Assistant Professor, Pharmacology Posting Number req27499
Department Pharmacology
Department Website Link https://pharmacology.arizona.edu/
Medical Sub-Speciality Pharmacology
Location Tucson Campus
Address Tucson, AZ USA
Position Highlights The Department of Pharmacology invites applications for a tenure-eligible position at the rank of Assistant Professor. We seek a translational sensory neurobiologist investigating how peripheral sensory neurons initiate and sustain pain and itch, with a research program that works directly in human sensory neurons alongside preclinical models. This recruitment is intended to extend the department's established strength in pain and analgesic pharmacology by adding capacity for human tissue-based target identification and validation. The successful candidate will be expected to contribute to the Comprehensive Center for Addiction and Pain, as well as to the training of graduate students in the department's PhD program in Medical Pharmacology.
Visa sponsorship is available for this positions. Duties & Responsibilities - Seek extramural funding for research by developing and submitting research grant proposals to appropriate funding agencies; as Principal Investigator, partner with faculty to form research teams, develop research plans, write funding proposals, and implement and dissemination of results through peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations, and invited lectures.
- Develop independent research programs and contribute to graduate (PhD) and medical (MD) education.
- Engage in teaching activities for undergraduate and graduate students.
- Participate in appropriate departmental and/or College of Medicine committees, and professional organization committees as appropriate.
- Additional duties may be assigned.
Minimum Qualifications - PhD, MD, or MD/PhD in pharmacology, neuroscience, physiology, or a closely related discipline.
- Postdoctoral training in somatosensory neurobiology with a record of first-author publications in peer-reviewed journals.
- Demonstrated expertise in patch clamp electrophysiology of primary afferent neurons, including recordings from human dorsal root ganglion neurons.
- Demonstrated expertise in multiphoton calcium imaging of sensory neurons.
- An active individual peer-reviewed NIH career development award as principal investigator, held at the time of appointment.
- Demonstrated research program addressing sex differences in pain mechanisms, evidenced by first-author peer-reviewed publications.
Preferred Qualifications - For Early Career Assistant Professor Rank, current peer reviewed funding (K99, K22 or equivalent).
- Experience integrating pharmacological screening with multiphoton calcium imaging in an ex vivo skin-nerve preparation for comprehensive phenotyping of functionally identified sensory neuron populations.
- Research program spanning both pain and itch modalities.Expertise in neurohormonal signaling as a driver of nociceptor sensitization and pain amplification.
- Experience with voltage-gated sodium channel physiology and pharmacology across multiple pain states, including traumatic nerve injury and chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy.
- Funding aligned with the NIH HEAL Initiative or comparable federal priorities in non-opioid analgesic discovery.
- Experience with rodent models of post-surgical pain.
Rank Tenure Information Tenure-Eligible (TE)
FLSA Exempt
Full Time/Part Time Full Time
Number of Hours Worked per Week 40
Job FTE 1.0
Work Calendar Fiscal
Job Category Faculty
Benefits Eligible Yes - Full Benefits
Rate of Pay DOE
Compensation Type salary at 1.0 full-time equivalency (FTE)
Type of criminal background check required: Name-based criminal background check (non-security sensitive)
Number of Vacancies 1
Target Hire Date Expected End Date Contact Information for Candidates Dr. Todd Vanderah, vanderah@arizona.edu
Open Date 10/29/2026
Open Until Filled Yes
Documents Needed to Apply Curriculum Vitae (CV), Cover Letter, and Two Additional Documents
Special Instructions to Applicant Application: The online application should be completed in its entirety. Blank or missed information may be considered an incomplete submission.
Cover Letter: Please outline your qualifications, research focus, and appropriateness for the position.
Curriculum Vitae: Please provide details of your accomplishments including publication record, current and planned funding, teaching experience, and service.
Statement of Research Interests: Please summarize your prior research interests and future directions.
Statement of Teaching Interests: Please describe your teaching experience and teaching philosophy.
