-doctoral fellows, junior physicians and faculty, students, and others collaborating on the cohort study.
• Other duties may be assigned.

Applicants representing diverse backgrounds of all sorts are highly encouraged to apply. Rutgers University is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion. The AD research center is actively working to ensure that faculty composition reflects diversity. The school especially welcome applications from backgrounds underrepresented in STEM (including women, Black, Latinx, Indigenous and LGBTQ+ scientists).

Requirements: Ph.D. and/or M.D. with relevant specialization in Alzheimer's disease, neurology, psychiatry, biochemistry, or a related field.

A research program with currently active federal funding.

Preference will be given to investigators at the associate professor level or above. However, superb young investigators with NIH funding and a high potential for scientific independence and success will also be considered.

Physician-scientists are highly encouraged to apply, but clinical credentials are not a requirement for the position.

Cultural and language competency and/or experience working with one or more of the underserved communities of NJ.