Director of Wisconsin National Primate Research Center

The University of Wisconsin-Madison seeks applications and nominations for the position of Director of the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center (WNPRC or Center).

The WNPRC's mission is to increase our understanding of basic primate biology and to improve human and animal health and quality of life through research. The WNPRC is one of a network of seven unique national facilities for nonhuman primate research funded through the Office of the Director and the Office of Research Infrastructure Programs of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Key areas of research supported by the WNPRC include, but are not limited to, Infectious Disease, Neuroscience, Reproductive and Regenerative Medicine, and Energy Metabolism and Chronic Disease. The Director reports to the University of Wisconsin-Madison Vice Chancellor for Research and oversees a budget of approximately $32M and 200 staff, students, and research trainees.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison, founded in 1848, is a world-class public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin. As the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System, it is renowned for its academic excellence, groundbreaking research, and vibrant campus community.

About the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center

The Wisconsin National Primate Research Center is part of the National Primate Research Centers program funded by the National Institutes of Health since 1961. The WNPRC advances scientific collaboration and discovery and education and training. The Center provides compassionate and expert animal care and other research services and resources while contributing to improving human and animal health and quality of life from early development through aging.

Mission
The WNPRC's mission is to increase our understanding of basic primate biology and to improve human and animal health and quality of life through research. WNPRC scientists and staff:

-Help discover treatments, preventions and cures for human disease.
-Generate new knowledge of primate biology, from the molecular and whole animal levels to the understanding of primate ecosystems.
-Facilitate research progress by providing expertise, resources and training to scientists worldwide.
-Disseminate information about the center to the research community and the public.

Research
Nearly all medical advances have depended on research with animals. Research with nonhuman primates often serves as a critical link between basic science and safe human clinical application. WNPRC scientists achieved the world?s first in vitro-fertilized rhesus monkey in the 1980s and its first pluripotent stem cells in the 1990s. The Center's primarily NIH-funded research has helped advance therapies for people with HIV, COVID-19, kidney disease, glaucoma, developmental disorders, autoimmune diseases, mental illness, polycystic ovary syndrome, infections that threaten healthy pregnancies, and much more.

The Center's current Scientific Working Groups include:

Energy Metabolism and Chronic Disease
Chronic disease and aging research, with an emphasis on the genetic, cellular, and whole animal effects of calorie restriction, as well as excess calorie intake resulting in obesity and metabolic syndrome; diabetes mellitus, osteoporosis, and new studies on post-menopausal hormone changes and metabolic disease risks.

Global Infectious Disease
Transmission and pathogenesis of HIV/SIV, viral escape, vaccine development, MHC-defined animals. Research on influenza, dengue fever, tuberculosis, pegivirus, Ebola, Zika, COVID-19. identification of new viruses with zoonotic and/or pandemic potential.

Neuroscience
Preclinical Parkinson's disease research, translational studies of glaucoma, studies on stress, anxiety and depression, research on central nervous system mechanisms controlling fertility, puberty, menopause and body weight, and neuroendocrine regulation of reproductive and social behaviors. Research to improve treatments for attention deficit disorder and disorders of consciousness.

Regenerative and Reproductive Medicine
Embryonic/pluripotent stem cell biology including cellular therapies for hematologic, cardiovascular, and neurodegenerative diseases as well as organ transplant tolerance and stem cell-based therapies for AIDS; assisted reproductive technologies for nonhuman primate transgenesis, maternal-fetal health including pregnancy loss, intrauterine environment in metabolic and reproductive programming, endometriosis, and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

Read more about our world-changing discoveries here: https://primate.wisc.edu/our-science/.

Center Resources, Operations and Facilities
The Center employs close to 200 scientific staff, research and animal services staff, administrative and operations staff, and UW-Madison veterinary, post- doc, graduate, undergraduate and research trainees. The center also serves hundreds of collaborating scientists from around the world who publish their work in peer-reviewed journals.

Outreach
The WNPRC offers outreach programs for schools and the public, and hosts Primate Info Net, an international resource in primatology.

