Professor - RISE Thrive

The mission of the Department of Medical Microbiology & Immunology is to provide comprehensive scientific instruction to students, conduct novel and meaningful research, and offer consultation and service in microbiology and immunology as they relate to human health and disease.

We are seeking faculty candidates working at the cutting edge of host-microbe interactions focusing on virology and immunology. The successful applicant will lead a vigorous, independent, extramurally-funded research program, actively participate in graduate and/or medical student teaching programs and provide university and community service as appropriate.

The successful candidate will be expected to:

• Lead a vigorous, independent, extramurally funded research program---85%

• Actively participate in the graduate and/or medical student teaching programs of the Department---10%

• Provide university and community service as appropriate---5%

• This position is full-time.

• This position requires work to be completed onsite, at a designated campus work location.

• This position has been identified as a position of trust with access to vulnerable populations. The selected candidate will be required to pass an initial caregiver check to be eligible for employment under the Wisconsin Caregiver Law and then every two years.

This position is part of the Wisconsin Research, Innovation and Scholarly Excellence (RISE) Initiative. Through accelerated and strategic faculty hiring, research infrastructure enhancement, interdisciplinary collaboration, and increased student and educational opportunities, RISE addresses complex societal challenges of importance to the state, nation and world. Building on UW-Madison's strengths, RISE expands the University's successful track record of connecting with communities and industry on collaborative solutions.

Over the next three academic years, UW-Madison will substantially increase current hiring levels, bringing 150 new RISE faculty to campus. Candidates hired through RISE will join a community of scholars working across disciplines, schools and colleges on research, teaching and outreach endeavors. The community will engage regularly in venues such as seminar series and colloquia to share ongoing projects and identify opportunities to work together. The University will support the community, facilitating access to research infrastructure, and funding to support broad and rich collaboration.

Further information regarding RISE can be found at: https://rise.wisc.edu/.

Lead a vigorous, independent, extramurally funded research program

Participate in administrative and committee work to support the scholarly missions of the School of Medicine and Public Health. An essential part of these duties will be working in a collegial relationship with other faculty members.

Provide university and community service as appropriate

Medical Microbiology and Immunology

Negotiable, 12 month

Relocation stipend available

Employees in this position can expect to receive benefits such as generous vacation, holidays, and sick leave; competitive insurances and savings accounts; retirement benefits. For more information, refer to the campus benefits webpage.

• SMPH Faculty /Academic Staff Benefits Flyer 2026

• Minimum five years experience as tenured faculty member and principal investigator of an active, successful, extramurally funded research program in the area of immunology and virology.

• Minimum of three years experience as course director of university level courses

• Minimum of five years mentoring and supervising graduate students and post-doctoral researchers

• Record of highly cited peer-reviewed publications and presentations at national and international meetings

• Record of holding appointment as chair or director of a graduate program

• Record of sustained, independent research productivity, including currently serving as Principal Investigator on multiple federally funded R01 awards, and a demonstrated history of securing competitive foundation grants to support scholarly or scientific advancement.

For an appointment at Associate Professor or Professor rank on tenure track, candidates will meet criteria established by the department and as outlined in the UW Divisional Committee guidelines for promotion or appointment to Associate or Professor on the tenure track.

PhD in Molecular Biology or equivalent

The deadline for assuring full consideration is March 3rd, 2026, however, this position will remain open and applications may be considered until this position is filled. Your application must be received through the Jobs at UW portal to be considered as a candidate. Applications submitted outside of this system will not be considered.

For the best experience completing your application, we recommend using Chrome or Firefox as your web browser.

To apply for this position, select either "I am a current employee" or "I am not a current employee" under Apply Now. You will then be prompted to upload your application materials.

Important: The application has only one attachment field. Upload the following documents in that field, either as a single combined file or as multiple files in the same upload area.

- Current Curriculum Vitae (CV)
- Cover letter describing your interest in this position
- 2 page Research Statement
- List of contact information for three (3) references, including your current/most recent supervisor.

References will not be contacted without prior notice.

Your cover letter should address how your training and experience aligns with the required and preferred qualifications listed above. Application reviewers will rely on these written materials to determine which applicants move forward in the process. References will be requested from final candidates. All applicants will be notified once the search concludes and a candidate is selected

University sponsorship is not available for this position, including transfers of sponsorship and TN visas. The selected applicant will be responsible for ensuring their continuous eligibility to work in the United States (i.e. a citizen or national of the United States, a lawful permanent resident, a foreign national authorized to work in the United States without the need of an employer sponsorship) on or before the effective date of appointment. This position is an ongoing position that will require continuous work eligibility. If you are selected for this position you must provide proof of work authorization and eligibility to work.

Primary Contact:

John Lawler

1550 Linden Dr.

1336 Microbial Sciences Building
Madison, WI 53706-1521

Email: jlawler2@wisc.edu

Phone: 608-263-5591

Administrative:

Lily Schafer

750 Highland Ave

Health Sciences Learning Center

Madison, 53705-2221

Email: lbschafer@wisc.edu

Phone: 608 -263-5443

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The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background - people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, including but not limited to, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, pregnancy, disability, or status as a protected veteran and other bases as defined by federal regulations and UW System policies. We promote excellence by acknowledging skills and expertise from all backgrounds and encourage all qualified individuals to apply. For more information regarding applicant and employee rights and to view federal and state required postings, visit the Human Resources Workplace Poster website.

To request a disability or pregnancy-related accommodation for any step in the hiring process (e.g., application, interview, pre-employment testing, etc.), please contact the Divisional Disability Representative (DDR) in the division you are applying to. Please make your request as soon as possible to help the university respond most effectively to you.

Employment may require a criminal background check. It may also require your references to answer questions regarding misconduct, including sexual violence and sexual harassment.

The University of Wisconsin System will not reveal the identities of applicants who request confidentiality in writing, except that the identity of the successful candidate will be released. See Wis. Stat. sec. 19.36(7).

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