Date Posted
Division of Cancer Prevention
National Cancer Institute
National Institutes of Health
Department of Health and Human Services
The NCI is seeking an innovative and energetic leader to serve as its Chief, Chemopreventive Agent Development Research Group (CADRG) for the Division of Cancer Prevention (DCP). The mission of the DCP (http://prevention.cancer.gov/) is to lead, support, and promote rigorous, innovative research and training to prevent cancer and its consequences to improve the health of all people. Research fostered by the Division focuses on translational prevention and detection, but also spans the disease process: early interventions to stop or slow the progression of cancer.
Chief of the DCP CADRG reports to a DCP Deputy Director or other Senior Staff and serves as a senior scientific authority within the DCP and NCI and is responsible for leading a team of scientific and administrative staff, establishing the overall scientific and research agenda for the CADRG, overseeing ongoing research within the Cancer Immunoprevention Laboratory at the Frederick National Lab for Cancer Research, and supporting an extramural granting program that furthers prevention and interception research within the cancer research community. The Chief will promote CADRGs aim to intercept carcinogenic processes by supporting the discovery and pre-clinical development of preventive agents with the potential to block, reverse, or delay the early stages of cancer. The CADRG also provides support for early phase trials through Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) agent production, advanced preclinical studies, investigational new drug (IND)-enabling good laboratory practice (GLP) toxicology studies and IND submission. Finally, the CADRG supports research on clinically translatable biomarkers that can be used to monitor tumor initiation and progression or assess efficacy of preventive interventions. The skillset required to lead the CADRG includes expert knowledge and assessment of multiple biomedical products.
The Chief of the Chemopreventive Agent Development Research Group is responsible for the following:
- Manages the day-to-day operations of the Chemopreventive Agent Development Research Group including managing an operational budget of approximately $9M and an extramural grant portfolio of approximately $15M, as well as overseeing approximately 9 scientific and administrative staff at the NCI Shady Grove campus in Rockville, MD.
- Serves as Division lead for activities aimed at discovery and translation of new approaches to cancer prevention and interception. This includes generation of new concepts for research grant funding, supporting discovery of novel synthetic and natural products with cancer preventive potential, and fostering collaboration across the NIH and NCI Divisions, Offices, and Centers.
- Provides scientific guidance and support to Division staff for designing and conducting preclinical studies to evaluate the preventive potential of new drugs, vaccines, biologicals, and combinations in model systems using emergent knowledge of molecular and immunological mechanisms of tumor initiation and development.
- Oversees the Cancer Immunoprevention Network (CIP-NET) and the Natural Products discovery programs to identify new approaches, agents, and class of agents for primary prevention and secondary prevention (interception) of cancer.
- Supports product assessment in the PREVENT Cancer Preclinical Drug Development Program. The PREVENT program bridges the gap between early discovery and clinical testing of novel agents through a peer-reviewed agent development pipeline. PREVENT provides a structure for introducing new agents, drugs, and vaccines that work to inhibit, delay, or reverse the tumorigenic process.
- Supports the Cancer Prevention Clinical Trials Network (CP-CTNet) which performs early phase clinical trials to assess the safety, tolerability, and cancer preventive potential of agents and interventions of varying classes, many of which target molecules or processes known to be important during carcinogenesis.
- Oversees product assessment that includes all classes of agents (e.g., pharmaceuticals, natural products, biologicals, and micronutrients) and includes synthesis and extraction, formulation, and mechanistic studies (e.g., assays using high-throughput gene analysis technology, cell and organoid cultures from high-risk tissues, carcinogenesis-related biochemical and immunological analyses, and technologies focusing on molecular and immune targets and their modulation) that leads to the identification and optimization of promising chemopreventive and immunopreventive agents. This includes overseeing new initiatives to repurpose or develop animal models for validation of preventive agents and strategies.
- Serves as point-of-contact for DCP efforts at the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research and provides scientific direction for the Cancer Immunoprevention Laboratory. This laboratory, with a staff of approximately 8, serves as a product assessment reference laboratory, conducting research to confirm key aspects of agents in development and support studies necessary for advanced preclinical development. For vaccines, this typically involves identification of optimal formulation and dosing regimens. Prototype formulation development and assessment for small molecules and biological agents are also conducted by this laboratory. Pilot studies are designed and conducted to establish feasibility of agents for cGMP production including next-generation vaccines using advanced technologies.
Position Requirements:
- Candidate must possess a doctoral level degree in biomedicine or a biological related field, or a medical degree or master’s level degree in engineering, bioinformatics, or a related emerging field.
- Candidate must meet U.S. Office of Personnel Management educational and qualification standards for the scientific discipline directly related to their position and must furnish proof that they meet all educational (i.e., official transcripts) and other (e.g. licensure, Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG)).
- An experienced leader and manager with a track record of nurturing a diverse and innovative team environment. Demonstrable experience in providing direction and oversight for professional administrative and senior scientific staff who manage ongoing research projects or a portfolio of research grants.
- Demonstrated success in establishing and leading a biomedical drug-discovery research program in government, academia, or industry with a proven record of publications/patents and/or product development.
- Ability to lead, implement, and evaluate scientific discovery and research programs on technology solutions relevant to cancer research and care. Knowledge and experience directly related to improving cancer prevention, screening and early detection and symptom management are considered a plus.
- Demonstratable experience in establishing successful partnerships with a broad range of agencies and non-federal organizations.
- Excellent written and oral communications skills as demonstrated through publications and presentations.
Salary/Benefits: The successful candidate will be appointed under the Senior Biomedical Research and Biomedical Product Assessment Service (SBRBPAS), a Title 42 authority, at a salary commensurate with experience. A full package of benefits is available, including retirement, health and life insurance, long term care insurance, annual and sick leave, and a Thrift Savings Plan (401K equivalent). A recruitment or relocation bonus may be available, and relocation expenses may be paid. The successful candidate may be subject to a background investigation and public financial disclosure requirements.
At the discretion of the supervisor and NIH policy, you may be eligible for workplace flexibilities, which may include remote work or telework options, and/or flexible work scheduling. These flexibilities may be requested in accordance with NIH Workplace Flexibilities guidance.
How to Apply: Applicants must submit a current curriculum vitae, bibliography, and full contact details for three references. In addition, applicants must prepare two statements: a vision statement and a statement that addresses the specific qualifications requirements (please limit both statements to two pages each). Submit your application to Marsha Greco at marsha.greco@nih.gov open from (August 17th - September 16th, 2023 October 13, 2023).
You may contact Angela Childers Green at childera@mail.nih.gov for more information about this vacancy.
HHS, NIH, and NCI are Equal Opportunity Employers.