CCHS - Assistant Professor​/Associate Professor in AI-Driven Drug Discovery Development - Tenure​/Tenure Track

208301 - Translational Science and Medicine

Assistant/Associate Professor

The University of Alabama's newly established Department of Translational Science and Medicine is seeking a dynamic and innovative faculty member with a passion for revolutionizing medicine. This is a unique opportunity to build a research program at the exciting intersection of Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and quantum computing with a focus on drug discovery and development. Appointments to the faculty of The University of Alabama are based on the personnel requirements of the University’s academic programs and on the goal of achieving and maintaining excellence in its teaching, research, and service/academic citizenship activities.

The Department of Translational Science and Medicine is looking for a creative and ambitious scientist to contribute to the department's growth by leveraging cutting‑edge computational methods. The ideal candidate will establish a vigorous research program that applies artificial intelligence, machine Learning and quantum computing to challenges in pharmacology, biomaterials, immuno-inflammatory diseases, and neurosciences.
To support this research, the faculty member will have access to the University of Alabama’s state‑of‑the‑art High-Performance Computing (HPC) cluster. This resource provides the computational power necessary for large-scale data analysis, complex simulations, and the development of next‑generation artificial intelligence and machine learning models.

• Developing and teaching courses at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.
• Mentoring students and junior researchers.
• Securing extramural funding to support research.
• Publishing high-impact research.
• Collaborating with interdisciplinary teams across the university and with external partners.

The ideal candidate will have a strong background in both fundamental and applied research, with expertise in one or more of the following key areas:

• Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning for Drug Discovery:
  Designing and applying machine learning models to identify new drug targets, predicting drug efficacy and toxicity, and optimizing small molecules and biopharmaceutical design.
• Quantum Computing in Pharmacology:
  Using quantum mechanics and quantum computing to model complex molecular interactions and simulate biological systems with unprecedented accuracy.
• Computational Pharmacology:
  Expertise in Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, Excretion, Toxicity (ADME-Tox) and Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetics (PBPK) modeling enhanced by AI/ML approaches.
• Translational Science:
  Bridging computational predictions with preclinical or clinical data in areas such as immuno-inflammatory diseases, and/or neurosciences.

A doctoral degree (Ph.D., M.D., or M.D./Ph.D.) in a relevant field such as computer science, computational chemistry, pharmaceutical sciences, biomedical engineering, or related disciplines.

The College of Community Health Sciences (CCHS) was founded in 1972 by William Willard, MD, author of the “Willard Report” and considered the “Father of Family Medicine,” with a mandate to train family physicians for Alabama, particularly its rural areas. The College also provides medical student education as the Tuscaloosa Regional…