Assistant Professor - Visible Heart Lab

Assistant Professor

The Visible Heart® Laboratory, within the Institute for Engineering in Medicine, Medical School at the University of Minnesota, seeks one outstanding scientist-educator with excellent leadership qualities to serve as an Assistant professor. Our lab's translational research areas include: medical device development and testing, multi-modal cardiac imaging, pathophysiology, and novel heart/organ preservation methodologies.

This individual is expected to be strongly committed to interprofessional, interdisciplinary, and collaborative research in this intensively hands-on, active-learning, research environment.

The Position:
The Assistant Professor will hold a faculty appointment in the Department of Surgery (Medical school). This is an Academic Track faculty position.

Duties/Responsibilities:
The Assistant Professor is responsible for working closely with other faculty within the VHL.

The position includes, but is not limited to, the following:
• Mentor trainees including graduate and undergraduate students.
• Continue to offer programs that help students to gain entrepreneurial mindsets, solve complex problems, and launch new ventures.
• Develop new research opportunities that relate to the VHL core mission.
• Develop outreach strategies related to program communications, development, partnerships, and fundraising.
• Identify and pursue new sponsored research opportunities from industry, government, and foundations.
• Foster existing collaboration with Stratasys and enhance outreach education and training opportunities pertaining to 3D printing
• Administrative leadership duties pertaining to 3D printing and mixed reality reaching

Leadership Transition:
The current director, Dr. Paul Iaizzo, will continue to recruit and hire the next Visible Heart® Laboratories director. When that position is in place, he will assume the title of Senior Advisor to the VHL. Dr. Iaizzo will continue as principal investigator for the long-standing Medtronic-VHL research contract with the new director serving as a co-principal investigator. Dr. Iaizzo will also continue to mentor and advise graduate and undergraduate students. After the transition period (the length of which is to be determined) comes to an end, the director will assume the role of principal investigator for the Medtronic-VHL research contract.

The University of Minnesota values and is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. For this position, we welcome and encourage applications from a diverse community and particularly from persons in groups that are underrepresented in medicine and engineering. We further welcome candidates whose experience in teaching, research, or community service has prepared them to contribute to the University's commitment to diversity and excellence

Qualifications

Qualifications:
Required Qualifications:
• A PhD degree in Engineering
• Proven teaching experience
• Expertise in human physiology, anatomy, or biomedical or mechanical engineering field.
• Experience in medical device development
• Experience in 3D printing and virtual reality training
• Experience in tissue biomechanics
• Experience in mentoring students
• Ability to communicate and collaborate with engineering and clinical faculty, academic administrators, and with partners from industry.
Preferred Qualifications:
• A refereed journal publication record, proven teaching experience, and recognition for research
• Knowledge and experience with hands-on, active-learning, cardiovascular research environment
• Experience with large animal preclinical research

About the Department

The Visible Heart Laboratories (VHL) is a premier place to perform translational systems physiology research from cellular and tissue studies to organ and whole-body investigations. Since 1997, the VHL has conducted groundbreaking translational research related to cardiac medical device development and testing, multi-modal cardiac imaging, heart and organ anatomy, muscle pathophysiology, heart and organ preservation methods, biomechanical testing of cardiothoracic and skeletal muscle tissues, and mixed-reality methods for clinical and bioengineering education. Over 200 graduate students, medical students, and post-doctoral fellows have trained in the VHL (along with hundreds of undergraduate students) and have disseminated their findings in hundreds of conference presentations and journal publications. The VHL pioneered a method for reanimating animal and human hearts while using a clear perfusate that enables unparalleled visualization of internal structures, including how medical devices interact with the organ. As part of its education outreach mission, VHL has created and maintains the world's largest library of plastination and 3D-printed heart specimens that are available as physical models and through the online Atlas of Human Cardiac Anatomy. This library is available to industry medical device designers, clinicians, and students for any purpose related to research and education.

The VHL has a long-standing collaboration with Medtronic that supports translational research and education activities in all areas of cardiovascular anatomy and physiology as well as providing a premier pre-clinical testing platform for next-generation medical devices. The contract enables the VHL to include an unparalleled collection of state-of-the-art clinical medical equipment (with a collective value of several million dollars) for conducting research projects. A second contract with Stratasys has resulted in VHL becoming the leading center in the world for high-resolution 3D printing of hearts for surgical planning, patient education, and device development research.

Benefits

Working at the University

At the University of Minnesota, you'll find a flexible work environment and supportive colleagues who are interested in lifelong learning. We prioritize work-life balance, allowing you to invest in the future of your career and in your life outside of work.

The University also offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes:

• Competitive wages, paid holidays, and generous time off
• Continuous learning opportunities through professional training and degree-seeking programs supported by the Regents Tuition Benefit Program
• Low-cost medical, dental, and pharmacy plans
• Healthcare and dependent care flexible spending accounts
• University HSA contributions
• Disability and employer-paid life insurance
• Employee wellbeing program
• Excellent retirement plans with employer contribution
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) opportunity
• Financial counseling services
• Employee Assistance Program with eight sessions of counseling at no cost
• Employee Transit Pass with free or reduced rates in the Twin Cities metro area

Please visit the Office of Human Resources website for more information regarding benefits.

How To Apply

Applications must be submitted online. To be considered for this position, please click the Apply button and follow the instructions. You will have the opportunity to complete an online application for the position and attach a cover letter and resume.

Additional documents may be attached after application by accessing your "My Job Applications" page and uploading documents in the "My Cover Letters and Attachments" section.

This position will remain open until filled.

To request an accommodation during the application process, please e-mail employ@umn.edu or call (612) 624-8647.

Diversity

The University recognizes and values the importance of diversity and inclusion in enriching the employment experience of its employees and in supporting the academic mission. The University is committed to attracting and retaining employees with varying identities and backgrounds.

The University of Minnesota provides equal access to and opportunity in its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. To learn more about diversity at the U: http://diversity.umn.edu

Employment Requirements

Any offer of employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a background check. Our presumption is that prospective employees are eligible to work here. Criminal convictions do not automatically disqualify finalists from employment.

About the U of M

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (UMTC)

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (UMTC), is among the largest public research universities in the country, offering undergraduate, graduate, and professional students a multitude of opportunities for study and research. Located at the heart of one of the nation's most vibrant, diverse metropolitan communities, students on the campuses in Minneapolis and St. Paul benefit from extensive partnerships with world-renowned health centers, international corporations, government agencies, and arts, nonprofit, and public service organizations.

At the University of Minnesota, we are proud to be recognized by the Star Tribune as a Top Workplace for 2021, as well as by Forbes as Best Employers for Women and one of America’s Best Employers (2015, 2018, 2019, 2023), Best Employer for Diversity (2019, 2020), Best Employer for New Grads (2018, 2019), and Best Employer by State (2019, 2022).