UVA Opens Two Tenure-Eligible Cell Biology Faculty Searches
The University of Virginia School of Medicine is recruiting two tenure-eligible faculty members for the Department of Cell Biology, with appointments on the Academic Investigator track and a preference for early- and mid-career scientists. The opening is aimed at researchers who can build independent programs in mechanistic cell biology, developmental biology, or both, while contributing to graduate and medical school teaching.
The posting sets out an unusually broad scientific remit. Investigators already in the department are working across morphogenesis at subcellular, cellular, and tissue levels; cytoskeletal dynamics and crosstalk; membrane organelle homeostasis and trafficking; neuronal, cardiovascular, and epithelial development; stem cell biology; developmental signaling and genomics; and disease biology spanning neural and vascular developmental disorders, cancer, and ciliopathies. Candidates working in any of those areas are eligible, but the language leaves room for applicants whose science sits outside the department’s current strengths as long as it fits within cell and developmental biology.
A single sentence in the listing captures the scientific expectation clearly: the department is looking for faculty who can do more than inherit an established niche. It wants investigators prepared to build something durable.
The emphasis on mechanistic research matters because cell biology sits at the foundation of much of modern biomedicine. Understanding how cells divide, move, polarize, communicate, traffic membrane proteins, and assemble tissues can explain why organs fail in congenital disorders, why tumors invade, or why vascular and neural systems develop abnormally. Work in this area often depends on advanced imaging, genomics, and model systems that allow investigators to move from phenotype to mechanism, then into disease relevance.
UVA is also signaling that collaboration will be central to the hire. The department points to research connections across the School of Medicine and the broader university, including the UVA Comprehensive Cancer Center, Cardiovascular Research Center, UVA Brain Institute, Center for Membrane Physiology, Center for Brain Immunology and Glia, and the Manning Biotechnology Institute. For a faculty member, that network can shape the trajectory of a lab from the first grant submission onward, particularly when a project requires expertise in disease modeling, imaging platforms, or genomic analysis that extends beyond a single laboratory.
A strong teaching component is built into the role as well. Successful applicants will be expected to participate in graduate and medical school instruction, and the posting specifically notes access to an outstanding and diverse pool of graduate and MD/PhD students through the Biomedical Sciences program. Multiple NIH T32 training programs also support predoctoral and postdoctoral development, which can make a department more attractive to investigators who intend to build both a research pipeline and a mentoring program.
The credentials bar is explicit. Qualified candidates are expected to hold a Ph.D. or M.D./Ph.D., have completed several years of postdoctoral training, and show a track record of exceptional research accomplishments. Sustained extramural funding potential is described as a key consideration, which is standard for tenure-eligible appointments but still carries practical weight: the department is prioritizing applicants who can compete for long-term support and direct an independent research program over time.
The search committee is asking for a conventional but substantial application package: a one-page cover letter focused on research fit, a CV, a two-page research statement, contact information for three references, and a teaching-and-service statement of 500 words or less. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until December 31, 2026, and the posting gives a closing date of January 5, 2027. Successful candidates will also need to pass a criminal background check.
Charlottesville is part of the pitch, though not the science. UVA describes the city as one of the best places to live in the United States and one of America’s Top Green Cities, with access to the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Atlantic coast, Washington, DC, and Richmond. For many applicants, that may matter less than the scientific infrastructure, but faculty recruitment remains a competition for people as much as for projects, and the institution is plainly presenting both.
The department also states a commitment to fairness and inclusion, describing those values as integral to scientific and educational excellence. For a candidate weighing the move, the more concrete issue is whether the department’s mix of basic science, translational links, and trainee depth can support an ambitious lab from startup through sustained funding. This search suggests UVA believes the answer is yes, and it is inviting researchers to test that claim with their own programs.