Associate Professor

The successful candidate will be expected to lead innovative research on host-microbe interactions and mucosal immunology, focusing on the dynamic relationships between specialized secretory cells (e.g., goblet cells and Paneth cells) and microorganisms (including bacteria, viruses, and fungi) at mucosal surface such as the gastrointestinal tract.

As a faculty member, the appointee will also be responsible for designing and teaching courses for medical students, graduate students, and advanced undergraduates, with subject matter spanning microbiology, immunology, and related biological sciences. Additionally, the position includes contributing to university and community service activities as appropriate.

The successful candidate will be expected to:

• Lead a vigorous, independent, extramurally funded research program---85%

• Actively teach graduate and/or medical student teaching programs of the Department---10%

• Provide university and community service as appropriate---5%

• This position is full-time.

• This position requires work to be completed onsite, at a designated campus work location.

For an appointment at Associate Professor or Professor rank on tenure track, candidates will meet criteria established by the department and as outlined in the UW Divisional Committee guidelines for promotion or appointment to Associate or Professor on the tenure track.

This position is part of the Wisconsin Research, Innovation and Scholarly Excellence (RISE) Initiative. Through accelerated and strategic faculty hiring, research infrastructure enhancement, interdisciplinary collaboration, and increased student and educational opportunities, RISE addresses complex societal challenges of importance to the state, nation and world. Building on UW-Madison's strengths, RISE expands the University's successful track record of connecting with communities and industry on collaborative solutions.

Over the next three academic years, UW-Madison will substantially increase current hiring levels, bringing 150 new RISE faculty to campus. Candidates hired through RISE will join a community of scholars working across disciplines, schools and colleges on research, teaching and outreach endeavors. The community will engage regularly in venues such as seminar series and colloquia to share ongoing projects and identify opportunities to work together. The University will support the community, facilitating access to research infrastructure, and funding to support broad and rich collaboration.

Further information regarding RISE can be found at: https://rise.wisc.edu/.

UW-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology

The mission of the Department of Medical Microbiology & Immunology is to provide comprehensive scientific instruction to students, conduct novel and meaningful research, and offer consultation and service in microbiology and immunology as they relate to human health and disease.

Negotiable, 12 month

Employees in this position can expect to receive benefits such as generous vacation, holidays, and sick leave; competitive insurances and savings accounts; retirement benefits. For more information, refer to the campus benefits webpage.

• SMPH Faculty /Academic Staff Benefits Flyer 2026

• Minimum of 6 years experience as an independent principal investigator leading innovative research on host-microbe interactions and mucosal immunology

• Proof of teaching excellence, including record of graduating students

• Demonstrated success securing extramural research funding as Principal Investigator

• Record of highly cited peer-reviewed publications and presentations at national and international meetings

• Professional service and scientific leadership, such as editorial roles, conference organization, or departmental committee service

PhD in Biology, Biotechnology or other closely related fields by start date.

The deadline for assuring full consideration is April 20th, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. CDT however, this position will remain open and applications may be considered until this position is filled. Your application must be received through the Jobs at UW portal to be considered as a candidate. Applications submitted outside of this system will not be considered.

For the best experience completing your application, we recommend using Chrome or Firefox as your web browser.

To apply for this position, select either "I am a current employee" or "I am not a current employee" under Apply Now. You will then be prompted to upload your application materials.

Important: The application has only one attachment field. Upload the following documents in that field, either as a single combined file or as multiple files in the same upload area.

• Current Curriculum Vitae (CV)

• Cover letter describing your interest in this position

• 2 page Research Statement

• List of contact information for three (3) references, including your current/most recent supervisor. References will not be contacted without prior notice.

• Please describe your current (and/or past) grants and the amounts associated with that.

Your cover letter should address how your training and experience aligns with the required and preferred qualifications listed above. Application reviewers will rely on these written materials to determine which applicants move forward in the process. References will be requested from final candidates. All applicants will be notified once the search concludes and a candidate is selected

Primary Contact:

John Lawler

1550 Linden Dr.

1336 Microbial Sciences Building
Madison, WI 53706-1521

Email: jlawler2@wisc.edu

Phone: 608-263-5591

Administrative:

Lily Schafer

750 Highland Ave

Health Sciences Learning Center

Madison, 53705-2221

Email: lbschafer@wisc.edu

Phone: 608 -263-5443

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.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, including but not limited to, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, pregnancy, disability, or status as a protected veteran and other bases as defined by federal regulations and UW System policies. We promote excellence by acknowledging skills and expertise from all backgrounds and encourage all qualified individuals to apply. For more information regarding applicant and employee rights and to view federal and state required postings, visit the Human Resources Workplace Poster website.

To request a disability or pregnancy-related accommodation for any step in the hiring process (e.g., application, interview, pre-employment testing, etc.), please contact the Divisional Disability Representative (DDR) in the division you are applying to. Please make your request as soon as possible to help the university respond most effectively to you.

Employment may require a criminal background check. It may also require your references to answer questions regarding misconduct, including sexual violence and sexual harassment.

The University of Wisconsin System will not reveal the identities of applicants who request confidentiality in writing, except that the identity of the successful candidate will be released. See Wis. Stat. sec. 19.36(7).

The Annual Security and Fire Safety Report contains current campus safety and disciplinary policies, crime statistics for the previous 3 calendar years, and on-campus student housing fire safety policies and fire statistics for the previous 3 calendar years. UW-Madison will provide a paper copy upon request; please contact the University of Wisconsin Police Department.