Division Director, Immunobiology at Cincinnati Children's

The Division of Immunobiology’s vision is to be a national/international leader in Immunology research and education. With a mission to develop breakthrough discoveries that impact human health, to be a nucleating hub for basic science research in Immunology at Cincinnati Children's and to provide an outstanding environment to train the next generation of Immunologists.

The Immunobiology Division provides a foundational basic science resource across the entire enterprise, collaborating closely with clinical divisions and with basic science divisions at Cincinnati Children’s and the University of Cincinnati. The division also houses an internationally recognized graduate program for MS and PhD students in Immunology. cincinnatichildrens.org/research/divisions/i/immunobiology

The Director of Immunobiology will build on existing programs and drive innovations that accelerate excellence in research and education. They will set an innovative course for the long-term growth and fiscal vitality of the Division of Immunobiology–leading and enabling transformational research programs, recruiting, and retaining exceptional and diverse faculty, identifying emerging and new areas of emphasis and promise, and enabling world-class educational programming.

Division Overview

The Division of Immunobiology is a basic science research division whose collective goal is to increase the breadth and depth of our understanding of the immune system. The Division has fourteen outstanding primary research tenure-track faculty who use cutting-edge research tools at the cellular, molecular, and genetic levels to further understand mechanisms underlying the development and function of the immune system in both health and disease. As a basic research Division within the children’s hospital setting, our faculty (i) serve as the nucleating hub and catalyst for fundamental research in Immunology at CCHMC and its strong coupling to clinical advances; (ii) train the next generation of Immunologists encompassing graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, clinical residents and fellows; (iii) serve in oversight, advisory and leadership capacities of shared research facilities and faculty recruitment efforts in Immunology across the Medical Center. These goals require our faculty to lead exemplary research initiatives that include inter-disciplinary collaborations with clinical colleagues, to organize and direct the graduate training program in Immunology and to exercise their technical expertise as well as intellectual judgment in sustaining a vibrant community of Immunologists, basic and clinical, at CCHMC. Through their discovery efforts in various animal model systems and humans, our faculty strive to identify novel mechanistic insights for translational exploitation, devising new preventive and therapeutic strategies for diseases affecting children.

Funding and Awards: Investigators in the Immunobiology Division currently bring in >$8,800,000 in annual direct funds, including 15 R01 awards, 6 R21 awards, 2 DoD awards, and 2 U awards. Our investigators have also won highly competitive and prestigious awards, including Burroughs Wellcome (4 awards), an RC2 award, and a Pew Scholar Award. Division faculty have also garnered industry funding from Bristol Myers Squibb, Amgen, and Novartis.

Faculty Research Areas: Faculty members in the Division lead vigorous, externally funded research programs that seek to understand the regulation, development, and function of innate and adaptive immunity in both health and disease. Programmatic areas include neonatal immune development and function at the maternal-fetal interface, with a focus on mechanisms controlling inflammation-driven, pre-term birth; biophysics of immune protein structure and function; molecular control of innate immune system activation and its impact on adaptive immunity;  the molecular and cellular basis of age-related immunosuppression; transcriptional regulation of cell-fate decisions controlling normal and malignant hematopoiesis; epithelial and immune cell homeostasis in the context of intestinal health and disease; molecular and cellular control of solid organ rejection; the development of novel bioinformatic tools to identify gene regulatory networks underlying pediatric auto-inflammatory and infectious diseases; molecular and cellular regulation of asthma, allergy, and inflammatory fibrotic diseases; immune mediators in the development and progression of obesity and obesity-associated sequelae; elucidation of mechanisms underlying immune-deficiencies and autoimmune disorders, and development/ implementation of novel therapeutics for these disorders.

Collaborations: Immunobiology Faculty are outstanding collaborators as evidenced by collaborative grants across the Division as well as across the institution. Immunobiology Faculty have active, grant-funded collaborations along with numerous publications (an average of >10 collaborative publications per faculty member) with The Divisions of Allergy/Immunology; CAGE; Rheumatology; Gastroenterology, Hepatology, & Nutrition; Perinatal Institute; Infectious Diseases; Experimental Hematology; Cancer and Blood Diseases Institute; as well as the University of Cincinnati Departments of Internal Medicine; Surgery; Cancer & Cell Biology; Molecular Microbiology and Genetics. 

Immunology Graduate Program (IGP): The IGP was established in 2004 and offers both M.S. and PhD degrees in Immunology through the University of Cincinnati. The program has maintained a very strong applicant pool and accepts between 7-10 PhD students/year and 2-5 MS students/year recruiting students from across the US and the world, maintaining ~40 PhD students and ~6 MS students at steady state. The IGP is supported by an NIH T32 training grant entitled “Pathogenesis and therapeutic targeting of immune disorders” and by strong institutional support. The IGP also features the International Research Training Grant (IRTG1911) with the University of Lubeck and Research Center Borstel in Germany, providing an outstanding opportunity for student exchange and additional collaborations with outstanding immunologists in Germany.

Qualifications For Candidate 

Director of the Division of Immunobiology at Cincinnati Children’s is a central leadership position at one of the leading pediatric healthcare institutions in the world. The Director of the must be an academic leader in the field of Immunology, with an active and vigorous research program. Additionally, the Director should demonstrate strong leadership, administrative, and management abilities, and uncompromising integrity and ethics.

The successful candidate will be an established or clearly emerging leader in the field, who is committed to children’s health and advancing the field through research, education, and mentorship. More importantly, they must demonstrate a personal style that facilitates communication, collaboration, trust, credibility, and confidence among divisional faculty and across Cincinnati Children’s.

Qualifications:

PhD, MD/PhD, or MD/DO degree, or equivalent

Qualified for Associate or Full Professor Rank on the Tenure Track at the University of Cincinnati

Extensive knowledge of the field of Immunology

Outstanding academic and research credentials with an established or emerging leadership record

Extensive experience in research within the academic medical center setting, include work involving a culturally diverse population, university teaching, research, grantsmanship, and publications

An uncompromising commitment to excellence in research, and education.

Experience leading a research group or faculty

Ability to develop a collaborative vision, with a track record for successfully implementing new initiatives that meet the challenges of academic medicine and clinical care.

Leadership and management experience including finances, resource management, planning, and facilitation skills.

Demonstrated experience in recruiting, retaining, and mentoring top faculty and/or students.

Excellent interpersonal and communication skills to build and maintain trust and relationships with faculty, staff, administration, trainees, and all other stakeholders.

Demonstrated commitment to valuing and actively promoting diversity.

Genuine understanding and respect for the tradition of success and collaborative science at Cincinnati Children’s.

Application and Nomination Process

To apply application must include:

Letter of interest, including information on research

Curriculum vitae

At least three references with full contact information, including e-mail addresses (references will not be contacted without the applicants’ consent). 

Inquiries, nominations, and applications should be addressed to Dr. Paul Spearman and Dr. Neeru Khurana Hershey Committee Co-Chairs.

Submit application and nominations C/O Deborah.Mancini@CCHMC.org Deborah Mancini, Talent Acquisition Physician Faculty Recruiter is assisting the Search Committee with this search.

Applications will be reviewed, and the search will remain open until the position is filled.