Director, Emory Immunology/Vaccine Institute

Director, Emory Immunology/Vaccine Institute

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Description

• Reporting to the EVP for Health Affairs for Emory University and Chief Scientific Officer for the Woodruff Health Sciences Center, the Director of the Emory Immunology & Vaccine Institute (EIVI) serves as a key scientific leader within Emory University and the international biomedical research community. This tenured senior faculty appointment carries administrative, strategic, and scientific oversight of the center's research programs, core facilities, clinical trial infrastructure (e.g., the Hope Clinic), and collaborative scientific initiatives across partner institutions.

Key Responsibilities

• Scientific & Strategic Leadership: Defines and executes a long-term strategic vision for EIVI to maintain its standing as a world-leading institute for immunology, vaccinology, and translational medicine.

• Leads and expands a robust team science environment, fostering interdisciplinary research programs that bring together basic scientists, translational investigators, clinicians, data scientists, and external collaborators to address complex challenges in immunology, vaccines, infectious diseases, and autoimmunity.

• Provides high-level oversight of major research domains, including T and B cell immunity, innate immunity and adjuvants, viral immune-pathogenesis, monoclonal antibody discovery, autoimmunity, vaccine discovery and development, and immunotherapy platforms.

• Fosters collaborative partnerships with departments, centers, and institutes at Emory to enhance the already existing science.

• Seeks out opportunities to collaborate with external peer centers, biomedical research institutes, national research networks, and industry partners. Directs the administrative and scientific operation of key shared resources, including Immunology, Flow Cytometry, Virology, and Non-Human Primate Cores.

• Clinical & Translational Research: Oversees the translation of basic scientific discoveries into human clinical trials and preventative/therapeutic vaccines.

• Provides strategic leadership to the clinical research arms of the EIVI (such as the Hope Clinic), ensuring compliance, protocol integrity, and robust recruitment for phase I-III clinical trials.

• Faculty Mentorship & Academic Excellence: Leads recruitment efforts to attract top-tier principal investigators, research faculty, and post-doctoral scholars to Emory University.

• Mentors junior and mid-career faculty, fostering an environment of innovation, interdisciplinary collaboration, and high-impact grant acquisition.

• Collaborates with other units to participate in and support medical education, doctoral and postdoctoral training programs. Administrative, Financial & External Relations: Oversees the EIVI operating budget, ensuring sustainable financial operations through NIH grants, foundation awards, industry sponsorships, and philanthropic gifts.

• Partners with Emory Advancement to cultivate relationships with philanthropic donors, government entities, and international public health organizations (e.g., NIH, CEPI, Gates Foundation).

• Partners with key Emory leaders and centers such as Office of Technology Transfer, Emory Innovation, and the Center for New Medicines to foster faculty-initiated entrepreneurial activities and partnerships with industry aimed at advancing candidate products into clinical trials and commercialization.

• Represents Emory University and the EVCIVI at international scientific symposia, media engagements, regulatory briefings, and policy forums.

• Performs related responsibilities as required.

• Minimum Qualifications

• Ph.D., M.D., or M.D./Ph.D. with a background in Immunology, Virology, Microbiology, Infectious Diseases, or a closely related biomedical field.

• Eligible for appointment as a full Professor with tenure at the Emory University School of Medicine.

• An established record of impactful peer-reviewed scholarship and sustained success in securing NIH/RO1, foundation, or equivalent competitive research funding.

• Demonstrated success in leading a major academic unit, institute, department, or large-scale multi-investigator research center.

• Preferred qualifications include experience advancing laboratory discoveries into clinical studies, therapeutic platforms, vaccines, diagnostics, or other innovations that improve human health and/or experience negotiating cross-institutional consortia and working effectively across diverse academic, clinical, and corporate environments.

• Note: This role will be granted the opportunity to work from home regularly but must be able to commute to Emory University on a flexible weekly schedule based upon business needs. Schedule is based on agreed upon guidelines of department. This role requires residency in the state of GA. Emory reserves the right to change remote work status with notice to employee.

• Additional Details

• Emory is an equal opportunity employer, and qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by state or federal law. Emory University does not discriminate in admissions, educational programs, or employment, including recruitment, hiring, promotions, transfers, discipline, terminations, wage and salary administration, benefits, and training. Students, faculty, and staff are assured of participation in university programs and in the use of facilities without such discrimination. Emory University complies with Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Vietnam Era Veteran's Readjustment Assistance Act, and applicable executive orders, federal and state regulations regarding nondiscrimination, equal opportunity, and affirmative action (for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities). Inquiries regarding this policy should be directed to the Emory University Department of Equity and Civil Rights Compliance, 201 Dowman Drive, Administration Building, Atlanta, GA 30322. We kindly ask that requests be made at least seven business days in advance to allow adequate time for coordination.