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Head, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

By nicole bell | March 1, 2024

The Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia (UBC) invites applications for the position of Head, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at UBC. This position is for a five (5) year term with the possibility of renewal, subject to satisfactory review and is expected to be filled by a candidate internal to the University who is currently in a tenure stream faculty appointment at the rank of Associate Professor or Professor in the Professorate or Educational Leadership stream. The anticipated start date is July 1, 2024, or upon a date to be mutually agreed.

The UBC Faculty of Medicine is committed to fostering excellence in education, research, and service that contributes to the health of individuals and communities locally, nationally, and internationally. The Faculty of Medicine, together with its partners including British Columbia’s Health Authorities, provides innovative programs in the areas of health and life sciences through a province-wide delivery model. The Faculty teaches students at the undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate levels and generates more than $350 million in research funding each year.

The Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology (BMB) is home to internationally recognized researchers with 29 full-time faculty members and over 57 other faculty members with expertise on computational biology, lipid biology, metabolomics & proteomics, molecular biology, structural biology, and transcription & translation regulation. The administration is located at the Life Sciences Institute (LSI) that is home to approximately 90 research laboratories from 15 Departments organized into nine research clusters, fostering a strong foundation for innovation and collaboration.  Research within the Department attracts excellent funding from a range of external agencies, including BCKDF, CFI, CIHR, NSERC, CCSRI, Genome BC, NIH and MSFHR, and others, resulting in establishing leading research programs in areas of Disease mechanisms related to bacterial pathogenicity, cancer, metabolism and vision; membrane biology, protein trafficking and secretion; systems biology chemical biology and drug development; structural biology enzymology and molecular biophysics and signal transduction, gene expression and regulation of transcription/translation thereby playing an important role at UBC and in the greater scientific community. The Department hosts an active Graduate program with more than 90 students and offers over 15 undergraduate courses and laboratory courses for honours, majors and minors Undergraduate programs. The graduate program within the Department provides advanced education with a goal of preparing students for an independent career in research and teaching. The integration of faculty research laboratories into various institutions like the Life Sciences Institute, Michael Smith Labs, Terry Fox Lab at BC Cancer Research Institute, and BC Children’s Hospital allows for the benefit of core and shared infrastructure.

The Department Head will provide leadership by creating and advancing a provincial departmental mission, strategic plan and goals that align with the Faculty and the University. The successful candidate will contribute to fostering an environment that promotes inclusivity and embodies values of respect, integrity, compassion, collaboration, and equity. Equity, diversity, inclusion, and justice are essential to academic excellence, as well as to foster an inclusive community for voices that have been historically underrepresented or discouraged.

The successful candidate will have a proven track record in academic and/or administrative leadership roles, have demonstrated success in supporting the career development and mentorship of diverse faculty members, demonstrated commitment to education across the spectrum of learners, and a strong record of research and innovation, educational scholarship and/or professional contributions in an area related to Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. The candidate will also have demonstrated experience in team building, fostering engagement and promoting Indigenous cultural awareness, inclusivity across working and learning environments. The successful candidate will also have experience in working with Health Authority leadership to create academic integration of teaching and research into clinical service delivery and Health Human Resource Planning, particularly in areas of academic expertise. In addition, the successful candidate will demonstrate willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one’s own.

A detailed job description is available in the Dean’s Office, Faculty of Medicine for those who wish to review it. Please inquire at the email address below. Candidates who bring diverse perspectives and lived experiences are encouraged to apply as we strive to enhance diversity, inclusiveness, socio-cultural representation, and perspective of the Department.

An application package should include: a letter of application that addresses scholarly, professional and creative work, teaching, administrative service and experience fostering collaboration across partners; a brief statement (1-2 pages) of your current or previous contributions to advancing anti-racism, equity, diversity, decolonization, Indigenization and inclusion in an academic, professional, or community context; a detailed curriculum vitae; and names of four references. Applications should be directed to:

Dermot Kelleher, MB, MD, FRCP, FRCPI, FMedSci, FCAHS, FRCPC, AGAF
Dean, Faculty of Medicine
Vice President, Health, Faculty of Medicine, UBC
c/o Nicole Bell, Manager, Searches and Reviews
Email: fom.searches@ubc.ca
Subject Line: Head, Department Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Review of applications will begin April 1, 2024 and continue until the position is filled.

At UBC, we believe that attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce is key to the successful pursuit of excellence in research, innovation, and learning for all faculty, staff and students. Our commitment to employment equity helps achieve inclusion and fairness, brings rich diversity to UBC as a workplace, and creates the necessary conditions for a rewarding career.

We invite applications from qualified candidates who share our commitment to employment equity and inclusive excellence, and we welcome applications from candidates belonging to historically, persistently, or systemically marginalized groups: Indigenous (First Nation, Métis, Inuit) Peoples, racialized persons, people with disabilities, women, 2SLGBTQIA+ people and trans and non-binary people.

The University is committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive and equitable work environment for all members of its workforce. An inclusive work environment presumes an environment where differences are appreciated, recognized, and integrated into current structures, planning, and decision-making modes. Within this hiring process we are committed to creating an inclusive and equitable process for all candidates (including but not limited to people with disabilities). Confidential accommodations are available on request. Please contact Nicole Bell via email at fom.searches@ubc.ca.

If you have any questions regarding accommodations or accessibility during the recruitment and hiring process or for more information and support, please visit UBC’s Centre for Workplace Accessibility website at https://hr.ubc.ca/health-and-wellbeing/working-injury-illness-or-disability/centre-workplace-accessibility, or contact the Centre at workplace.accessibility@ubc.ca.

With gratitude, we acknowledge that the University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine and its distributed programs, which include four university academic campuses, are located on traditional, ancestral and unceded territories of First Nations Peoples and communities around the province.

UBC — One of the World's Leading Universities. As one of the world's leading universities, the University of British Columbia creates an exceptional learning environment that fosters global citizenship, advances a civil and sustainable society, and supports outstanding research to serve the people of British Columbia, Canada and the world.

Our Vision: To Transform Health for Everyone.

Ranked among the world’s top medical schools with the fifth-largest MD enrollment in North America, the UBC Faculty of Medicine is a leader in both the science and the practice of medicine. Across British Columbia, more than 12,000 faculty and staff are training the next generation of doctors and health care professionals, making remarkable discoveries, and helping to create the pathways to better health for our communities at home and around the world.

The Faculty — comprised of approximately 2,200 administrative support, technical/research and management and professional staff, as well approximately 650 full-time academic and over 10,000 clinical faculty members — is composed of 19 academic basic science and/or clinical departments, three schools, and 24 research centres and institutes. Together with its University and Health Authority partners, the Faculty delivers innovative programs and conducts research in the areas of health and life sciences. Faculty, staff and trainees are located at university campuses, clinical academic campuses in hospital settings and other regionally based centres across the province.

UBC hires on the basis of merit and is committed to employment equity. All qualifies persons are encouraged to apply. Equity and diversity are essential to academic excellence. An open and diverse community fosters the inclusion of voices that have been underrepresented or discouraged. We encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized on any grounds enumerated under the B.C. Human Rights Code, including sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, racialization, disability, political belief, religion, marital or family status, age, and/or status as a First Nation, Metis, Inuit, or Indigenous person. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents of Canada will be given priority.