Virtual Research Assistant Jobs in Alabama (NOW HIRING)

Department/Organization
208301 - Translational Science and Medicine

Rank
Assistant/Associate Professor

Position Summary
The University of Alabama's newly established Department of Translational Science and Medicine within the College of Community Health Sciences (CCHS) is seeking a dynamic and innovative faculty member with a passion for revolutionizing medicine. This is a unique opportunity to build an independent research program at the exciting intersection of quantitative pharmacology, drug disposition, and translational medicine. We seek an exceptional scientist or clinician-scientist with a Ph.D., MD, Pharm.D., or equivalent advanced degree who possesses deep expertise in Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics (DMPK) and Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic/Pharmacodynamic (PBPK/PKPD) modeling. The successful candidate will establish an innovative, extramurally funded research program that utilizes mechanistic modeling and simulation to optimize drug exposure, evaluate drug-drug interactions, predict human pharmacokinetics, and bridge fundamental preclinical discovery with real-world clinical application. Appointments to the faculty of The University of Alabama are based on the personnel requirements of the University’s academic programs and on the goal of achieving and maintaining excellence in its teaching, research, and service/academic citizenship activities.

Detailed Position Information
The newly established Department of Translational Science and Medicine is seeking a faculty member to significantly contribute to the department's mission of accelerating therapeutic translation through quantitative and computational methodology. The ideal candidate will leverage their mathematical and biological expertise to predict how advanced therapeutics, biological modalities, and complex delivery systems behave within living systems.
Key Research Focus Areas:
a) Establishing programs that utilize PBPK, population PK, and quantitative systems pharmacology (QSP) to bridge fundamental biological principles with clinical outcomes.
b) Driving the translation of novel therapeutics by predicting human pharmacokinetics, optimizing dosing regimens, and conducting virtual population simulations for complex or special populations.
c) Evaluating the systemic in vivo performance, biodistribution, clearance, and targeted delivery kinetics of novel modalities and advanced drug formulations.
Interdisciplinary Integration & Impact:
While this position focuses on quantitative modeling rather than active clinical practice, the successful candidate will be expected to interface with the broader CCHS and university research ecosystem to:
1) Serve as the department's quantitative expert, helping to define drug disposition challenges and target profile attributes early in the translational pipeline.
2) Translate in vitro and preclinical in vivo DMPK data into predictive, clinically relevant models that ensure therapeutic viability and streamline the regulatory pathway.
3) Utilize data-driven simulations to better understand variability in drug response, ultimate informing safer and more effective clinical translation within health systems.
Key Responsibilities
1) Establish and maintain a robust, innovative, and externally funded research program focused on DMPK, PBPK/PKPD modeling, and translational quantitative pharmacology.
2) Actively pursue and secure extramural funding from agencies such as the NIH, FDA, NSF, or private foundations and pharmaceutical industry partnerships.
3) Publish high-impact research findings in peer-reviewed journals and present work at national and international scientific conferences.
4) Collaborate with formulation, product development, computational, basic science, and clinical research teams across the university and with external partners.
5) Develop and teach courses at both the undergraduate and graduate levels that integrate pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, biopharmaceutics, and computational modeling with pathophysiological principles.
6) Mentor and train undergraduate students, graduate students (Ph.D./MS), postdocs, and junior researchers, cultivating a collaborative and highly quantitative laboratory environment.
7) Contribute to departmental, college, and university committees, and serve the broader scientific community via peer review and professional society engagement (e.g., ISoP, ASCPT, AAPS).

Minimum Qualifications
A Ph.D., MD, Pharm.D., or equivalent advanced degree (including dual degrees such as MD/Ph.D. or Pharm.D./Ph.D.) in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Pharmacokinetics, Pharmacology, Biomedical Engineering, Biostatistics, or a closely related quantitative discipline.
Two-Four years of productive postdoctoral, residency, or industrial experience in PKPD/PBPK modeling, with a strong track record of peer-reviewed publications demonstrating expertise in translational modeling and simulation.
Advanced proficiency with industry-standard modeling software.

Preferred Qualifications
Evidence of successful collaboration bridging quantitative modeling with laboratory or clinical research datasets. Experience applying PKPD/PBPK modeling to complex scenarios, such as targeted nanomedicines, biologics, cell/gene therapies, or chronic disease models. Proven ability to communicate fluently across distinct scientific languages, bridging the gap between computational/mathematical principles and biomedical/clinical concepts. Ability to develop and teach courses that link the mathematical principles of drug disposition directly to clinical efficacy, safety, and disease pathophysiology.

