Ignite Scholar, Research Assistant Professor

Position Type: Faculty; Department: Biomedical Sciences; Full Time; Pay Grade: 2

About the role

The Ignite Scholar Program at Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED) offers a fast‑track path to a tenure‑track faculty position for recent postdoctoral fellows or PhD graduates. The program features two tracks—Research and Graduate Education in Biomedical Science & Innovation—providing mentorship, resources, and support to develop an independent research or educational career. Scholars spend 2‑3 years in the program; upon meeting productivity criteria and demonstrating teaching competence, they are automatically appointed to a tenure‑track assistant professor position. Fields of study include neuroscience and hearing research, cardiovascular or cancer biology, tissue regeneration and repair, motor control, health services research, or bioinformatics.

Responsibilities

• Scholarly Pursuits and Research: At least 90% of the Ignite Scholar's time in the research track will be protected for research.
• Conduct collaborative scholarly inquiry, write and publish quality papers, and participate in scholarly activities within the laboratory.
• Conduct innovative research within the mentor's lab, developing a new research initiative that melds the candidate's previous experience with the expertise of the research mentor.
• Collaborate with the mentor to formulate a personalized research development plan with clear milestones toward achieving research independence.
• Publish research findings in high‑impact journals and present at relevant conferences.
• Write and submit at least one extramural grant application.
• Mentorship and Career Development: Work closely with the assigned mentor to receive guidance on research strategies, grant applications, and career development.
• Participate in regular meetings with the mentor to review progress and adjust the research development plan as needed.
• Engage in professional development opportunities and networking to enhance research skills and career prospects.
• Teaching: The candidate may participate in graduate or medical student education and lab personnel training. Previous teaching experience is not required. For the Research Track: Perform approximately 5 hours of teaching per year, which may include guest lectures or seminar presentations. Upon successful transition to tenure‑track assistant professor, teaching duties will be those of any full‑time tenure‑track faculty.
• Service: No service requirement during participation in the Ignite Scholars program. Service requirements upon transition to tenure‑track assistant professor will be consistent with those for others of similar rank at NEOMED.
• Administrative and Collaborative Duties: Collaborate in preparation of grant proposals and research reports. Collaborate with other researchers, both within the laboratory and across the institution, to foster interdisciplinary research opportunities. Contribute to the research environment by participating in lab meetings and contributing to collaborative projects.
• Miscellaneous Duties: Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Education: PhD or equivalent in [Relevant Field] biomedical sciences or a closely related discipline, with the degree requirements expected to be completed before appointment starts.
• Early postdoctoral experience preferred.
• Must be eligible to submit NIH or NSF proposals.
• Experience: Demonstrated research experience with a track record of first author publications in high impact peer‑reviewed journals.
• Evidence of strong analytical and problem‑solving skills.

Skills

• Proficiency in relevant techniques for the candidate's research area.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in