Recruit

Assistant or Associate Adjunct Professor
Aging and Dementia Research

Department of Neurology, School of Medicine
University of California, Irvine

Position Description
The Department of Neurology at the University of California, Irvine invites applications for faculty positions in the non-Senate Adjunct Professor Series at the Assistant or Associate Professor level in aging, cognitive impairment, and Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD).

The successful candidate will join a growing multidisciplinary research program within the Department of Neurology and will work closely with Dr. Ali Ezzati, Dr. S. Ahmad Sajjadi and the research team within the Center for Design, Discovery, and Data Analytics in Neurological Disorders (3D Center). This collaborative environment brings together investigators across neurology, neuroscience, epidemiology, biostatistics, informatics, data science, and related disciplines. The candidate will contribute to the Center’s work in aging and dementia through innovative study design, research platforms and emerging technologies, multimodal data integration, and advanced analytic approaches.

Candidates should have research training and experience in aging, cognitive impairment, dementia, or ADRD. Depending on their background and interests, complementary expertise may include cognitive assessment, epidemiology and biostatistics, neuroinformatics, artificial intelligence and machine learning, digital health and remote assessment, wearable technologies, neuroimaging, blood-based or molecular biomarkers, electronic health records, longitudinal cohort studies, clinical trials, or other quantitative and translational approaches. Expertise across all of these methodological areas is not required.

The position offers opportunities to contribute to collaborative research in aging and dementia, develop new studies and extramural grant proposals, strengthen the Center’s research capabilities, and participate in teaching and mentorship. We encourage candidates whose scientific or methodological expertise complements and expands the Center’s research and educational activities in aging and ADRD.

Principal Responsibilities
The successful candidate will contribute to the research, teaching, mentorship, and service missions of the Department of Neurology and the 3D Center, with a primary research focus on aging, cognitive impairment, and ADRD. Responsibilities will be tailored to the candidate’s expertise, academic rank, and assigned effort and will include:
• Conduct independent and collaborative research in aging, cognitive impairment, and Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
• Contribute to innovative study design, including the development of research questions, protocols, measurement strategies, and analytic plans for clinical, epidemiological, and translational studies in aging and dementia.
• Contribute scientific or methodological expertise to research platforms, digital assessment tools, and data systems that support the collection and integration of clinical, cognitive, biomarker, neuroimaging, and other relevant data for aging and dementia research.
• Develop or apply rigorous, reproducible analytic approaches to advance discovery, characterize cognitive and clinical trajectories, and identify factors associated with cognitive decline and dementia.
• Work with investigators across disciplines to develop collaborative projects and strengthen the Center’s shared capabilities in study design, research technologies, and data analytics for aging and dementia studies.
• Develop pilot studies, peer-reviewed publications, scientific presentations, and collaborative extramural grant applications in aging and dementia.
• Teach and mentor students, residents, fellows, postdoctoral scholars, and other trainees through classroom or seminar instruction, research-methods workshops, and supervision of research projects.
• Participate in departmental, Center, University, professional, and public service activities appropriate to the Adjunct Professor series.

Candidates appointed at more senior ranks will be expected to demonstrate a corresponding record of scholarly accomplishment, research leadership, mentorship, and contributions to collaborative or extramurally funded research.

Qualifications
Basic Qualifications
Applicants must possess a PhD, MD, MD/PhD, or equivalent doctoral degree in a relevant discipline, which may include neuroscience, neurology, cognitive science, psychology, epidemiology, biostatistics, public health, biomedical informatics, data science, computer science, engineering, or a related field.

Candidates must demonstrate:
• Research training and experience in aging, cognitive impairment, dementia, or Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
• A record of scholarly productivity appropriate to the applicant’s career stage and proposed academic rank.
• Experience conducting collaborative biomedical, clinical, epidemiological, or translational research related to aging and dementia.
• Strong scientific communication and writing skills.
• Interest and experience in teaching, mentorship, or training of students and other researchers.

Preferred Qualifications
A track record of securing or contributing to competitive extramural research funding, including NIH or other grants, appropriate to career stage and academic rank, is desirable.
Experience in one or more of the following areas, applied to aging and dementia research, is desirable:
• Epidemiology, biostatistics, or longitudinal data analysis.
• Neuroinformatics, biomedical informatics, or large-scale clinical data analysis.
• Artificial intelligence, machine learning, predictive modeling, or advanced computational methods.
• Digital health, ecological momentary assessment, remote cognitive assessment, wearable devices, or sensor-based phenotyping.
• Cognitive assessment, neuropsychology, or cognitive aging.
• Blood-based biomarkers, proteomics, genomics, or other molecular markers of neurodegenerative disease.
• Neuroimaging or multimodal data integration.
• Electronic health record or real-world clinical data.
• Clinical trials, observational cohorts, or translational research in aging and dementia.

Applicants are not expected to have expertise in all of these areas. Candidates whose scientific or methodological expertise complements the program’s broader research in aging and ADRD are encouraged to apply.

Teaching and Mentorship
The successful candidate will participate actively in the educational missions of the Department of Neurology and the 3D Center. Teaching responsibilities will be commensurate with appointment percentage, academic rank, and expertise and may include classroom or seminar instruction in aging, dementia, and relevant research methods; journal clubs; supervision of research projects; and mentorship of undergraduate, graduate and medical students, residents, fellows, postdoctoral scholars, and other trainees.

Additional Information
Rank and step will be determined based on qualifications and experience. Positions are dependent upon the availability of extramural funding. Initial appointments are for one year, with renewal based on satisfactory performance, programmatic need, and continued availability of funding. Salary will be commensurate with qualifications, experience, rank, appointment percentage, and applicable University of California salary scales.

The successful candidate will hold a faculty appointment in the Department of Neurology and will conduct their primary research activities within the aging and dementia research program led by Dr. Ali Ezzati and associated 3D Center collaborations.

Application Requirements
Applicants should submit:
• Curriculum vitae.
• Cover letter describing relevant experience and interest in aging and dementia research.
• Statement of research.
• Teaching and mentoring statement.
• Contact information for three professional references.

(CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT APPLICATION - JPF10481)]

The University of California, Irvine is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected categories covered by the UC anti-discrimination policy.

As a condition of employment, the finalist will be required to disclose if they are subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct.

• “Misconduct” means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant’s previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment or discrimination, as defined by the employer.
• UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy
• UC Anti-Discrimination Policy for Employees, Students and Third Parties
• APM - 035: Affirmative Action and Nondiscrimination in Employment.
  

As a University employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, state, or local government directives may impose additional requirements.