Immunology Department Chair

Chair of Immunology, Tufts University School of Medicine

Tufts University School of Medicine invites applications for the position of Professor and Chair, Department of Immunology. The Chair is an accomplished scientist and investigator who leads a group of outstanding basic science research faculty and investigators and is responsible for developing and executing a cutting‑edge research agenda. The ideal candidate should have a Ph.D. and/or M.D., be an internationally recognized scientist with an outstanding research program and a track record of institutional service and leadership at all levels.

The Immunology Department, with a core faculty of 12 researchers, has an outstanding history in research and training, with expertise in immunity, inflammation, and tissue damage and repair. The Graduate Training Program in Immunology, based within the department, encompasses an additional 18 investigators with diverse interests, with particular strength in infection biology. Moreover, two initiatives that encompass institutions beyond the School of Medicine exemplify the deep institutional commitment to immunological research and the Immunology Department.

Tufts University has launched the Infection and Immunity cluster‑hiring program encompassing the Schools of Medicine, Arts & Sciences, Dental Medicine, Engineering, the Fletcher School, the Friedman School of Nutrition and Policy, and the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, to support cutting‑edge science and solutions to urgent health challenges. Immunity is also a focus area of the Tufts Medicine‑Tufts University Research Enterprise, whose goal is to build a globally recognized best‑in‑class research entity via transformative growth in strategic areas of translational research.

Together, these two initiatives represent investments that will create a dynamic, collaborative environment to advance research, education, and innovation in immunology.

This position provides an exciting opportunity to develop and focus the department. The Chair will be able to recruit new faculty into a modern research space, which includes outstanding core facilities. The successful candidate is expected to embrace the department’s wide‑ranging interests and to leverage new faculty recruitments to strengthen and focus these areas.

The Chair of Immunology reports to the Dean of the School of Medicine and works closely with the other department chairs to ensure that research and teaching in the master’s degree, PhD, and professional programs on the Boston campus continue to be of exceptional quality, innovative, and fully aligned with the curriculum committees overseeing each program (Master’s, PhD, MD). The Department of Immunology chair facilitates this goal by working collaboratively with the Directors of the PhD programs, MD program, the Dean of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, and the Vice Dean for Academic Affairs.

The chair is responsible for creating a research/learning/teaching/working environment that is broadly inclusive and fully supports the School of Medicine’s mission and vision to inspire discovery and revolutionize health education.

In addition to the chair’s focus on conducting world‑class research as a faculty member, the chair oversees the faculty and the department’s day‑to‑day activities. Specific responsibilities include:

• Faculty recruitment: hiring outstanding faculty and staff members to replace those who retire, leave Tufts for other opportunities, or address needs arising from expanding programs, assess current and future needs, oversee a transparent process to identify and recruit the best possible faculty member for each position, honor the University’s commitment to inclusivity, and make every effort to attract candidates from diverse backgrounds.
• Research: working closely with department members and school administration to utilize human and financial capital to build an environment in which investigators thrive. The chair guides the department’s long‑term research vision by building on existing strengths in basic molecular and cellular immunology, the immunology of chronic…