Associate Professor​/Professor; Assoc Chair of Research-Medicine

Associate Professor/Professor (Assoc Chair of Research-Medicine)

Hiring Department:
Medicine, University of Illinois College of Medicine Peoria (UICOMP)

Location:

Peoria, IL USA

Requisition

Posting Close Date: 9/4/2026

Salary: $250,000 to $350,000 per year

The Associate Professor/Professor (Medicine) will provide strategic leadership for the Department of Medicine's research enterprise to advance research, education, and scholarly activity within the Department of Medicine, one defined by exceptional training, innovation, scholarship, and discovery. In this role, the faculty member will provide strategic leadership and oversight of the department's research portfolio to catalyze new research initiatives, increase funded awards, and support high‑impact projects and publications.

This position will also assess existing research space and develop forward‑looking strategies and priorities for its effective allocation.

This position is intended to be eligible for benefits. This includes Health, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, a Retirement Plan, Paid time Off, and Tuition waivers for employees and dependents.

• Strategic Leadership and Planning
• Develop and execute a comprehensive departmental research strategy that aligns with institutional priorities and supports federally funded training mechanisms, including NIH T32, K-, and R-level programs.
• Provide leadership in positioning the Department of Medicine as a nationally competitive training environment for clinical, implementation science and health services research.
• Cultivate a Robust Research Culture:
  Promote a strong, supportive research environment by intentionally fostering a growth mindset. Celebrate research achievements at all levels to reinforce engagement, motivation, and continuous improvement.
• Strengthen Interdisciplinary
  
  Collaboration:
  
  Proactively build and support collaborative research efforts both within the department and across the institution to advance innovative, high impact scholarly work.
• Advise departmental and institutional leadership on strategies to strengthen research training infrastructure, mentor capacity, and trainee outcomes.
• Faculty Mentoring and Development
• Serve as a senior mentor and training leader for postdoctoral physician-scientists and PhD researchers participating in NIH-funded training programs, including training grants and career awards.
• Lead the development, implementation, and continuous evaluation of structured mentoring frameworks consistent with federal funding expectations for institutional training grants.
• Ensure availability of team‑based mentorship, pairing clinical mentors with methodological experts in implementation science, health services research, biostatistics, and data science.
• Oversee mentor development activities, including mentor training, mentor evaluation, and accountability, to ensure high‑quality guidance for trainees.
• Collaborate with the Center for Health Research (C4HR), the Division of Research Services and other institutional partners to align research education curricula with implementation science competencies, including pragmatic trials, health systems research, dissemination, and equity‑focused implementation.
• Support junior faculty and trainees in career development planning, grant writing, and transition to independence, with particular emphasis on NIH K- and R-level funding.
• Fostering Research Productivity and Training Integration and Seed Funding Opportunities:
  Identify and secure funding sources to establish internal seed grants or bridge‑funding mechanisms that enable faculty to generate pilot data and strengthen future external grant applications.
• Integrate trainees into active, funded research programs, ensuring exposure to real‑world implementation studies embedded in healthcare systems and communities.
• Promote Collaborative Scholarship:
  Develop and support structures such as thematic working groups, research seminars, and informal networking events (e.g., departmental brown bag lunches) that foster collaboration within the department. Strengthen cross‑unit partnerships by encouraging engagement with the Center for Health Research at…