Assistant Professor, Experimental Pathology Division

About the Role

The Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Penn State College of Medicine invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor position in the Experimental Pathology Division. This recruitment is a critical component of the department’s strategic effort to revitalize and expand the division’s research strength, extramural funding activity, and collaborative scientific impact.

The successful candidate will establish and sustain an innovative, externally funded research program in genetics, functional genomics, computational phenomics, or a closely related field. The position also includes serving as Scientific Director of the Zebrafish Functional Genomics Core, an institutional shared resource supporting investigators across the College of Medicine through genome editing, imaging, and high-throughput phenotyping capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain an independent, externally funded research program in genetics, genomics, computational phenomics, or a related area.
• Serve as Scientific Director of the Zebrafish Functional Genomics Core, providing faculty leadership for genome editing, zebrafish husbandry, imaging, and high-throughput phenotyping services.
• Advance interdisciplinary and translational research collaborations with basic science departments, the Penn State Cancer Institute, and multidisciplinary research teams.
• Contribute to the growth and sustainability of shared research resources and institutional scientific platforms.
• Mentor graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, trainees, and junior investigators.
• Participate in teaching, academic service, and other activities that support the educational and research missions of the College of Medicine.

Requirements

• PhD, MD, MD/PhD, or equivalent doctoral degree in genetics, genomics, pathology, computational biology, developmental biology, or a related biomedical science field.
• Active R01-level funding, or equivalent extramural research support, with more than two years of remaining support preferred at the time of appointment.
• Evidence of scholarly productivity, including peer-reviewed publications in high-impact scientific journals and a strong record of research accomplishment.
• Experience with interdisciplinary collaboration and the ability to contribute to a highly collaborative academic research environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in zebrafish model systems, genome editing, imaging, high-throughput phenotyping, or computational phenomics.
• Experience directing or contributing to shared research cores, scientific platforms, or institutional research infrastructure.
• Demonstrated success in securing and sustaining extramural funding.
• Strong commitment to mentoring trainees and supporting academic research development.
• Ability to build partnerships across pathology, basic science, cancer biology, genomics, and translational research programs.

Institutional and Departmental Context

The Experimental Pathology Division is undergoing a strategic rebuilding effort following recent faculty retirements. Recruitment of a funded, research-active faculty member is essential to restoring research leadership, expanding grant submissions and renewals, increasing high-impact publications, and strengthening collaborative scientific output. This position will directly support the department’s long-term goal of rebuilding the division’s prominence and aligning its research strengths with institutional priorities across the College of Medicine and Penn State Cancer Institute.

Benefits

Penn State provides a competitive benefits package for full-time employees designed to support both personal and professional wellbeing. Benefits include:

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage.
• Robust retirement plans.
• A generous 75% tuition discount, available to employees as well as eligible spouses and children.