Director, Comparative Medicine & Animal Research

National University of Singapore; Singapore; On-site; SGD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

National University of Singapore invites a Director (Comparative Medicine) to lead its animal facilities at Kent Ridge Campus and advance research across multiple programmes.

You will partner with Deans, investigators and Administration to align strategy with institutional priorities, ensuring NACLAR and AAALAC compliance while overseeing veterinary and welfare training programs.

Qualifications

• Must have leadership in animal facilities and strong regulatory oversight.
• Experience with AAALAC accreditation and NACLAR framework.
• Ability to engage diverse stakeholders and manage budgets.

Responsibilities

• Partner with Deans, Vice Dean (Research) and PIs to support research strategy.
• Ensure compliance with NACLAR, AVS and institutional policies; oversee IACUC; AAALAC accreditation.
• Champion 3Rs principles and oversee welfare programs for animals across facilities.
• Oversee vivarium, large animal and aquatic facilities; ensure biosafety compliance.
• Facilitate preclinical and translational research and ensure reproducibility.
• Work with Risk Management on risk and occupational health programs.
• Manage budget, procurement, and vendor relationships.
• Engage AVS, AAALAC, funding agencies and collaborators.
• Lead veterinarians, animal care and technical teams; provide training.

Skills

Leadership in animal facilities

Regulatory compliance

Stakeholder engagement

Budget management

Education

Degree in veterinary medicine

15+ years leadership experience

Job description

Job Title: Director (Comparative Medicine)

University-Level Unit: Comparative Medicine

Faculty/Department-Level Unit: Administration

Employee Category: Executive & Administrative

Posting Start Date: 22/07/2026

Location_ONB: Kent Ridge Campus

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
  
  

More Information

Location: Kent Ridge Campus

Organization: Comparative Medicine

Department : Administration

Employee Referral Eligible: No

Job requisition ID : 33347