Research Assistant Professor in Physical Therapy and Movement Sciences

THE PROGRAM: The Regents Research Excellence Program is the largest state-funded research program in UTEP history. This program provides support for strategic faculty hires intended to provide dedicated salary support for research-intensive faculty offering them a platform to build nationally competitive research directions at UTEP. The Department of Physical Therapy & Movement Sciences was awarded this position to advance research at the intersections oftrauma neuroinflammation and human neuroplasticity building on existing infrastructure and national collaborations in these areas.

THE DEPARTMENT: Departmental research strengths includeneuroplasticity vascular physiology inflammation and clinical trialsin stroke rehabilitation pain and trauma supported by established laboratory facilities clinical partnerships and access to diverse human populations. The new hire will contribute to these efforts while collaborating across the College of Health Sciences and related disciplines.

THE COLLEGE: The College of Health Sciences prepares the next generation of health and human service professionals to improve quality of life and address health disparities in their communities. The College offers five undergraduate degrees in Clinical Lab Science Health Promotion Rehabilitation Sciences Social Work and Kinesiology. There are four masters degrees in the college: Speech-Language Pathology Public Health Social Work and Kinesiology. There are currently three doctoral programs in the College: Doctor of Physical Therapy Occupational Therapy Doctorate and a PhD in Interdisciplinary Health Sciences. High impact educational experiences enable students to develop leadership problem-solving and critical thinking skills as well as a strong sense of social responsibility through community and global engagement opportunities.

Faculty and students engage in teaching research and service incorporating Boyers Model of the scholarship of discovery integration application/engagement and teaching and learning all related to the applied health sciences ( The Colleges facilities and programs are designed to promote interprofessional teaching learning research and community & global engagement initiatives. The College enjoys a strong and collaborative relationship with a range of local national and global community partners. Graduate and undergraduate students participate actively with faculty clinical and research mentors in conducting a variety of projects relevant to addressing health disparities and improving quality of life in the Paso del Norte region and beyond.

THE UNIVERSITY AND EL PASO: The University of Texas at El Paso is a Carnegie R1 and Community Engaged university at the heart of the U.S.-Mexico border region that is increasing access to excellent higher education. UTEP enrolls more than 26000 students and more than half of undergraduates are the first generation in their families to attend college.

The citys border location makes it an ideal venue for academic programs and research studies on topics of national interest such as bilingual education/language acquisition border environment and immigration environmental sustainability and infrastructure health disparities and international trade and commerce. The Paso del Norte regions center for intellectual capital UTEP is one of the major economic engines in the region adding more than $1.4 billion to the local economy annually.

El Pasos active arts and culture community features the states longest-running symphony orchestra a nationally recognized chamber music festival art galleries museums and a full schedule of seasonal events and festivals. UTEP adds to the arts and entertainment scene with an award-winning dinner theater music and dance productions contemporary and student art galleries and a natural history museum.

For sports fans the UTEP Miners offer exciting Division I college athletics at several campus venues including Sun Bowl Stadium the Don Haskins Center Kidd Field University Field and the Helen of Troy Softball Complex. Southwest University Park located a mile away in lively downtown El Paso is home to the El Paso Chihuahuas the Triple-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres and the El Paso Locomotive a professional soccer team founded in 2019.

The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) College of Health Sciences invites applications for a full-timeResearch Assistant Professorin the Department of Physical Therapy & Movement Sciences. This is a12-month appointment with three years of guaranteed salary support designed to be part of an interdisciplinary research program focused ontrauma-induced neuroinflammation and maladaptive neuroplasticity.

The successful candidate will contribute to mechanistic and translational studies examining howphysical and psychological trauma(e.g. traumatic brain injury vascular insults chronic stress PTSD) initiate inflammatory cascades that disrupt adaptive brain plasticity. Applicants with expertise inhuman-subjects researchrelated to trauma neurophysiology neuroinflammation neuroimaging and/or neuromodulation are encouraged to with complementary strengths in cellular and molecular models of neuroinflammation including cell culture systems in vitro screening of small molecules and toxicity studies are also encouraged particularly where such approaches inform human-relevant translation.

