Assistant Professor (Tenure Track) in mRNA Molecular Therapeutics

Job Category

Job Title

Department

Posting End Date

Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the Posting End Date.

Job End Date

The expected pay range for this position is $145000 to $155000 per annum.

At UBC we believe that attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce is key to the successful pursuit of excellence in research innovation and learning for all faculty staff and students. Our commitment to employment equity helps achieve inclusion and fairness brings rich diversity to UBC as a workplace and creates the necessary conditions for a rewarding career.

The School of Biomedical Engineering at The University of British Columbia (UBC) invites applications for a full-time faculty position at the rank of Assistant Professor (tenure track).

The School of Biomedical Engineering (SBME) at the University of British Columbia (UBC) is a partnership between the Faculties of Applied Science and Medicine established in 2017. The School is a nucleus for education and training research and innovation in biomedical engineering creating new knowledge new academic and training programs and fostering translation and innovation. Its vision is to transform health and healthcare for all achieved through innovative research and education at the convergence of engineering medicine and biology. Through collaborative innovative and interdisciplinary approaches and building on UBCs academic and research excellence the School of Biomedical Engineering aspires to be a global leader in biomedical engineering research education and translation. The SBME has two locations on Vancouvers campus the Gordon B Shrum building and the Biomedical Research Centre (BRC). For more information about the School of Biomedical Engineering please visit to the Director of the UBC School of Biomedical Engineering the successful candidate will lead an independent research program with potential to achieve international recognition for leadership and research excellence in their field participate in graduate and undergraduate teaching and mentoring in biomedical engineering and related topics and provide service within the University and to both the academic and broader community. They will work collaboratively in diverse groups to bring forward strategic initiatives for the SBME and the Faculties. Research areas of particular interest include:

• Next-generation RNA modalities: Expertise in design and delivery of RNA beyond mRNA vaccines (self-amplifying RNA circular RNA programmable RNA switches RNA-editing systems).

• Delivery and targeting: Engineering novel nanoparticles biomaterials or cell-targeting strategies that overcome existing barriers for RNA therapeutics in diverse tissues/cells (beyond liver and muscle).

• Synthetic/computation biology integration: Use of AI-driven or computational design tools for optimizing RNA stability structure translation immune evasion and/or regulatory functions.

• Biomanufacturing of RNA and delivery systems: Development of scalable and automated manufacturing approaches for RNA modalities and nanoparticles enabling efficient translation to the clinic.

The successful candidate will hold an Ph.D. or equivalent have a strong background in bioengineering biomedical engineering chemical engineering and/or related fields and demonstrated ability in scholarly activity with experience in collaborative and convergent research at the interface of engineering and molecular/cellular biology. The successful candidate will have demonstrated evidence of ability in teaching and scholarly activity with the ability to effectively communicate and interact with empathy and understanding and is respectful of diverse and divergent perspectives and behaviors. Proposal of an original innovative research program of high quality and novelty a collaborative team-based approach to building a successful research program and team and having potential to attract develop and retain excellent trainees students and future researchers are important characteristics of desirable addition the successful candidate will demonstrate a willingness to respect diverse perspectives including perspectives in conflict with ones own and a commitment to enhancing ones own awareness knowledge and skills related to equity diversity and inclusion.

Applicants must hold a Canadian professional engineering (.) licence or be eligible to obtain a . license or Limited Licence and consequently register for one with Engineers and Geoscientists BC. Individuals with quantitative science backgrounds such as Math Quantitative Neuroscience Computer Science or Physics are also encouraged to apply if they are eligible for a Limited Licence with Engineers and Geoscientists BC (see for details on the Limited Licence).

