Forensic and Biomedical Sciences at the University of Oklahoma

The University of Oklahoma (OU), Norman is excited to announce the first phase of a planned six-faculty cluster hire in the areas of Microbiome and Anthropological Sciences. In this first phase, we seek to fill two newly-created, full-time academic, tenured or tenure-track open rank professorships, in forensic and biomedical sciences, beginning Fall 2016. The primary appointment would be within the Department of Anthropology, with potential joint appointments in other departments and/or centers. Specific interests include molecular methods and/or skeletal biology. Successful applicants will have a PhD, strong research program, and demonstrated commitment to teaching excellence. The review of applications will begin December 15th and continue until the positions are filled.

The goal of the cluster hire initiative is to build a collaborative team of scientists that lead in their respective fields, but who also create synergies through large, team science approaches that are typical of current microbiome research. OU already has a strong presence in microbiome research. For example, OU’s Institute for Environmental Genomics (IEG: http://ieg.ou.edu) is an award winning research group focusing on the soil microbiome with over 30 publications annually. OU’s Laboratories of Molecular Anthropology and Microbiome Research (LMAMR) are home to leaders in the study of the ancestral state of the human microbiome. This research has included partnerships with extant traditional peoples and investigating archaeological remains. LMAMR also houses the largest ancient DNA facility in the U.S. (http://lmamr.org). Moreover, IEG and LMAMR have aligned to build a joint core for genomics, bioinformatics and computational research, providing exceptional infrastructure for multi-omic studies of the microbiome. Two new informatics staff positions are now being filled and a new consolidates sequencing lab is being developed, for which a lab manager position also is being advertised. This broad, multidisciplinary research and education consortium is well situated on OU’s award winning Research Campus (http://urc.ou.edu/video/).

OU is a Carnegie Very High Research institution that comprises three campuses. The University was established in 1890 and enrolls over 30,000 students and more than 2600 full time faculty. It ranks first among all universities in the number of National Merit Scholars enrolled and has developed an award-winning Research Campus, contiguous to the Main Campus, that houses more than a dozen private companies, several Federal agencies, and numerous research programs in a unique synergistic ecosystem. More than a million square feet of new, fully-occupied space now exists on the Research Campus, with the latest additions including a Radar Innovations Laboratory, Life Sciences Complex, and an Innovation Hub that will open in about a year. Norman, with a population of 110,000 has a vibrant arts community with outstanding public schools and a variety of recreational resources. It was ranked #6 among the best places to live by CNN/Money Magazine on America’s best small cities.

Interested individual should email a 1) cover letter describing research and teaching interests, 2) complete CV, and 3) names and email addresses of three references to:

Dr. Cecil M. Lewis, Jr.
Search Committee Chair
Email: cmlewis@ou.edu
Subject line: ATTN – Faculty Search.

The University of Oklahoma is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer and encourages diversity in the workplace. Protected veterans and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply. See http://www.ou.edu/eoo for more information.