Director (Comparative Medicine)

National University Of Singapore; Singapore; On-site; SGD 250,000 - 420,000; Full time

Job summary

National University of Singapore seeks a strategic and operational leader for its Comparative Medicine (CM) unit. This role directs compliance, accreditation, and animal welfare programs across NUS campuses, partnering with Deans and investigators to enable research, teaching and translational work.

You will steward AAALAC accreditation, NACLAR framework, biosafety and occupational health, while managing facilities, budgets, and stakeholder engagement to advance high-quality preclinical studies.

Qualifications

• Degree or equivalent in veterinary medicine, biomedical sciences or related field.
• At least 15 years' experience with leadership in animal facilities.
• Strong experience with AAALAC accreditation and NACLAR framework.
• Experience in academic/university settings preferred.
• Experience supporting translational and collaborative research.
• Familiarity with Singapore's research ecosystem and funding landscape.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and operational leadership for Comparative Medicine (CM).
• Ensure compliance with NACLAR Guidelines, AVS regulations and AAALAC accreditation.
• Oversee animal welfare, 3Rs implementation and training across facilities.
• Manage vivarium, large animal and aquatic facilities and biosafety compliance.
• Support preclinical and translational research and reproducibility in animal studies.
• Engage stakeholders, funders and collaborators regionally and internationally.
• Lead veterinarians, animal care, aquatic and technical teams.

Skills

Leadership

Regulatory experience

Biomedical research

Academic environment

Education

Veterinary medicine or related field

Job description

Job Description

This role provides strategic and operational leadership for Comparative Medicine (CM). CM supports multidisciplinary research, teaching and translational programs across NUS and affiliated research institutes. The role ensures compliance with Singapore's NACLAR Guidelines, the Animal and Birds Act and maintains AAALAC International accreditation standards.

• Academic & Institutional Partnership: partner with Deans, Vice Dean (Research) and Principal Investigators to support NUS research strategy, contribute to undergraduate, postgraduate and continuing education programmes
• Regulatory Compliance & Accreditation: ensure adherence to NACLAR guidelines, AVS regulations and institutional policies, provide oversight of the NUS Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), lead AAALAC accreditation and sit visits
• Animal Welfare & Ethical Oversight: champion 3Rs principles and a strong culture of care, oversee veterinary and welfare programmes for rodents, large animals and aquatic models (eg. zebrafish)
• Operations & Infrastructure Management: oversee vivarium, large animal, and aquatic facilities across NUS campuses, ensure compliance with biosafety (eg. BSL2/BSL3 where applicable), occupational health and environmental requirements
• Research and Translational Support: facilitate preclinical and translational research, including surgical models and advanced technologies, support reproducibility and rigor in animal studies
• Risk, Biosafety & Occupational Health: work with NUS Office of Risk Management and Compliance on risk management, oversee zoonotic disease prevention and staff occupational health programs
• Financial & Resource Management: manage budget, cost recovery models and resource allocation, oversee procurement and vendor management
• Stakeholder Engagement: engage AVS, AAALAC, funding agencies and academic collaborators, represent NUS in regional and international laboratory animal science forums
• People Leadership: lead veterinarians, animal care, aquatic and technical teams, ensure NACLAR-compliant training and competency frameworks

Qualifications

• Degree or equivalent in veterinary medicine, biomedical sciences or related field
• At least 15 years' experience, including leadership in animal facilities
• Strong experience with AAALAC accreditation and NACLAR regulatory framework
• Experience within academic or university environments preferred
• Experience supporting large-scale translational and collaborative research programmes
• Familiarity with Singapore research ecosystem and funding landscape

Location: Kent Ridge Campus