The expected salary for this position is $145000 to $155000 per annum. The Faculty of Medicine is committed to offering equitable and competitive salaries commensurate with the qualifications and experience of the candidate. At UBC in addition to a generous benefit package and highly valued pension plan faculty members also have access to a comprehensive range of leaves services resources and career development opportunities. For more information please visit: who bring diverse perspectives and lived experiences are encouraged to apply as we strive to enhance diversity inclusiveness socio-cultural representation and perspective of the School. An application package should include:

• curriculum vitae

• a statement of teaching interests and accomplishments (up to 2 pages)

• a five-year research program plan (up to 4 pages)

• a brief statement of the applicants current or planned contributions to advancing anti-racism equity diversity decolonization Indigenization and inclusion in academic professional or community contexts (1-2 pages)

• and the names and contact information for three referees.

Applications should be submitted online at you have any queries around this position please contact Human Resources Manager at .

Review of applications will begin on November 25th 2025 and continue until the position is filled. The anticipated start date for this position is July 1st 2026 or upon a date to be mutually agreed.

We invite applications from qualified candidates who share our commitment to employment equity and inclusive excellence and we welcome applications from candidates belonging to historically persistently or systemically marginalized groups: Indigenous (First Nation Métis Inuit) Peoples racialized persons persons with disabilities women 2SLGBTQIA people and trans and non-binary people.

The University is committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive and equitable work environment for all members of its workforce. An inclusive work environment presumes an environment where differences are appreciated recognized and integrated into current structures planning and decision-making modes. Within this hiring process we are committed to creating an inclusive and equitable process for all candidates (including but not limited to people with disabilities). Confidential accommodations are available on request. Please contact Carmen de Hoog via email at If you have any questions regarding accommodations or accessibility during the recruitment and hiring process or for more information and support please visit UBCs Centre for Workplace Accessibility website at or contact the Centre at .

With gratitude we acknowledge that the University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine and its distributed programs which include four university academic campuses are located on traditional ancestral and unceded territories of First Nations Peoples and communities around the province.

Our Vision: To Transform Health for Everyone.

Ranked among the worlds top medical schools with the fifth-largest MD enrollment in North America the UBC Faculty of Medicine is a leader in both the science and the practice of medicine. Across British Columbia more than 12000 faculty and staff are training the next generation of doctors and health care professionals making remarkable discoveries and helping to create the pathways to better health for our communities at home and around the world.

The Faculty - comprised of approximately 2200 administrative support technical/research and management and professional staff as well approximately 650 full-time academic and over 10000 clinical faculty members - is composed of 19 academic basic science and/or clinical departments three schools and 24 research centres and institutes. Together with its University and Health Authority partners the Faculty delivers innovative programs and conducts research in the areas of health and life sciences. Faculty staff and trainees are located at university campuses clinical academic campuses in hospital settings and other regionally based centres across the province.

The Faculty of Applied Science includes all UBC Engineering activities at both the UBC Vancouver and UBC Okanagan as well as the Schools of Architecture and Landscape Architecture Community and Regional Planning and Nursing. The Faculty was one of UBCs three founding faculties admitting some of the Universitys first students in engineering in 1915. The Faculty includes over 300 full-time faculty members and more than 8600 students.

The Faculty of Applied Science comprises a unique constellation of disciplines and is committed to creating lasting change by discovering and applying knowledge. Our core purpose is to discover design and innovate provide unwavering top-tier education and champion a community of responsible professionals devoted to serving a thriving sustainable and healthy society. Our work and the professional disciplines we represent span the entire human-centred built environment. We represent innovation at all scales from nanoscale electronic devices that power communications to the design of entire cities.

UBC - One of the Worlds Leading Universities. As one of the worlds leading universities the University of British Columbia creates an exceptional learning environment that fosters global citizenship advances a civil and sustainable society and supports outstanding research to serve the people of British Columbia Canada and the world.

UBC hires on the basis of merit and is committed to employment equity. All qualified persons are encouraged to apply. Equity and diversity are essential to academic excellence. An open and diverse community fosters the inclusion of voices that have been underrepresented or discouraged. We encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized on any grounds enumerated under the B.C. Human Rights Code including sex sexual orientation gender identity or expression racialization disability political belief religion marital or family status age and/or status as a First Nation Metis Inuit or Indigenous person. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however Canadians and permanent residents of Canada will be given priority.