Professor Biomedical Sciences Student Research - College of Dentistry

Job Description

The Department of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Tennessee Health Sciences College of Dentistry seeks a full-time research-focused faculty member with a strong commitment to advancing the department’s research mission while providing structured guidance and facilitation of student research. This role combines an active, independent or collaborative research program with dedicated responsibility for developing, coordinating, and mentoring student scholarly activity across the dental education continuum and includes meaningful teaching contributions aligned with departmental needs.

This position is tenure or non‑tenure track at the rank of Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, or Professor. The successful candidate will contribute to a vibrant research environment by producing high-quality scholarships pursuing extramural funding, and fostering a culture of inquiry among students. The position emphasizes mentorship, research skill development, and the creation of supportive infrastructure that helps students engage in meaningful research experiences and disseminate their work.

Academic rank is based on academic credentials.

• Provide mentor predoctoral and/or graduate students in developing feasible research questions, study designs, and project timelines.
• Provide hands‑on guidance in research methods relevant to biomedical and oral health sciences (e.g., experimental design, data management, literature review, and interpretation).
• Support students in the responsible conduct of research, including research ethics and compliance expectations.
• Coordinate student research experiences in collaboration with departmental and college leadership, including helping match students with research mentors and projects.
• Develop and deliver workshops or structured programming on research fundamentals (e.g., hypothesis generation, IRB/IACUC processes, basic statistics concepts, scientific writing, poster presentation).
• Coach students through scholarly dissemination (abstracts, posters, presentations, manuscripts) and support participation in local/national meetings.
• Teach in the predoctoral and/or graduate curriculum within the biomedical sciences and/or dental curriculum, as assigned by the department and college.
• Contribute to instruction that strengthens students’ research literacy and critical thinking (e.g., evidence‑based practice, scientific reasoning, research methodology, literature appraisal).
• Maintain an active research program aligned with departmental strengths in biomedical sciences and oral health‑related discovery.
• Pursue extramural funding as appropriate to faculty rank and track; contribute to team science and interdisciplinary collaborations.
• Participate in departmental, college, and university service activities, including committees related to research training, student scholarship, curriculum, and program evaluation.

Education: Doctoral Degree (DDS/DMD, PhD., or equivalent terminal degree) in Dentistry, Biomedical Sciences, or a related discipline.

Experience: Strong organizational and project management skills with the ability to manage multiple trainee projects and timelines simultaneously.

• Experience developing student research programming, structured mentorship models, or research training curricula.
• Familiarity with research compliance processes (e.g., IRB/IACUC) and best practices in research rigor and reproducibility.
• Teaching experience using active‑learning approaches and outcomes‑based assessment.