The Growth with Purpose Faculty Recruitment Fund was launched in July 2024 by the Office of the President with the goal of expanding UAB’s portfolio of funded principal investigators as part of the Research Strategic Initiative: Growth with Purpose. These newly recruited faculty members are expected to advance research excellence at UAB as we strive to meet our aggressive growth and impact goals.
The Growth with Purpose Faculty Recruitment Fund is available to all UAB schools and the College of Arts and Sciences. It is intended to augment recruitment packages for outstanding, highly funded faculty members ranked at the associate professor level or higher. The Office of the President will contribute up to 25 percent of the total recruitment package, with a maximum available of $1 million per faculty recruit. The Growth with Purpose Faculty Recruitment Fund has already been instrumental in the recruitment of Wuqiang Zhu, M.D., Ph.D., professor of Biomedical Engineering, to the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the Heersink School of Medicine. Zhu is a member of the Center for Regenerative Biotherapeutics at Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, Arizona. His research focuses on understanding the pathophysiology of heart failure and developing therapeutics for cardiac regeneration and repair. Three additional offers have been made to recruit highly funded faculty members.
Applications will be considered by the members of the Growth with Purpose Investment Committee: UAB President Ray Watts, M.D.; Senior Vice President and Heersink School of Medicine Dean Anupam Agarwal, M.D.; Senior Vice President for Advancement and Strategic Initiatives Tom Brannan; Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs and Provost Janet Woodruff-Borden, Ph.D.; Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration Brian Burnett, Ph.D.; and Vice President for Research Chris Brown Ph.D.
Applications for funding (available here) will be accepted from deans and should be emailed to Project Director of Strategic Initiatives Chandni Khadka at ckhadka@uab.edu. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis.
Candidates must have a demonstrated record of research productivity and outstanding potential for generating continued extramural support; an ability to attract funding aligned with the Growth with Purpose strategic plan; and an ability to foster collaboration across schools/colleges to advance research excellence.
Applications will be evaluated based on:
- advancing research excellence in high-growth areas with existing and/or future funding potential.
- fostering interdisciplinary research that solves complex problems.
- encouraging research that leads to inventions, breakthroughs and innovations with a significant economic footprint;
- strengthening and creating research experiences for students and trainees; and
- engaging in research that positively impacts the community and contributes to address the health needs of Alabamians.
Learn more about investments in the Research Strategic Initiative: Growth with Purpose.