Links and Collaborations with Academic Units and Campus
The WNPRC has strong research and teaching links to the University of Wisconsin-Madison's School of Medicine and Public Health, College of Letters and Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and School of Veterinary Medicine. As WNPRC is part of the campus community, please also visit the university's Equity and Diversity Resources web page.

Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research
The WNPRC is based in the UW-Madison Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, which oversees the university's research enterprise including research compliance and policy, sponsored programs administration, investment of funds from the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation annual grant to campus, and sets strategic directions for campus-wide research support and growth. Seventeen interdisciplinary research centers report to the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research. Notably, the WNPRC is among the largest of these centers, with annual expenditures of $32M.

Accreditation
The WNPRC is AAALAC accredited and its policies adhere to the Public Health Service Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals.

Funding
Programs of the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center are supported by Award Number P51OD011106 from the National Institutes of Health, Office of the Director, Office of Research Infrastructure Programs (ORIP). In addition, the WNPRC has received ORIP support for construction and renovation with the following awards: C06RR020141 (2004), G20RR022780 (2007), G20RR023956 (2008), G20RR025851 (2009), C06RR032709 (2011), C06OD028387 (2019), and C06OD030078 (2020).

The Position

Reporting to the Vice Chancellor for Research, the Director of the WNPRC will provide dynamic scientific leadership and administrative oversight of the Center's ongoing scientific programs and diverse research resources for the UW-Madison and the national scientific community. In cooperation with leading researchers, the Director will develop and execute long-term plans for the continued excellence and advancement of primate research. The Director will oversee all management and financial activities of the Center, with the assistance of administrative staff. The Director will assist university faculty and staff, and national investigators in developing programs in key areas of research interest in a broad array of biomedical studies, including primate models of human disorders, and ensure the successful interaction of the Center's administrative components with the research program of WNPRC scientists. The Director also will work to promote the cooperative use of the Center's research infrastructure, including animal colonies, core facilities, and shared use facilities, on campus and nationally. Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, as well as the ability to work collaboratively with faculty, staff, students, and administration within the University at large, and with related academic and research organizations and associations, and members of the national scientific community, are essential.

The Director will be responsible for renewal of the NIH P51 base grant, for annual progress reports to federal and university offices, for submission of research, facility, and shared equipment grants, and for preparation of additional reports as required by the OD. The Director will ensure compliance of the Center's policies related to research, biosafety, employee health and safety, and animal welfare with all federal, state, and local regulations.

-Provides vision and leadership for WNPRC activities for the continued excellence and advancement of primate research.
-Responsible for the overall success of the WNPRC through strategic planning, management of finances, including the NIH P51 base grant, and leadership of the administrative staff that runs the WNPRC's day-to-day activities
-Maintains knowledge of significant developments in a broad array of biomedical studies, including primate models of human disorders, to anticipate the directions of future research.
-Promotes the cooperative use of the Center's research infrastructure, including animal colonies, core facilities, and shared use facilities, on campus and nationally.
-Communicates to OVCR and WNPRC staff on a regular basis the state of the WNPRC, its progress, and its upcoming tasks and opportunities.
-Participates in national and international research programs and in professional society affairs. Serves on various committees and advisory boards and participates in other public activities within the University of Wisconsin and State of Wisconsin.
-Ensures compliance of the Center's policies related to research, biosafety, employee health and safety, and animal welfare with all federal, state, and local regulations.
-Manages external relations efficiently and effectively, both within the UW-Madison and in the wider community, to facilitate support and collaboration for the WNPRC's research and outreach activities. The Director will need to develop and manage collaborative relationships within the University's scientific community, and other private and public sectors.

Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals.

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.

For more information on diversity and inclusion on campus, please visit: Diversity and Inclusion

Required
Terminal Degree
A Ph.D., M.D. or D.V.M. in a relevant field.

Minimum Qualifications
-Must be a tenured or tenure-track faculty member, or an individual who could be qualified as tenurable.
-An exemplary research record with a national and/or international reputation as a leader in his/her field.
-At least seven years of demonstrated scientific leadership, organizing and coordinating large scale research efforts, managing a research based organization, securing and managing grants and contracts, personnel and budget management, or equivalent experiences.
-Ability to work collaboratively with internal and external constituencies including university administrators, state and federal government, business, and the general public.

