Executive Director – Immunoengineering

Overview

 

Department
 

PME Immunoengineering Center

About the Department
 

The Chicago Immunoengineering Innovation Center (CIIC) brings together basic and translational researchers in engineering, immunology, and various clinical departments with a mission to support and enable innovative solutions in the way we diagnose and treat diseases. The CIIC is based within the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (PME) and includes numerous faculty members and their research groups, with approximately 100 postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and interns. The PME itself was established in 2011 by the University of Chicago in partnership with Argonne National Laboratory, is a transformational academic unit exploring the intersection of science and engineering. PME’s mission is to explore innovative technologies that address fundamental societal problems through advances in nanoscale manipulation and molecular design. PME is the largest new academic program that the University has started since 1988.

Job Summary
 

The executive director (ED) manages the activities, resources, and research infrastructure of the CIIC, and together with the Center co-Directors, helps develop new strategic initiatives, and raises funds through grant applications, industrial partnerships, and philanthropy. The Single Cell Immunophenotyping Core reports to this position. In addition, this role is expected to consider creating new facilities or expanding/maintaining capabilities through:

Managing the development of key shared resources to support CIIC investigators as well as external users, including establishing equipment and service needs, fee structure, technical and scientific directors, faculty advisory committees, websites, and user forms; and partnering with the existing University of Chicago Medicine and Biological Sciences Division clinical trial infrastructure (scientific review, IRB approval, regulatory management, etc.) to facilitate translation of laboratory findings into clinical application and practice.

 

Responsibilities

• Helps develop and execute the strategic plan for the CIIC, including but not limited to scientific priorities, research infrastructure (e.g., shared resources, clinical trials, grants management, etc.), funding (from philanthropic, federal, non-profit, and private sector sources), communications, and partnerships.
• Organizes and implements immunoengineering-oriented programming as components of larger PME-led initiatives, including alumni/industry days, recruitment days (for PhD, MS students), and fundraising events.
• Oversees the development and maintenance of research infrastructure to support CIIC research priorities, particularly shared user facilities and core facilities.
• Coordinates multi-investigator grants for equipment, center activities, and training grants.
• Maintains and expands partnerships with key internal and external stakeholders to promote the mission of the CIIC. Internal partners include but are not limited to the Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Duchossois Family Institute, the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Argonne National Laboratory, and the Marine Biological Laboratory, while external partners include private and public research funding organizations, other universities, etc.
• Helps develop and execute a plan for funding CIIC research initiatives from federal, non-profit, philanthropic and corporate (pharm and biotech) sources. Depending on the funding opportunity and partners involved, this may include substantial authorship of grant proposals or whitepapers/research updates, information gathering, and submission. Interfaces with Development, University Research Administration (Sponsored Research Awards), and Contracting teams as appropriate.
• Develops pathways for translational research with partners in the Polsky Center including technology commercialization and licenses, development of new start-up companies, and engagement with large companies and with venture investors. Serves as key facilitator between Polsky services and faculty to enable programmatic activity.
• Manages the implementation and administration of the Immunoengineering Postdoctoral Training (ImEPosT) T32 Program, including ensuring that the program runs on budget and that all postdoctoral fellows complete training objectives in a timely fashion.
• Develops and executes the communications plan for enhancing the visibility of the Center, to both external and internal audiences. Specific communications vehicles in place include social media (CIIC accounts on LinkedIn and Twitter), website (ciic.uchicago.edu), annual report, faculty electronic newsletters, progress reports, etc. Interface with PME’s and UChicago’s marketing and communications teams as appropriate to generate material appropriate for various target audiences.
• Leads hiring and personnel management for various administrative and scientific/research staff to support any of the above efforts and responsibilities.
• Manages research professionals and support staff involved with planning, monitoring, and compliance aspects of research projects. Advises other researchers on long-range plans for research projects.
• Reviews research of others, and may conduct own research, in area of expertise. Edits and approves articles, reports and manuscripts. Presents research findings at meetings and/or conference. Manages the research of processes in clinical or non-clinical settings. Program and use computers to store, process, and analyze data.
• Performs other related work as needed.