The Department of Immunology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, in partnership with the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center (HCC), is seeking to expand its scope and depth via the recruitment of a Director of our newly established Center for Immunotherapeutics and Protein Engineering (CIPE). We seek candidates for a tenured position at the Full Professor or Associate Professor level.
We have a highly collaborative and collegial Department (32 faculty) that nucleates a larger interactive community (nearly 100 faculty). We support an exceptional Graduate Training Program, host two training grants, a robust weekly seminar series, and multiple retreats and programming events that collectively enable robust interactions among basic, translational and clinical immunologists. The Department of Immunology is ranked 6th in the US and 9th in the world (Research.com), and 2nd in the US for NIH funding (Immunology ranked together with Microbiology and Virology; Blue Ridge). Our department also hosts The Center for Systems Immunology (CSI), which is focused on analysis and engineering of molecular and cellular networks that underlie immune processes in health and disease. The CIPE will be established in partnership with HCC, an NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center that was ranked as exceptional in the last review.
The Department relocated in 2022 to a new start-of-the art research facility housed in a building listed on the historical registry. We host several research cores that are broadly used within the SOM that provide flow cytometry services and generate model systems using CRISPR-Cas9-mediated gene-targeting. The University of Pittsburgh is located in the Oakland and Shadyside sections of Pittsburgh; a safe, progressive, and affordable city with emerging technology in many spheres, that is well-endowed with cultural and public institutions and consistently ranked among the most livable cities in the US. The University offers an exciting research community that presently ranks as the seventh highest funded by the National Institutes of Health in the United States. The Pitt School of Medicine is ideally positioned for both basic and translational research. Startup package, salary and benefits will be highly competitive.
The successful Associate/Full Professor candidate should be an international leader in immunotherapeutics and protein engineering, with a deep and broad understanding of immunology, and have a combined strong record of high impact publications and research funding (i.e. multiple current NIH R01 grants). The purpose of the CIPE is to (a) conduct cutting edge research in the development of novel immunotherapeutics and protein engineering strategies with a strong emphasis on translation, (b) utilize cutting-edge computational approaches to generate next generation immunotherapeutics, in close collaboration with CSI and other Pitt departments and faculty, (c) build a community around these themes by faculty recruitment and engagement with current faculty, and (d) manage the CIPE core, developing a system to evaluate proposals, and generate tool compounds for Pitt investigators.
This Faculty Position will serve as the Director of the CIPE within the Department of Immunology. The candidate will collaborate with other researchers within UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, and throughout the national and international research community. The candidate will conduct wet and/or dry lab basic and/or translational research. The Candidate will hire and train their research staff within CIPE. Minimum requirements if an Associate Professor is hired are a PhD and/or MD (or equivalent) in the field of Immunology, Immunotherapeutics, Protein Engineering or related field, and 5 years of Work Experience earned as an Assistant Professor. Minimum requirements if a Professor is hired are a PhD and/or MD (or equivalent) in the field of Immunology, Immunotherapeutics, Protein Engineering or related field, and 5 years of Work Experience earned as an Associate Professor, and must currently have Tenure. Our long-term goal is to continue to grow an already strong department that will enhance opportunities for major research advances through deep cross-disciplinary collaborations.
The successful applicant will be provided with a named, endowed chair and a generous start-up package for their lab, commensurate with their current rank and achievements, and resources to recruit two junior faculty and establish the CIPE core. Space will be provided within the Shadyside campus, in close proximity to the Department of Immunology within the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center.
Applications will be considered on a rolling basis. The preferred application receipt date is December 1, 2026. However, we will consider applications at any time and this position will remain open to applicants until filled.
To apply for this position, search for requisition #26001991 in Talent Center @ join.pitt.edu and complete a required on-line employment application. Click on “Find Positions” then “Faculty” and enter 26001991 into the keyword field, and click hour glass search button. Then select “Apply Now.” We require that you attach your CV, Cover Letter and Research Statement into your on-line application.
Any enquiries can be sent to Dario Vignali, PhD, Chair, Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Assembly Building, 5051 Center Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213. E-mail: immunologysearch@pitt.edu
The University of Pittsburgh is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer and values equality of opportunity, human dignity and diversity, EOE, including disability/vets.