Preferred Qualifications
-A track record of research grant funding from NIH.
-Expertise in ethical care, use and management of nonhuman primates in research.
-Understanding of the regulatory requirement and compliance standards related to nonhuman primate research.
-Demonstrated ability to advocate for and articulate the mission and vision of a nonhuman primate research center at a national level.
-An inclusive and welcoming communication style and the ability to effectively interact with, sincerely listen to, and appreciate individuals from many different backgrounds, disciplines, and educational levels.

Full or Part Time: 75% - 100%

It is anticipated this position requires work be performed in-person, onsite, at a designated campus work location.

Ongoing/Renewable

Minimum $250,000 ANNUAL (12 months)
Depending on Qualifications
The salary for this position is negotiable based on experience and qualifications. This position will receive a comprehensive benefits package, including generous paid time off, competitively priced health/dental/vision/life insurance, tax-advantaged retirement savings accounts, and participation in the Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) pension fund.

This position will be held concurrently with a tenured faculty appointment. The percentage of this appointment is flexible, based on the level to which the appointed candidate wants to maintain his/her research program.

We would like the finalist to start by September 1, 2025, but the actual start date is negotiable.

About the University of Wisconsin-Madison

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is a public land-grant research university and is the flagship campus of the Universities of Wisconsin. UW-Madison is organized into 13 schools and colleges, which enrolled approximately 34,000 undergraduate students and 14,000 graduate and professional students in 2024. Its academic programs include 136 undergraduate majors, 148 master's degree programs and 120 doctoral programs.

UW-Madison is one of the twelve founding members of the selective Association of American Universities and is classified as an R1 university in the Carnegie Classification of Institutes of Higher Education. The National Science Foundation ranked UW-Madison sixth among American universities for research and development expenditures in 2023 at $1.7 billion.

About Madison, Wisconsin

The capital of the state of Wisconsin, Madison is a beautiful mid-sized city of 265,000 residents. It is consistently selected as one of the best places to live in the U.S. and regularly ranked one of the top 20 safest cities in America. It has one of the most educated populaces in the United States, with almost 50% of residents above the age of 25 holding an undergraduate degree.

Madison is home to a number of great museums, arts & music venues and festivals, unique local shopping, award-winning restaurants, sporting events, and so much more. In addition,
outdoor recreational opportunities abound in Madison. The city is one of the most bike-friendly cities in the United States, and many enthusiasts commute by bike all year around. From skiing and snowboarding in the winter to swimming, sailing, and hiking in the warmer months, Madison has activities for all.

Madison is located about a two-hour drive northwest of Chicago, Illinois.

For best consideration, applications should be received by February 15, 2025 and must include the following:

-A curriculum vitae;
-A letter of interest addressing the desired experiences and attributes identified in this profile; and
-Names and contact information for five (5) professional references, including their relationship to the candidate. References will be contacted at a later stage in the search and only with prior authorization from the candidate.

Applications should be submitted electronically (pdf) at the AGB portal https://www.agbsearch.com/searches/director-of-the-wisconsin-national-primate-research-center-university-of-wisconsin-madison.

Please direct nominations and inquiries to email link or to one of the search consultants listed below.

Kimberly Templeton, J.D.
AGB Search
kimberly.templeton@agbsearch.com
(540) 761-9494

Jerry Gilbert, Ph.D.
Executive Search Consultant
jerry.gilbert@agbsearch.com
(662) 769-1021

Lynn DellaPietra, Ph.D.
Executive Search Associate
lynn.dellapietra@agbsearch.com
(202) 640-6723

The deadline for ensuring full consideration is February 15, 2025, however, the position will remain open and applications may be considered until the position is filled.

Employment will require an institutional reference check regarding any misconduct. To be considered, applicants must upload a signed 'Authorization to Release Information' form as part of the application. The authorization form and a definition of 'misconduct' can be found here: https://hr.wisc.edu/institutional-reference-check/

Kelly Marks
kelly.marks@wisc.edu
608-262-5802
Relay Access (WTRS): 7-1-1. See RELAY_SERVICE for further information.

Academic Prog Director(CC004)

A34-OVCR/PRIMATE/PRIMATE

Limited

309466-LI