The position is embedded withinexternally funded research programsin the laboratories ofDrs. Shashwati Geed and Alvaro N. Gurovich with collaborative engagement across trauma- vascular- and behavior-focused investigators. The candidate will work in an established translational research environment integratingbiological markers neurophysiological measures and functional outcomes supported byactive collaborations with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL)formulti-omic analyses(e.g. transcriptomic proteomic and metabolomic profiling) and access to advanced computational infrastructure.

Job responsibilities focus primarily onscholarly activity(e.g. grant writing manuscript publications and conference presentations) with an anticipated appointment date inSpring 2026. The ideal candidate will demonstrate a productive research agenda thrive in a collaborative interdisciplinary setting and engage with research addressing trauma and health disparities in the border region and beyond.

This position represents an opportunity to build onestablished and nationally competitive research programswhile contributing to the development of new initiatives in trauma inflammation and neuroplasticity at UTEP. Unlike traditional soft-money research positions this role providesimmediate access to funding infrastructure laboratory space personnel patient populations and established external collaborationswithin pre-existing resources via the Geed and Gurovich laboratories enabling productivity in publications and grant submissions from the outset. The hire is expected toco-lead multi-PI grant applicationsand contribute to the development of larger collaborative initiatives targetingNIH DoD VA and NIDILRRfunding mechanisms.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS: Candidates are required to have:

1. PhD in neuroscience rehabilitation science vascular physiology psychology bioengineering or a closely related field with relevance to neurotrauma neuroinflammation or neuroplasticity.
2. A demonstrated record of scholarly/research activity and potential for securing external funding.
3. Ability to contribute effectively to collaborative interdisciplinary research programs.
4. Ability to work effectively with faculty staff and students from diverse ethnic cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds.

Preferred qualifications include:

1. Postdoctoral research training.
2. Research expertise in one or more of the following:
   1. Human neurophysiology including neuroimaging and/or neuromodulation (e.g. transcranial magnetic stimulation).
   2. Biomarker or omics-based approaches (e.g. transcriptomic proteomic metabolomic analyses).
   3. Cellular and molecular models of neuroinflammation including cell culture systems in vitro screening of small molecules and toxicity study.
3. Experience conducting human-subjects clinical or mechanistic translational research related to trauma or neuroinflammation.
4. Demonstrated record of or strong potential for securing external research funding.

SALARY/BENEFITS: The initial salary is negotiable and based on qualifications and experience. The position includesthree years of guaranteed salary support access toestablished research laboratories and collaborative infrastructure and excellent fringe benefits.

In keeping with its access excellence and impact mission The University of Texas at El Paso is committed to an open diverse and inclusive learning and working environment that honors the talents respects the differences and nurtures the growth and development of all. We seek to attract faculty and staff who share our commitment.

The University of Texas at El Paso is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The University does not discriminate on the basis of race color national origin sex religion age disability genetic information veteran status or sexual orientation and gender in employment or the provision of services in accordance with state and federal law. Discrimination on the basis of sex includes an employees or prospective employees right to be free from sexual harassment under Title IX of the Higher Education Amendments of 1972. Inquiries-including the filing of a Formal Complaint or reporting an incident-about the application of Title IX may be referred to the Title IX Coordinator who can be reached by phone at by email at or by mail at 500 W. University Ave. El Paso TX Kelly Hall Room 312.

For accommodation information for employees and applicants with disabilities please contact UTEPs Equal Opportunity Office at .

To the extent that this position involves research work or access to critical infrastructure as referenced in Executive Order GA-48 being hired for and continuing to be employed in this position requires the ability to maintain the security or integrity of the infrastructure.

Review of applications will begin immediately and applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Candidates must submit the following: (1) cover letter addressing how candidate meets each required qualification and any applicable preferred qualifications; (2) curriculum vitae; (3) abbreviated research plan (2 pages or less); (4) copies of up to three first-authored or co-authored peer-reviewed publications relevant to current scholarly/research agenda; and (5) complete contact information for at least three references. Applicants will be notified before references are contacted.

For more information about the position contact:
Dr. Alvaro N Gurovich Search Committee Chair
Chair Department of Rehabilitation Sciences