Chair, Department of Biomedical Engineering

North Carolina State University

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chair, Department of Biomedical Engineering

Founded in 2003, the UNC-NC State Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME) is a unique collaboration between North Carolina’s two flagship universities: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University. 

North Carolina State University (NC State) is the largest university in the state with more than 35,000 students and nearly 9,000 faculty and staff. The University is known for its leadership in education and research, and globally recognized for its science, technology, engineering, and mathematics leadership. With more than $330 million in sponsored research awards in fiscal year 2018, NC State was also ranked second among all public universities (without medical schools) in industry-sponsored research expenditures by the National Science Foundation. As one of the leading land-grant institutions in the nation, NC State is committed to playing an active and vital role in improving the quality of life for the citizens of North Carolina, the nation and the world. Each year, NC State adds $6.5 billion to the statewide economy, equivalent to creating more than 90,000 new jobs.

UNC has been ranked as the fifth best public university in the U.S. for 18 out of 19 years, and UNC ranks 29th among all national universities according to the 2020 U.S. News and World Report. The University enrolls more than 19,000 undergraduate students and nearly 11,000 graduate and professional students, and it offers more than 70 majors and minors in 60 departments. With a $1 billion research enterprise, UNC is ranked 11th nationally among private and public research institutions in overall research and development (R&D) expenditures and fifth nationally in federal R&D spending. Entrepreneurial students and faculty have founded more than 454 active businesses, creating nearly 9,000 jobs in North Carolina. UNC contributes over $10 billion in annual revenue through its UNC-based research and start-ups.

The Joint Department is a unique partnership that unites two universities with shared graduate and undergraduate programs into a single administrative department with a single chairperson. The nationally ranked UNC Hospitals and School of Medicine at UNC provide an excellent clinical environment for students to gain experience in medicine, while the College of Engineering at NC State, one of the finest engineering and computer science schools in the world, offers state-of-the art facilities for students and faculty engaged in vital areas of research and technology transfer.

From the its origins within NC State’s College of Engineering and UNC’s School of Medicine and College of Arts and Sciences, the Joint Department has grown to encompass 54 primary teaching and research faculty members (including five endowed chairs) and approximately 600 undergraduate, Master’s, and doctoral students. In addition to the traditional areas of biomedical engineering, Master’s and doctoral students have the opportunity to select from five specialty areas: Biomedical Microdevices; Medical Imaging; Pharmacoengineering; Rehabilitation Engineering; and Regenerative Medicine. 

With more than $20 million in research expenditures, BME students benefit from the robust research portfolios, the exceptional education, and the vast resources of these world-class public universities. The Joint Department’s students have opportunities to collaborate with faculty, clinicians, and students in the top-ranked schools of pharmacy (no. 1), primary care medicine (no. 1), dentistry, nursing (no. 5), and veterinary medicine (no. 4) (U.S. News and World Report, 2020). 

The Joint Department is on track to realize its ambitious vision of becoming a leader in real-world results and its mission to unite engineering and medicine to improve lives. Thus, NC State and UNC seek a Chair for the Joint Biomedical Engineering Department who will lead through vision, communication, and collaboration to elevate the Department and advance its academic, research, and administrative goals. The successful candidate will establish working partnerships across three schools and two institutions, as well as create collaborative external relationships. The successful candidate must be committed to developing the excellence of BME faculty, as well as recruiting and supporting promising students. Competitive candidates will have credentials consistent with an appointment as Full Professor, including Ph.D., M.D., or recognized equivalent.

Inquiries, nominations, and applications are invited. Interested candidates should submit confidentially, in electronic form (Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF files preferred), a curriculum vitae and letter of interest to:

Joi Hayes-Scott and Jett Pihakis

Russell Reynolds Associates

UNC.NCSUBiomed@russellreynolds.com

(202) 654-7816