Instructions and Required Materials for Application
1) A detailed letter outlining your interest in this position and how your expertise aligns with the department's vision. 2) A comprehensive CV detailing your academic background, research experience, and publications. 3) A document (max. 3 pages) summarizing your past research achievements, current projects, and future research goals. Crucially, this must specifically highlight your preclinical experiences in drug discovery and development, and your ability and experience to integrate findings clinically. 4) A statement (max. 1 page) describing your teaching interests and approach. 5) A list of five professional references with their contact information. For more information, please contact Dr. M. N. V. Ravi Kumar at mnvrkumar@ua.edu.

About the Division/College/School
The College of Community Health Sciences (CCHS) was founded in 1972 by William Willard, MD, author of the “Willard Report” and considered the “Father of Family Medicine,” with a mandate to train family physicians for Alabama, particularly its rural areas. The College also provides medical student education as the Tuscaloosa Regional Campus of the four-campus University of Alabama School of Medicine, based at UAB in Birmingham. The College’s mission focuses on improving the health of individuals and communities in Alabama and the region through leadership in medical education and primary care; the provision of high-quality, accessible health care services; and scholarship.
CCHS is sponsor of the UA Family Medicine Residency and seven fellowships for family physicians. The Residency, a 16-16-16 program now in its 45th year, is the second largest family medicine residency in the country. Of the more than 470 Residency graduates, 85% practice in the five-state area of the Southeast, with half in rural areas, and comprise 1 of 7 family physicians practicing in Alabama. Nearly 900 medical students have completed their clinical training at the College since 1974, entering Family Medicine and primary care careers at more than twice the national average.
The College’s nationally recognized Rural Pipeline Programs and the Institute for Rural Health Research, along with basic sciences, social sciences, and health professional faculty and resources on the UA campus and innumerable specialty and medical research faculty among the School of Medicine faculty, create a uniquely resource-rich environment for a medical educator. The College’s clinical enterprise also conducts 150,000 ambulatory visits and more than 10,000 admissions a year to a broad patient population, including UA faculty and staff and the general population of West Alabama.
For more information about the College, visit http://cchs.ua.edu

About the University
The University of Alabama is located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, named one of Travel + Leisure’s 25 Best College Towns and Cities in the U.S. As one of the nation’s premier universities, UA offers bachelor’s, master's and doctoral degrees in nearly 200 fields of study. With more than 1,400 acres of tree-lined academic core campus and over 300 state-of-the art facilities, UA has been ranked among the most beautiful and most impressive college campuses in the South, in the state of Alabama and in the nation.
In Fall 2023, the Capstone set a new enrollment record with more than 39,000 students, including more than 8,200 in the freshman class. The current enrollment includes students from every county in Alabama, every state in the nation and 92 countries around the world. More than 1,100 National Merit Scholars are currently enrolled, making UA one of the largest enrolling institutions of the scholars in the country.
UA was recently recognized as a Top Producing Institution of Fulbright U.S. students for the seventh time in nine years, as well as a Top Producing Institution of Fulbright U.S. Scholars for the first time. UA is one of only 12 universities in the nation to receive both honors.
For reasons like this, the University made Forbes list of America’s Top Colleges for 2023 and Time magazine’s list of Top 50 Best Colleges for Future Leaders. It also made Princeton Review’s list of Top Value Colleges.
UA is also designated among the top doctoral research universities in the United States in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. One of the fastest growing major research institutions in the nation, UA saw a 21% increase in sponsored awards in the 2023 fiscal year.
Since 2015, UA has invested over $1.1 billion in the physical campus, adding more than 2.55 million gross square feet of space, over 150 new research-intensive faculty, signature research areas (e.g., “The Alabama Research Institutes”), and a growing number of partnerships with industry and with state and federal agencies.
The University employs nearly 2,100 faculty and over 4,500 staff, with 52 UA researchers included in the National Academy of Inventors. An additional 40 current faculty have received the NSF CAREER Award, the nation’s most prestigious recognition of top performing young scientists in disciplines ranging from nanoscience and engineering to biological sciences.

Background Investigation and EEO Statement
Background Investigation Statement: Prior to hiring, the final candidate(s) must successfully pass a pre-employment background investigation and information obtained from social media and other internet sources. A prior conviction reported as a result of the background investigation DOES NOT automatically disqualify a candidate from consideration for this position. A candidate with a prior conviction or negative behavioral red flags will receive an individualized review of the prior conviction or negative behavioral red flags before a hiring decision is made.
Equal Employment Opportunity: The University of Alabama is an Equal Employment/Equal Educational Opportunity Institution. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment or volunteer status without regard to any legally protected basis and will not be discriminated against because of their protected status. Applicants and employees of this institution are protected under Federal law from discrimination on several bases. More information is available in the EEOC’s Know Your Rights: Workplace (https://www.eeoc.gov/sites/default/files/2023-06/22-088_EEOC_KnowYourRights6.12ScreenRdr.pdf) discrimination is illegal poster.
The University of Alabama affirms its longstanding commitment to institutional neutrality, free speech, and academic freedom.