Chemical Biology and Therapeutics - A Division-wide, Open-rank Faculty Search #BSD042

Role details

Scope and Opportunity The University of Chicago's Biological Sciences Division is searching for full-time scientists , physician-scientists, and engineers whose work will advance the discovery, design, development, translation, and mechanistic understanding of new therapeutic strategies . This search is intended to capture the full continuum from basic chemical and molecular discovery to translational therapeutics, including programs that bridge chemistry, biology, engineering, computation, pharmacology, and medicine .

We are particularly interested in candidates who develop innovative approaches to interrogate biological mechanisms, modulate disease-relevant pathways, discover new therapeutic targets, or create transformative therapeutic platforms. Academic rank, track, tenure status, and compensation are dependent upon qualifications. P rimary appointments will be in appropriate departments or units, most likely in the Biological Sciences Division (BSD), though potentially in the Physical Sciences Division (PSD) or the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (PME), with possible secondary appointments in other relevant units depending on the candidates' research. These positions are benefits eligible.

The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off. Information about the benefit offerings can be found in the Benefits Guidebook .

Appointees will join a highly collaborative academic ecosystem in which outstanding basic science, engineering, and clinical departments are co-located on a compact urban campus, with state-of-the-art core facilities, exceptional graduate and medical students, and opportunities to participate in multidisciplinary research, translation, commercialization, and entrepreneurship, including Hyde Park Labs , a new hybrid facility for academic research, science-based companies and the UChicago Science Incubator, and the newly established Therapeutic Discovery Institute.

Research Priorities The goal of this search is to recruit faculty who will help build an integrated therapeutic discovery and development ecosystem at the University of Chicago, connecting fundamental biological discovery with chemical, computational, engineering, and clinical approaches to developing new medicines.

Areas of interest include, but are not limited to: Chemical biology and molecular mechanisms of disease Small-molecule drug discovery, medicinal chemistry, and therapeutic design Protein-, peptide-, antibody-, RNA-, gene-, genome engineering-, and cell-based therapeutics Targeted protein degradation and molecular glues Structural biology, structure-based and computational drug discovery High-throughput screening, functional genomics, and chemical-genetic approaches Drug delivery, biomaterials, nanomedicine, and tissue-targeted therapeutics Synthetic biology and engineered therapeutic platforms Translational pharmacology, biomarker-guided therapeutics, and early-stage clinical translation Therapeutic development at the interface of academia, industry, and entrepreneurship Selection Process The initial phase of the search is led by a committee composed of faculty from multiple departments and divisions rather than by a single hiring department.

This phase is designed to identify leading candidates across the breadth of the search area and to consider how their scholarship could contribute to, and be advanced by, the University’s scientific programs and intellectual environment. During an initial campus visit, candidates will meet faculty from multiple departments, institutes, and programs. A follow-up visit will be organized by the departmental affiliation(s) best suited to support each candidate’s work and long-term success . Additional information about the selection principles and the broader division-wide recruitment strategy is available here: BSD Faculty Recruitment .

A Division-Wide Recruitment Initiative This search is one of five coordinated, open-rank searches through which the Biological Sciences Division and UChicago Medicine, in collaboration with the Physical Sciences Division and the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, are recruiting a cohort of exceptional faculty to expand the scale, disciplinary breadth, and human impact of biomedical research at UChicago. Candidates whose work spans more than one search area are encouraged to apply to multiple searches.

Cancer Biology and Immunology Chemical Biology and Therapeutics (this ad) Translational Neuroscience AI-Enabled Biology and Medicine Physician-Scientists—All Health-Related Areas Application Prior to the start of employment, qualified applicants must have a doctoral degree or equivalent. To be considered, those interested must apply through The University of Chicago‚ Academic Recruitment job board, which uses Interfolio to accept applications: https://apply.interfolio.com/190752 .

Applicants must upload : a cover letter CV including bibliography research statement teaching statement names and contact information for three references Review of complete applications will start on September 30, 2026, and end when the positions are filled. For instructions on the Interfolio application process, please visit http://tiny.cc/InterfolioHelp .