Open Rank Research Professor for the Institute ...

About The University of Texas at El Paso:

The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is a Carnegie R1, opportunity, and community engaged university at the heart of the U.S.-Mexico border region that is increasing access to excellent higher education. We advance discovery of public value and positively impact the health, culture, education and economy of the community we serve. UTEP enrolls more than 25,000 students, 85% of whom are Hispanic and half of whom are the first in their families to attend college. UTEP offers 171 bachelor's, master's and doctoral degree programs at the only open-access, top-tier research university in America.

Located at the westernmost tip of Texas, El Paso is set against the backdrop of the Franklin Mountains and the Chihuahuan Desert in one of the largest binational communities in the world. A family-oriented community that is one of the safest large cities in the U.S., the cost of living in El Paso is very reasonable with an average home value of $224,000 in 2025, and Texas has no income tax. The region's rich culture includes a vibrant street art and mural scene, art galleries, a new children's museum and science center, the state's longest-running symphony orchestra and a full schedule of seasonal events and festivals. Sports fans will enjoy Division I college athletics, Triple-A baseball affiliate the El Paso Chihuahuas and professional soccer team El Paso Locomotive FC, and outdoor enthusiasts will be drawn to year-round hiking, mountain biking and rock climbing in nearby state and national parks.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DEPARTMENT

The UTEP Institute for Health and Lifespan Research (IHLR)'s vision is "Healthier aging and lifespan for all by advancing integrative team science, training, and service." The IHLR's mission is to help current and future generations thrive across the lifespan through research, education, outreach, and service delivery locally, nationally and globally. The IHLR is a university-wide hub for advancing interdisciplinary team science in health and lifespan research. Its two central cores - One Health and Precision Health - provide a holistic framework to address health disparities across human, animal, plant, and environmental domains. Faculty hires of IHLR will collaborate across colleges and disciplines to pursue high-impact research, secure external funding, and translate discoveries into practice.

The IHLR will be the home department of the three IHLR research faculty hired.

Job Description:

The University of Texas at El Paso invites applications for three strategic research faculty positions to anchor the newly established Institute for Health and Lifespan Research (IHLR). These positions include:

• Research Full Professor
• Research Associate Professor
• Research Assistant Professor

The IHLR faculty are expected to advance interdisciplinary team science within the Institute's One Health and Precision Health cores, contributing to research that promotes healthier aging and improved lifespan across human, animal, plant, and environmental domains. Candidates with expertise relevant to lifespan health, regional health disparities, and integrative biological-behavioral-environmental approaches, including areas such as brain and behavioral health, metabolic and cardiovascular health, cancer, infectious diseases, and environmental determinants of health, are especially encouraged to apply.

Successful candidates will pursue high-impact, collaborative research that secures external funding and translates discoveries into practice through implementation science, health services research, behavioral intervention science, and/or  translational research focused on health disparities, 

The IHLR faculty are expected to accelerate research in health and lifespan research through team & convergence science expertise/interest while actively engaging in interdisciplinary and translational research teams. Preference will be given to candidates with expertise and prior research success evidence by grants (federal, state, private) and scholarly products in IHLR priority areas of health and lifespan research, particularly in the areas of brain and behavioral health, healthy aging, and regional health disparities of focus (diabetes, cardiovascular health, cancer).

IHLR faculty will contribute to UTEP's interdisciplinary mission through research, teaching, and service. Candidates are expected to foster community, industry and government partnerships to advance IHLR goals. Successful candidates will engage in high-impact, collaborative research addressing pressing health challenges within and/or across human, animal, plant, and environmental domains. Areas of expertise may include public health, microbiology, immunology, pharmacy, biomedical engineering, epigenetics, genomics, systems level approaches. implementation science, anthropology, infectious diseases, and related disciplines/fields.

Requirements:

Research Full Professor

• Earned doctorate (PHD, ScD, MD, DrPH, DMD etc. or equivalent) in a in a health-related discipline, biomedical sciences, engineering, social sciences, or other relevant field.
• Existing research program with sustained external funding as PI in research areas relevant to IHLR goals and cores.
• Strong record of publications in high-impact journals.
• Experience leading interdisciplinary projects or multi-institutional collaborations.
• Demonstrated ability to mentor graduate students and junior researchers.
• Evidence of leadership in professional organizations or research networks.

Research Associate Professor

• Earned doctorate (PHD, ScD, MD, DrPH, DMD etc. or equivalent) in a health-related discipline, biomedical sciences, engineering, social sciences, or other relevant field.
• Demonstrated research productivity with publications in peer-reviewed journals.
• Evidence of external funding or strong potential for securing competitive grants as PI or co-PI in research areas relevant to IHLR goals and cores.
• Experience contributing to interdisciplinary research teams.
• Ability to supervise graduate students and collaborate across disciplines.

Research Assistant Professor

• Earned doctorate (PHD, ScD, MD, DrPH, DMD etc. or equivalent) in a health-related discipline, biomedical sciences, engineering, social sciences, or other relevant field.
• Emerging research agenda with publications in peer-reviewed journals.
• Clear potential for securing external funding and contributing to team science.
• Interest in interdisciplinary research and team science aligned with IHLR's mission.
• Commitment to mentoring students and engaging in collaborative scholarship.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience with large-scale federally funded projects or multi-million-dollar grants.
• Expertise in One Health, Precision Health, or lifespan research frameworks.
• Ability to integrate AI, data science, or advanced analytics into health research.
• Experience in community-engaged research or working with underserved/rural populations.
• Bilingual ability (English/Spanish) for research in the U.S.-Mexico border region.
• Record of collaboration with national labs, industry, and/or government agencies.
• Global health research experience

Additional Information:

In keeping with its access, excellence, and impact mission, The University of Texas at El Paso is committed to an open, diverse, and inclusive learning and working environment that honors the talents, respects the differences, and nurtures the growth and development of all. We seek to attract faculty and staff who share our commitment.
The University of Texas at El Paso is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or sexual orientation and gender in employment or the provision of services in accordance with state and federal law. Discrimination on the basis of sex includes an employee's or prospective employee's right to be free from sexual harassment under Title IX of the Higher Education Amendments of 1972. Inquiries-including the filing of a Formal Complaint or reporting an incident-about the application of Title IX may be referred to the Title IX Coordinator, who can be reached by phone at (915) 747-8358, by email at titleix@utep.edu , or by mail at 500 W. University Ave., El Paso, TX, Kelly Hall, Room 312.

For accommodation information for employees and applicants with disabilities, please contact UTEP's Equal Opportunity Office at eoaa@utep.edu .

To the extent that this position involves research, work, or access to critical infrastructure as referenced in Executive Order GA-48, being hired for and continuing to be employed in this position requires the ability to maintain the security or integrity of the infrastructure.

Application Instructions:

Review of applications will begin immediately and applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Please clearly indicate in your letter of interest which rank and position you want to be considered for.

Required documents that candidates must submit: (1) a cover letter, 2) curriculum vitae, 3) Research philosophy and 3-year strategic plan for research at the IHLR with specific, time-bound expected outcomes and, 4) contact information for at least three professional references.

Questions should be directed to the Search Committee Chair - Dr. Thenral Mangadu, Director, IHLR; Associate Vice President for Health and Interdisciplinary Research (tdmangadu@utep.edu )