Director Innovation Jobs in Indiana (NOW HIRING)

Indiana University School of Medicine & Indiana University Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center

Location: Indianapolis, IN

Indiana University hosts the state’s only academic stem cell transplantation and cellular therapy program, with a longstanding history dating back to 1987. We are home to a robust, multidisciplinary research enterprise in stem cell biology, transplantation, and immunotherapy. Our adult program operates within IU Health and the Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, while our pediatric efforts are based at Riley Hospital for Children, Indiana’s only dedicated children’s hospital and one of the largest in the country. Our clinical and research activities are anchored by the Brown Center for Immunotherapy, an institutional hub for translational cellular immunotherapy.

We are seeking a dynamic physician-scientist to lead our Cellular Therapy Program, overseeing clinical operations, academic initiatives, and translational research in both hematologic malignancies and solid tumors. The Director will provide strategic leadership to expand and enhance our clinical, research, and educational missions. This is a key leadership position, with cross-departmental collaborations and access to robust infrastructure to support innovative investigator-initiated trials, cellular product development, and translational discovery.

• Provide strategic leadership and oversight for the adult and pediatric cellular therapy programs, spanning both malignant and benign hematologic conditions and solid tumors.
• Collaborate closely with the Director of Stem Cell Transplantation to maintain FACT accreditation and ensure programmatic excellence.
• Work in partnership with the Cellular Therapy Laboratory Director to maintain compliance with regulatory and quality standards.
• Serve as a senior member of the Brown Center for Immunotherapy, fostering integration between research and clinical programs.
• Lead and expand a high-impact research portfolio in cellular immunotherapy, with an emphasis on investigator‑initiated trials and translational innovation.
• Mentor junior faculty and trainees across the School of Medicine.
• Engage internal and external stakeholders to broaden patient access and referral networks.

• MD or MD/PhD with Board Certification in Hematology and/or Oncology.
• At least 5 years of leadership experience directing clinical and/or translational research in hematologic malignancies or cellular therapy.
• A track record of independent extramural funding (e.g., NIH R01 or equivalent).
• Demonstrated excellence in scholarship with multiple publications or grants related to hematology or cellular therapies.
• Eligibility for appointment at the Associate or Full Professor level.
• Expertise in stem cell transplantation and cellular immunotherapy.
• Strong leadership, communication, and teamwork skills.

The Brown Center for Immunotherapy at the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center is dedicated to leveraging the power of the immune system to develop transformative treatments for cancer. The Center supports a robust pipeline of translational research initiatives aimed at advancing cellular and immune-based therapies from bench to bedside. Within the Vector Production Laboratory, multiple chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) constructs are in development, including the CD4CAR, which is currently in clinical trials for the treatment of hematologic malignancies. The Immune Monitoring Laboratory conducts correlative studies for all cellular therapy trials, focusing on mechanisms of CAR T cell exhaustion and integrating bioinformatics approaches to validate predictive biomarkers of response and resistance. Researchers at the center are also investigating the therapeutic potential of distinct T cell subsets, including efforts to engineer checkpoint-deficient T cells to enhance persistence and functionality. Ongoing preclinical and translational efforts target challenging solid tumors such as glioblastoma and pancreatic cancer using cellular therapies and novel antigen-specific approaches. In parallel, the Center is advancing peptide vaccine platforms, several of which are actively being evaluated in clinical trials, aimed at eliciting durable, tumor-specific immune responses.