UBC Chair in MS and Autoimmune Neurology Research

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At UBC, we believe that attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce is key to the successful pursuit of excellence in research, innovation, and learning for all faculty, staff and students. Our commitment to employment equity helps achieve inclusion and fairness, brings rich diversity to UBC as a workplace, and creates the necessary conditions for a rewarding career.

The Faculty of Medicine at The University of British Columbia (UBC), in partnership with the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health (DMCBH), invites applications for a full-time faculty position at the rank of Professor, with tenure. The successful candidate will hold the UBC Chair in MS and Autoimmune Neurology Research, subject to university approvals. An appropriate academic Department or School in the UBC Faculty of Medicine will be identified aligned with the successful candidate’s area of expertise at the time of appointment. The successful candidate in this position will also have membership as a Core Member with the DMCBH, a UBC Senate-approved centre supported by the UBC Faculty of Medicine.

The DMCBH brings together experts in the fields of neuroscience, neurology, psychiatry, and rehabilitation in a hub for training, research, and clinical care. The philosophy of the centre is to work with all facets of brain health as knowledge gained from treating and investigating one disease of the brain will advance our understanding of others. The centre brings research closer to patients, providing British Columbians with better access to the best possible treatments. For more information about the DMCBH, please visit: https://www.centreforbrainhealth.ca/.

Reporting to the Head or Director of the UBC Department or School, the successful candidate will lead an internationally-recognized research program focused on advancing cell-based therapies for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) and autoimmune diseases, specifically research in neuroimmunology, biomarker discovery, translational immunology, and clinical translation of novel cell-based therapies. The successful candidate will be expected to participate in the teaching activities of the Department or School and the DMCBH, as well as provide mentorship and training to undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate learners. The incumbent will also be expected to provide service to the Department or School, the DMCBH, the University and the broader academic and professional community. They will work collaboratively in diverse groups to bring forward strategic initiatives for the Department or School, the DMCBH and the Faculty. The successful candidate will contribute to fostering an environment that promotes inclusivity and embodies values of respect, integrity, compassion, collaboration, and equity.

The successful candidate will hold an MD and/or PhD or equivalent. At the rank of Professor, the successful candidate will have demonstrated appropriate standards of excellence in teaching, have received wide recognition in their growing body of productive scholarly activity, and participated significantly in academic and professional affairs.

The successful candidate will have a strong track record of excellence in leading an innovative program of collaborative, team-based research with required expertise in neuroimmunology and immunology as well as experience leading early-phase clinical trials. Expertise and demonstrated impact in priority areas related to translational neuroimmunology, cell therapies in MS and autoimmune disease research, particularly in: i) identifying novel mechanisms, biomarkers for prognosis, diagnosis and monitoring of treatment response and designing relevant therapeutic strategies; and ii) development and application of next-generation cell-based or immune therapies, and evaluating the clinical efficacy and safety profiles of new treatments is preferred. Demonstrated history of attracting, retaining and developing excellent trainees, students and future researchers is strongly preferred. In addition, the successful candidate will demonstrate a willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one’s own, and a commitment to enhancing one’s own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion.

The expected salary for this position is $200,000 to $250,000 per annum, commensurate with qualifications and experience. The Faculty of Medicine is committed to offering equitable and competitive salaries, commensurate with the qualifications and experience of the candidate. At UBC, in addition to a generous benefit package and highly valued pension plan, faculty members also have access to a comprehensive range of leaves, services, resources and career development opportunities. For more information, please visit: https://hr.ubc.ca/working-ubc.

An application package should include:
• a letter of application with a detailed curriculum vitae that addresses (i) scholarly, professional and creative work, (ii) teaching (including summary of academic and/ or clinical teaching), (iii) administrative service and experience fostering collaboration across partners, and (iv) a brief statement of your current or previous contributions to advancing anti-racism, equity, diversity, decolonization, Indigenization and inclusion in an academic, professional, or community context;
• publications record;
• a five-year research program plan that includes, but not limited to, cell-based therapies (up to 4 pages);
• and names and contact information of four arm’s length references

Applications should be submitted online at https://ubc.wd10.myworkdayjobs.com/ubcfacultyjobs (JR# JR14047).

Should you have any queries around this position, please contact the BC MS Cell Therapies Translational Network at ms.researchnetwork@ubc.ca.

Review of applications will begin on December 1, 2025. The anticipated start date for this position is June 1, 2026 or upon a date to be mutually agreed.

We invite applications from qualified candidates who share our commitment to employment equity and inclusive excellence, and we welcome applications from candidates belonging to historically, persistently, or systemically marginalized groups: Indigenous (First Nation, Métis, Inuit) Peoples, racialized persons, persons with disabilities, women, 2SLGBTQIA+ people, and trans and non-binary people.

The University is committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive and equitable work environment for all members of its workforce. An inclusive work environment presumes an environment where differences are appreciated, recognized, and integrated into current structures, planning, and decision-making modes. Within this hiring process we are committed to creating an inclusive and equitable process for all candidates (including but not limited to people with disabilities). Confidential accommodations are available on request. Please contact Neha Manjari Akella via email at neha.akella@ubc.ca. If you have any questions regarding accommodations or accessibility during the recruitment and hiring process or for more information and support, please visit UBC’s Centre for Workplace Accessibility website at https://hr.ubc.ca/health-and-wellbeing/workplace-accessibility/centre-workplace-accessibility or contact the Centre at workplace.accessibility@ubc.ca.

With gratitude, we acknowledge that the University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine and its distributed programs, which include four university academic campuses, are located on traditional, ancestral and unceded territories of First Nations Peoples and communities around the province.

Our Vision: To Transform Health for Everyone.

Ranked among the world’s top medical schools with the fifth-largest MD enrollment in North America, the UBC Faculty of Medicine is a leader in both the science and the practice of medicine. Across British Columbia, more than 12,000 faculty and staff are training the next generation of doctors and health care professionals, making remarkable discoveries, and helping to create the pathways to better health for our communities at home and around the world.

The Faculty – comprised of approximately 2,200 administrative support, technical/research and management and professional staff, as well approximately 650 full-time academic and over 10,000 clinical faculty members – is composed of 19 academic basic science and/or clinical departments, three schools, and 24 research centres and institutes. Together with its University and Health Authority partners, the Faculty delivers innovative programs and conducts research in the areas of health and life sciences. Faculty, staff and trainees are located at university campuses, clinical academic campuses in hospital settings and other regionally based centres across the province.

UBC – One of the World’s Leading Universities. As one of the world’s leading universities, the University of British Columbia creates an exceptional learning environment that fosters global citizenship, advances a civil and sustainable society, and supports outstanding research to serve the people of British Columbia, Canada and the world.

UBC hires on the basis of merit and is committed to employment equity. All qualified persons are encouraged to apply. Equity and diversity are essential to academic excellence. An open and diverse community fosters the inclusion of voices that have been underrepresented or discouraged. We encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized on any grounds enumerated under the B.C. Human Rights Code, including sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, racialization, disability, political belief, religion, marital or family status, age, and/or status as a First Nation, Metis, Inuit, or Indigenous person. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents of Canada will be given priority.

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