Chair of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology and Director of the Institute of Human

The Opportunity

The University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) seeks anaccomplished, visionary, and collaborative scientist-leader toserve concurrently as Chair of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology and Director of the Institute of Human Virology (IHV) . For the first time, UMSOM will bring these twoleadership roles together, creating an exceptional opportunity toadvance an integrated scientific vision across microbiology,immunology, virology, and related areas of human disease.

The successful candidate will lead two highly regarded academic and research enterprises with complementary strengths and significantpotential for continued growth. This individual will establish an ambitious scientific agenda, strengthen foundational andtranslational research, recruit and develop outstanding faculty,and create new opportunities for interdisciplinary discovery acrossthe Department, IHV, and the broader UMSOM community.

As Chair, the individual will provide strategic, academic,scientific, and administrative leadership for the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. The Chair will build upon the Department's existing strengths, advance excellence in research and education, support the success and development of faculty and trainees, foster productive effective integration with IHV, and productive connections with other departments, centers, and institutes across UMSOM.

As Director of IHV, the individual will provide strategic leadership for IHV's broader mission—which encompasses basic,translational, and clinical research, epidemiology, public health,education, and global health. Working in close partnership with theaccomplished leaders of for these complementary programs, the Director will advance IHV's mission to improve human health throughscientific discovery, innovation and global collaboration. Acentral priority of this role will be to strengthen and expandIHV's laboratory research enterprise.

The Director will assessexisting capabilities, establish clear scientific priorities,recruit and support exceptional investigators, and cultivate the infrastructure and collaborative environment necessary for sustained research excellence.

This is a leadership opportunity of exceptional breadth and scientific potential. The Chair and Director will have the platform to shape an integrated research strategy, develop areas ofdistinction, and position UMSOM for continued national and international leadership in microbiology, immunology, virology,infectious diseases, and related disciplines. The role calls for adistinguished scientist who combines intellectual vision and academic credibility with the executive and administrativecapabilities required to lead two substantial and multifacetedorganizations.

The Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) is a nationally recognized academic department dedicated to advancing knowledge ofinfectious diseases and immune regulation through rigorous research and comprehensive trainee development. The largest basic sciencedepartment in the UMSOM, the Department consists of 68 totalfaculty including 34 core faculty members. The Department has achieved sustained research excellence and a strong nationalreputation.

In 2025, its faculty generated approximately $19.2million in research expenditures, the majority from the National Institutes of Health. The Department is perennially ranked in thetop-10 of microbiology and immunology departments in the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research rankings, a widely recognizedmeasure of NIH funding among departments at U.S. schools of medicine.

The Institute of Human Virology (IHV) is the first center inthe United States - perhaps the world - to combine the disciplinesof basic science, epidemiology and clinical research in a concertedeffort to speed the discovery of diagnostics and therapeutics for awide variety of chronic and deadly viral and immune disorders. IHVhas more than 240 employees including more than 60 faculty whoseresearch efforts are focused around chronic human viral infectionand disease.

At present, a majority of the Institute's clinical and research effort is targeted at HIV infection, but also includes the Hepatitis C virus, herpes viruses and cancer research.

• q Terminal degree (PhD, MD, MD/PhD or equivalent) in a relevant discipline (e.g. virology, immunology, microbiology, molecularbiology, etc.)
• q Academic accomplishments and national or internationaldistinction commensurate with appointment as Professor at UMSOM;rank and tenure status will be determined by the successful candidate's qualifications.
• q A strong track record of federally funded research and a deep knowledge of the important directions in discovery and innovationin research. Experience with major collaborative or programmaticgrants is strongly preferred.
• q Substantial and progressively responsible leadership experience in a complex environment,…