Assistant Professor, Pharmacology

Arizona; Tucson (AZ); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Life insurance

Disability programs

Paid vacation

Job summary

The Department of Pharmacology at the University of Arizona invites applications for a tenure‑eligible Assistant Professor focused on translational sensory neurobiology, linking peripheral sensory neurons to pain and itch in human tissue contexts. The role supports the department’s pain and analgesic pharmacology strengths and graduate education.

Visa sponsorship is available. The successful candidate will contribute to the Comprehensive Center for Addiction and Pain and mentor PhD students in

Qualifications

• PhD, MD, or MD/PhD in pharmacology, neuroscience, physiology, or a closely related discipline.
• Postdoctoral training in somatosensory neurobiology with a record of first-author publications in peer-reviewed journals.
• Demonstrated expertise in patch clamp electrophysiology of primary afferent neurons, including recordings from human dorsal root ganglion neurons.
• Demonstrated expertise in multiphoton calcium imaging of sensory neurons.
• An active individual NIH career development award as principal investigator, held at the time of appointment.
• Demonstrated research program addressing sex differences in pain mechanisms, evidenced by first-author peer-reviewed publications.

Responsibilities

• Seek extramural funding for research by developing and submitting research grant proposals as Principal Investigator, partner with faculty to form teams, develop plans, and disseminate results.
• Develop independent research programs and contribute to graduate and medical education.
• Engage in teaching activities for undergraduate and graduate students.
• Participate in departmental/College of Medicine committees and professional organization committees.
• Additional duties may be assigned.

Skills

Patch clamp electrophysiology

Multiphoton calcium imaging

Grant writing

Peer-reviewed publications

Education

PhD/MD/MD-PhD in pharmacology or neuroscience

Tools

Dorsal root ganglion recordings

Ex vivo skin-nerve preparation

Job description

The Department of Pharmacology invites applications for a tenure‑eligible position at the rank of Assistant Professor. We seek a translational sensory neurobiologist investigating how peripheral sensory neurons initiate and sustain pain and itch, with a research program that works directly in human sensory neurons alongside preclinical models. This recruitment is intended to extend the department's established strength in pain and analgesic pharmacology by adding capacity for human tissue‑based target identification and validation. The successful candidate will be expected to contribute to the Comprehensive Center for Addiction and Pain, as well as to the training of graduate students in the department’s PhD program in Medical Pharmacology.

Visa sponsorship is available for this positions.

• Outstanding UA benefits include health, dental, and vision insurance plans; life insurance and disability programs; paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays; UA/ASU/NAU tuition reduction for the employee and qualified family members; retirement plans; access to UA recreation and cultural activities; and more!

For more information about working at the University of Arizona and relocations services, please.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Seek extramural funding for research by developing and submitting research grant proposals to appropriate funding agencies; as Principal Investigator, partner with faculty to form research teams, develop research plans, write funding proposals, and implement and dissemination of results through peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations, and invited lectures.
• Develop independent research programs and contribute to graduate (PhD) and medical (MD) education.
• Engage in teaching activities for undergraduate and graduate students.
• Participate in appropriate departmental and/or College of Medicine committees, and professional organization committees as appropriate.
• Additional duties may be assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• PhD, MD, or MD/PhD in pharmacology, neuroscience, physiology, or a closely related discipline.
• Postdoctoral training in somatosensory neurobiology with a record of first-author publications in peer-reviewed journals.
• Demonstrated expertise in patch clamp electrophysiology of primary afferent neurons, including recordings from human dorsal root ganglion neurons.
• Demonstrated expertise in multiphoton calcium imaging of sensory neurons.
• An active individual peer-reviewed NIH career development award as principal investigator, held at the time of appointment.
• Demonstrated research program addressing sex differences in pain mechanisms, evidenced by first-author peer-reviewed publications.

Preferred Qualifications

• For Early Career Assistant Professor Rank, current peer reviewed funding (K99, K22 or equivalent).
• Experience integrating pharmacological screening with multiphoton calcium imaging in an ex vivo skin–nerve preparation for comprehensive phenotyping of functionally identified sensory neuron populations.
• Research program spanning both pain and itch modalities. Expertise in neurohormonal signaling as a driver of nociceptor sensitization and pain amplification.
• Experience with voltage‑gated sodium channel physiology and pharmacology across multiple pain states, including traumatic nerve injury and chemotherapy‑induced peripheral neuropathy.
• Funding aligned with the NIH HEAL Initiative or comparable federal priorities in non‑opioid analgesic discovery.
• Experience with rodent models of post‑surgical pain.

Rank

FLSA Exempt

Full Time/Part Time Full Time

Number of Hours Worked per Week 40

Job FTE 1.0

Work Calendar Fiscal

Job Category Faculty

Benefits Eligible Yes - Full Benefits

Rate of Pay DOE

Compensation Type salary at 1.0 full-time equivalency (FTE)

Type of criminal background check required: Name-based criminal background check (non-security sensitive)

Number of Vacancies 1

Target Hire Date

Expected End Date

Contact Information for Candidates Dr. Todd Vanderah, [e-mail]

Open Date 10/29/2026

Open Until Filled Yes

Documents Needed to Apply Curriculum Vitae (CV), Cover Letter, and Two Additional Documents

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Paper copies of the Reports can be obtained by contacting the University Compliance Office at [e-mail].