The University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry is seeking an Assistant Professor of Research (APR) for the Divisions of Orthodontics and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.  This role will be critical in achieving the mission for both Divisions as well as the missions of the College of Dentistry and the University of Oklahoma. 

The APR will be responsible for leading the Divisions’ research efforts to include all student projects for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery as well as Orthodontics (MS). This includes guidance, protocol development and final approval of all research topics through Program Directors and Division Heads of both specialties. The goal is to develop strong lines of ongoing research that will serve as Residents’ Research and Master’s Thesis requirement of both Divisions and can be advanced over multiple years when appropriate. The APR must oversee and lead all research activities but will not be required to chair all thesis committees. On occasion and when appropriate thesis committee Chair or Member responsibilities may be assigned by the APR to qualified faculty members within or outside the department, depending on their qualifications.

If there is adequate time, the APR is encouraged to perform independent research. Additionally, the APR will be required to advance research conducted by the Divisions nationally and internationally through invited speaking opportunities and research collaboration. The APR will be required to attend and participate in certain annual meetings for both specialties to develop relationships within the profession including the International Association for Dental Research and the American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research.   

The APR will also be responsible for didactic instruction involving research related topics, including but not limited to research design and methodology, community research methods, statistics, and manuscript development. The APR maybe assigned additional teaching responsibility based on his/her educational background.

The APR will serve as a key member of the faculty, participating in appropriate Divisional decisions as decided by the Program Directors and/or Division Heads. The APR reports directly to the Division Heads of Orthodontics and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and must participate in weekly faculty meetings, presenting updates when appropriate. In addition, the APR will report indirectly to the Associate Dean for Research and Innovation to apprise, collaborate, and ensure alignment of Division research activity with the College’s strategic plan related to research.   The APR must be available to serve on numerous departmental committees and must be available to serve on College’s committees when necessary and appropriate.

Job Duties/Responsibilities:

• Work directly with the 1st year residents and graduate students in the development of their preproposals into completed proposals.
• Approval of all student research committee members with the Program Directors and Division Heads.
• Serve on each of the students’ committees as Chair or member.
• Ensure that the 1st year residents and graduate students are able to effectively and efficiently evaluate the appropriate literature.
• Be responsible for ensuring the residents and graduate students conduct meaningful research which
  • Has a direct impact on the body of knowledge, clinical and/or science for both specialties.
  • Has the potential for national research awards.
  • Can be published in highly rated peer-reviewed journals.
• Ensures timely development of student research projects and Master’s Thesis Defenses so they can graduate on time.
• Schedules and conducts meetings with the 2nd and 3rd year graduate students and residents to monitor and document their weekly/monthly progress.
• Schedule and coordinate the Milestone presentations for both Divisions to keep the students on track for project completion with assistance from Division Heads and Program Directors.
• Prepare the students for their Milestone presentations (Protocols, Progress Presentations, etc.) and oversee the presentation event.
• Provide statistical assessment and support for all projects with current biostatistician.
• Review and approve the students’ thesis manuscript for submission in a timely manner to the OUHSC Graduate College.
• Prepare the residents and graduate students for national presentations, award submissions through oral presentations, poster presentations and table clinics.  
• Decide which research projects will be submitted for orthodontic awards. Consult with other respective division faculty members for selection process.
• Ensure that manuscripts are ready to be submitted for publication and submit to peer reviewed journals within their respective specialties and see the process through publication.   
• Other duties as needed to support the divisions’ mission as assigned by the Division Heads.
• Provide quarterly progress reports to the Associate Dean for Research and Innovation.
• Provide training to residents, graduate students and faculty in the Divisions of Orthodontics and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery regarding OU College of Dentistry research-related policies.
• Participate in the development and/or review of research-related components of the OU College of Dentistry strategic plan.

Although this list will depend on educational background of the APR, the graduate level teaching and course director responsibilities may include:

• Applied biostatistics
• Scientific writing
• Research design and methodology

The Assistant Professor of Research time commitment is a minimum of 0.80 FTE. The APR will allocate 50% of his/her time for each of the Divisions.

Bachelor's degree required for consideration.  Preference will be given to those with a PhD degree with educational background in anthropology, epidemiology, anatomy and cell biology, clinical and translational sciences, and human genetics.

Salary and rank will be based on experience.

Please include a Curriculum Vitae, any published or unpublished research, evidence of teaching experience (if any), and three names of reference.

Applications will be reviewed upon receipt and will continue to be accepted until the position is filled. All qualified candidates are strongly encouraged to apply as soon as possible.