RCSB Protein Data Bank Director and Tenured Professor

3D Biostructure Data Scientist, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (New Brunswick, NJ, USA) invites applications for a distinguished scientist, focused on 3D structures of biological macromolecules, to be appointed with tenure at the level of Full Professor (or above). This role will involve directorship of the Research Collaboratory for Structural Bioinformatics Protein Data Bank (RCSB PDB, RCSB.org) and the opportunity to be part of a leadership team building a new Rutgers-New Brunswick Chancellor-level institute for artificial intelligence, data science, and cyberinfrastructure. The University is seeking an expert in computational and/or experimental structural biology with an outstanding record of accomplishment and excellent future promise, working at the interface between biology/medicine and the computational, statistical, physical, chemical, mathematical, or bioengineering sciences.

The RCSB PDB, headquartered at Rutgers, is the United States data center of the Worldwide Protein Data Bank partnership (wwPDB.org). Now in its 52nd year of continuous operations, US government agencies have continuously funded the open-access PDB since 1971. Today, the RCSB PDB serves many millions of data consumers worldwide with its research-focused web-portal RCSB.org, a one-stop-shop for the world’s public domain 3D biostructure information. PDB data are also repackaged and redistributed by nearly 500 external biodata resources and used by major biopharmaceutical companies, all at no charge and with no limitations on usage.

Applicants must have received a Ph.D. (or foreign equivalent) in experimental or computational structural biology, biochemistry, chemistry, computer science, linguistics, mathematics, physics, statistics, or related field; made outstanding contributions in fundamental and/or applied research in academia or industry; acted as a persuasive advocate for the open data movement and the FAIR and FACT Principles emblematic of responsible data stewardship; and successfully led large multidisciplinary teams engaged in national/international collaborations. The visionary appointee will be expected to direct the RCSB PDB and sustain its success for a decade or more; work closely with external advisory boards, Worldwide Protein Data Bank partners, and collaborators in the Americas, Europe, Asia, Oceania, and Africa; pursue world-class research; secure external federal and private funding; help establish and lead a new Rutgers data science initiative; serve as an effective science communicator and educator; and mentor undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and structural biology and data science professionals by promoting and exemplifying a culture of diversity, equity, inclusion, and access.

Applications should include a cover letter, CV, publication list, 3–4 page statement of research and leadership accomplishments and plans, 2–3 page statement of teaching/mentoring accomplishments and plans, and names of three potential references (candidates will be contacted before any letters are solicited). All materials should be submitted online via ROCS to the posting: https://jobs.rutgers.edu/postings/208064.

Review of applications will begin in September 2023 and will continue until the position is filled.

About the RCSB PDB and Rutgers

RCSB PDB team members work at three academic institutions: Rutgers, the University of California San Diego (San Diego Supercomputer Center), and the University of California San Francisco. The organization is headquartered in the Institute for Quantitative Biomedicine (iqb.rutgers.edu) at Rutgers University, located alongside other prominent biomedical research centers and health and basic science departments. It sits on a suburban campus in Piscataway, New Jersey, near New York City, the Jersey Shore, Philadelphia, and Newark Liberty International Airport.

Rutgers is a leading national research university and the State of New Jersey’s preeminent, comprehensive public institution of higher education, committed to building a beloved community through University Equity and Inclusion. Established in 1766, the university is the eighth-oldest higher education institution in the United States. More than 70,000 students and 23,400 full- and part-time faculty and staff learn, work, and serve the public at Rutgers locations across New Jersey and around the world. Our community values leadership, respect, innovation and creativity, research and scholarship, integrity, and teamwork.