Assistant or Associate Professor, Translational Pain Pharmacologist

The Department of Anesthesia, Pain Management & Perioperative Medicine, within the Faculty of Medicine at Dalhousie University, is seeking a highly motivated scientist to fill a full-time, three-year limited term position in the field of Translational Chronic Pain Pharmacology, with an anticipated start date of April 2025 (negotiable). This position is designated as 70% research, 15% teaching and 15% administration and is open to all qualified applicants. The successful candidate will be expected to develop and maintain a robust externally funded research program as well as to collaborate with other departmental clinician scientists and researchers to advance impactful research. They will teach at the undergraduate and graduate levels, as well as to health care professional trainees.

One in five Canadians suffer from chronic pain, which remains undertreated and is associated with significant access problems to appropriate care, especially in underrepresented populations, together with a lack of effective new treatments. Chronic pain has significant direct and indirect costs to individuals, families and society. Underscoring the inadequate management of pain is a need for better understanding of the neurobiology of pain and the generation of new research evidence that can be translated into improved treatments for clinical care of pain.

This opportunity is directed at candidates whose research addresses preclinical and clinical pain pharmacology with a goal of identifying and developing new treatments and approaches to pain management. The researcher will have expertise in one or more chronic pain disorders (eg. musculoskeletal, migraine, cancer, neuropathic) with an interest in under-represented patient groups.

The Department of Anesthesia, Pain Management & Perioperative Medicine is a clinical academic unit that provides patient care, education, and research in anesthesia, pain management, and perioperative medicine. For more information, please visit our department website: https://medicine.dal.ca/departments/department-sites/anesthesia.html. The Department is partnered primarily with the two health authorities in Nova Scotia, Nova Scotia Health (NSH) Central Zone https://www.nshealth.ca/ and IWK Health, https://iwkhealth.ca/ and New Brunswick through our affiliation with the St. John campus of the Faculty of Medicine.

The successful applicant will have the opportunity to collaborate with several established research groups in the Faculty of Medicine including Centers and Institutes such as the Brain Repair Centre and Solutions for Kids in Pain (SKIP), as well as research groups such as Infection, Immunity, Inflammation & Vaccinology (I3V) and the Dalhousie Pain Network. The NSH Pain Management Service will also be a crucial group with whom the individual will work closely. Collaboration with members of other basic science (e.g. Pharmacology, Medical Neuroscience, Physiology & Biophysics, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Psychology & Neuroscience) and clinical departments/divisions (e.g. Neurology, Rheumatology, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Surgery, Pediatrics) is also possible.

The successful applicant will have a PhD, or equivalent, and postdoctoral experience (at least two years preferred). Candidates must have a record of impactful research related to the neurobiology, pharmacology and treatment of pain, commensurate with their career stage. They must also demonstrate a potential for effective teaching and administrative service, as well as the ability to to undertake effective research collaborations. Ideally, the candidate's expertise will complement research interests at Dalhousie University to foster translational, interdisciplinary collaborations among basic and clinician scientists.

A complete application requires:

Please note: 2-3 academic references will be requested for short-listed candidates.

Interested candidates, please apply via PeopleAdmin:https://dal.peopleadmin.ca/postings/17998.

Review of applications will commence on February 28th and continue until the position has been filled. To guarantee consideration of your application, please submit by the deadline.

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

Dalhousie University commits to achieving inclusive excellence through continually championing equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility. The university encourages applications from Indigenous Peoples of Turtle Island (especially Mi'kmaq), persons of Black/African descent (especially African Nova Scotians), and members of other racialized groups, persons with disabilities, women, persons identifying as members of 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, and all candidates who would contribute to the diversity of our community. In accordance with our Employment Equity Policy, preference will be given in hiring processes to candidates who self-identify as members of one or more of the equity-deserving groups listed above. For more information, including details related to our Employment Equity Policy and Plan and definitions of equity-deserving groups please visit www.dal.ca/hiringfordiversity.

If you require any support for the purpose of accommodation, such as technical aids or alternative arrangements, please let us know of these needs and how we can be of assistance. Dalhousie University is committed to ensuring all candidates have full, fair, and equitable participation in the hiring process. Our complete Accommodation Policy can be viewed here.

Dalhousie's Faculty of Medicine is strategically embarking on a new era where their commitment to impact encourages new and innovative ways to strive for healthier Maritime and global communities, and equitable healthcare for all. For more information, please visit https://medicine.dal.ca/about/fomstrategicplan.html.