Associate Research Director Jobs in Texas (NOW HIRING)

Posting Details
Position Information
Posting Number
SRGV8972
Working Title
Associate Dean for Research, School of Medicine
Number of Vacancies
1
Location
Edinburg, Texas
Department
School of Medicine / Research SOM
FTE
1.0
FLSA
Exempt
Scope of Job
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) School of Medicine seeks a dynamic and visionary Associate Dean for Research to serve as a senior academic leader responsible for advancing and integrating the school's research mission. Reporting to the Dean, the Associate Dean will provide strategic leadership across the full continuum of biomedical research-from basic discovery to clinical application to population health impact.
This role is ideally suited for a clinician-scientist with broad experience spanning clinical medicine, basic and translational research, clinical trials, and population health research. The Associate Dean for Research will play a defining role in shaping the next phase of the UTRGV School of Medicine's research enterprise. By integrating discovery with patient care, cancer research across the continuum, maternal health, and population health, this leader will ensure that scientific advances translate into meaningful improvements in outcomes, equity, and community well-being. Through mentorship, collaboration, and strategic alignment, the Associate Dean will help position UTRGV School of Medicine as a nationally recognized institution for impactful, mission-driven research that improves lives across generations.
The successful candidate will foster a strong culture of scholarship, mentorship, and innovation while aligning research growth with the School of Medicine's clinical mission and the health priorities of the Rio Grande Valley.
Description of Duties

• Provides vision and leadership for the School of Medicine's research enterprise across basic, clinical, translational, maternal, and population health domains.
• Aligns research priorities with institutional goals, health system strategy, and regional and national public health needs.
• Strengthens and expand pharmaceutical-sponsored and investigator-initiated clinical trials.
• Advances translational and population health research programs that move discoveries from bench to bedside to community.
• Serves as a key liaison with the UTRGV Division of Research to ensure School of Medicine faculty have seamless access to institutional research tools, support services, and collaborative opportunities that drive interdisciplinary research and innovation within established institutional, state, and federal rules and regulations.
• Mentors medical students, residents, fellows, junior faculty, and early-career investigators.
• Delivers administrative guidance to faculty in securing extramural funding from external sources, to include but not limited to, NIH, NCI, CDC, HRSA, foundations, and industry.
• Promotes team science, interdisciplinary collaboration, and cross-departmental research initiatives.
• Supports clinician-scientists in balancing clinical care, research productivity, and academic advancement.
• Builds and sustains partnerships with industry, federal agencies, foundations, public health entities, and community organizations.
• Collaborates closely with basic science leaders to ensure seamless translation of discovery into clinical and population-level impact.
• Supports regulatory oversight and compliance for human subjects research, clinical trials, and translational studies.
• Contributes to the development and expansion of research infrastructure, shared cores, and data-driven population health platforms.
• Participates in Associate Dean of Research meetings hosted by the Division of Research to remain informed of policy changes, emerging developments, and updates impacting the area, while ensuring alignment with institutional, state, and federal rules and regulations.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Supervision Received
General supervision from assigned supervisor.
Supervision Given
Direct supervision of assigned staff.
Required Education
Terminal degree in Medicine from an accredited university.
Preferred Education
MD/PhD degree from an accredited university.
Licenses/Certifications
None.
Required Experience

• Five (5) years of administrative or leadership experience within an academic medical center or equivalent setting.
• Established record of funded research and peer-reviewed scholarly achievement.
• Experience leading basic, clinical, translational, maternal, or population health research programs, including multidisciplinary teams.
• Demonstrated commitment to mentorship and faculty development.
• Experience mentoring residents, fellows, and physician faculty in clinical, translational, and population-based research.

Preferred Experience
None.
Equipment
Use of standard office equipment.
Working Conditions
Needs to be able to successfully perform all required duties. Work is performed primarily in a general office/clinical environment. Some travel and weekend work is required. UTRGV is a distributed institution, which may require presence at multiple locations throughout the Rio Grande Valley.
Other

• Strong collaborative leadership skills across clinical, research, and community partners.
• Broad expertise across clinical medicine, basic discovery, clinical trials, translational science, maternal health, and population health.
• Deep understanding of patient care realities, clinical workflows, EMR integration, and regulatory requirements.
• Ability to align research priorities with health system goals such as prevention, early detection, maternal outcomes, and chronic disease management.
• Opportunity for continued, limited clinical responsibilities and direct involvement in clinical and/or clinical-basic research, including patient-facing research activities, allowing the Associate Dean to remain engaged in patient care and discovery while leading the research enterprise.

This clinically focused leadership role is designed to complement and partner closely with basic science leadership, ensuring that discovery-driven innovation moves efficiently and effectively from bench to bedside to community.
Physical Capabilities
N/A
Employment Category
Full-Time
Minimum Salary
Commensurate with Experience
Posted Salary
Commensurate with Experience
Position Available Date
05/20/2026
Grant Funded Position
No
If Yes, Provide Grant Expiration Date
Posting Detail Information
EEO Statement
It is the policy of The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley to promote and ensure equal employment opportunities for all individuals without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information or protected veteran status. In accordance with the requirements of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended, our University is committed to comply with all government requirements and ensures non-discrimination in its education programs and activities, including employment. We encourage women, minorities and differently abled persons to apply for employment positions of interest.
Special Instructions to Applicants
Dear Applicant, Human Resources will not be held responsible for redacting any confidential information from the documents you attach with your application. The confidential information includes the following: *Date of Birth *Social Security Number *Gender *Ethnicity/Race Please make sure that you omit this information prior to submission. We are advising that Human Resources will be forwarding your application to the department as per your submission. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at (956)665-8880 and/or careers@utrgv.edu.
Additional Information
UTRGV is a distributed location institution and working location is subject to change based on need.
All UTRGV employees are required to have a criminal background check (CBC). Incomplete applications will not be considered.
Substitutions to the above requirements must have prior approval from the VP of HR & Talent Development .
Quick Link
https://careers.utrgv.edu/postings/51211