Description

Department of Medical Engineering Search Plan

for Tenured/Tenure Track Faculty

 

1. Advertisement description

 

The University of South Florida

Open Rank (Assistant, Associate, Full Professor) Positions Department of Medical Engineering

 

The Department of Medical Engineering at the University of South Florida invites applications for tenure/tenure-track positions at the Senior (Associate and Full Professor) or Junior (Assistant Professor) level that are expected to commence August 2026. The successful candidate should be an emerging or established leader in one of our research emphasis areas (preferred: Biomedical Imaging/ Bioelectronics; Cell/ Tissue Engineering; Neuro/ Rehabilitation Engineering; Molecular Medicine/ Drug Delivery; Biomechanics) applied to any biomedical system, with innovative research ideas and excellent training. Opportunities exist to innovate undergraduate and graduate level teaching in biomedical engineering, including those in clinical and hospital settings in association with academic clinicians. Established leaders may propose to develop novel initiatives and expand or assemble/ relocate high impact research groups. We strongly value technology transfer initiatives, and support the move of existing startup companies to Tampa Bay.


An earned Ph.D. from a biomedical engineering, or related engineering or quantitative science discipline(s), and evidence of potential (Asst) or established (Assoc, Full) national prominence through superior scholarship, active externally funded research, and teaching excellence is required. Competitive startup packages and top-quality lab space are available in our expanding department space and in the Heart Institute, part of a new 14-story structure in the heart of downtown Tampa near the primary clinical activities of USF Health.   


University Leadership has made a strategic decision to build international standing in biomedical engineering (BME) by establishing and investing in a new Department of Medical Engineering, a true joint department between the USF Medical School and College of Engineering. This new department governs our highly successful graduate programs in BME and undergraduate major in BME - recently re-accredited and just the 4th such program in the State system. 


Established in 1964 and currently led by Dean Levi Thompson, the College of Engineering at the University of South Florida is ranked #56 among public institutions (#89 overall) by U.S. News & World Report’s 2025 Engineering & Specialties Rankings. The college serves more than 3,700 students, offering nine bachelor’s programs as well as 12 master’s and eight doctoral degrees. The college is actively engaged in local and global research activities, with $46 million in research expenditure for the fiscal year 2023-2024. The college has 12 major research centers and institutes and is actively engaged in local and global research activities focused on sustainability, biomedical engineering, computing technology, and transportation.


The University of South Florida is a high-impact global research university dedicated to student success. Over the past ten years, no other public university in the country has risen faster in U.S. News and World Report’s national university rankings than USF, which joined the American Association of Universities (AAU) in 2023. Serving more than 50,000 students on campuses in Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Sarasota-Manatee, the Florida Board of Governors designated USF as a Preeminent State Research University, placing it in the most elite category among the state’s 12 public universities. USF is a member of the American Athletic Conference. Learn more at www.usf.edu.

 

USF is an equal opportunity, equal access academic institution that embraces diversity in the workplace. The University of South Florida does not discriminate on the basis of age, disability, genetic information, national origin, pregnancy, race/color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other unlawful basis.  Dual career couples with questions about opportunities are encouraged to contact the Department chair. To request disability accommodations in the application and interview process, please notify Melanie Salarbux at (727) 873-4290 at least five working days in advance. 


Pursuant to Title IX, USF does not discriminate on the basis of sex in education programs or activities that it operates. Such protection extends to students, employees, admission, and employment. Questions or inquiries concerning the application of Title IX may be referred to the Title IX Coordinator or to the U.S. Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights. The most current contact information for the USF Title IX Coordinator and resources can be found on the USF Title IX webpage at www.usf.edu/title-ix .

 

Applicants must electronically submit the application packet to the following website: http://www.usf.edu/administrative-services/human-resources/careers/. For consideration, please apply to the appropriate position level (Assistant Professor, Req# 42383, Associate Professor, Req.# 42392, Full Professor, Req.# 42391). The packet must contain a cover letter, complete vitae with list of publications and research grants and contracts, names and detailed contact information for three references (Asst Prof only), a 1-page statement of the applicant’s teaching interest and vision, a 3-page statement of the applicant’s research vision, and the faculty rank (Assistant, Associate, Full Professor) to which they are applying. Research programs will be evaluated for the importance of research questions they address, and their adoption and generation of novel technologies. Aligned with USF Principles of Community, preference will be given to applicants with a commitment to teaching and mentoring students from all backgrounds. Applicants are also welcomed to include an optional 1-page expected contributions to broadening participation in engineering (BPE) or diversity statement that outlines their commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, as well as how they will contribute to an inclusive environment as part of their teaching, research, and service. The cover letter should be addressed to Dr. George Spirou, Faculty Search Committee Chair, Department of Medical Engineering, University of South Florida, 4202 E. Fowler Ave, ENG030, Tampa, Florida, 33620. 


The University of South Florida is an Equal Opportunity/Equal Access/Affirmative Action Institution. Women and minorities are strongly encouraged to apply. Applicants who need disability accommodations to participate in the selection process should notify Khoa Dinh, Sr. HRBP at (813) 974-9272 or Melanie Salarbux, HRBP II at (727) 873-4290 at least seven working days in advance of need. Review of applicants will on a continuous, ongoing basis, and applications will be accepted until the positions are filled.


This job is subject to Foreign Influence Screening: During the 2021 Florida legislative session, House Bill 7017 (“HB 7017”) was passed and later signed into law by Governor DeSantis.  The new law modifies a variety of Florida Statutes to address concerns regarding improper foreign influence. With regard to employment at major research institutions like the University of South Florida, the new law requires thorough review of certain applicants for positions involving research.  

 

2. Search CommitteeThe following Search Committee has been selected:

 

Name	Department	Phone	Email
Dr. George Spirou, Chair	Medical Engineering	974-1027	gspirou@usf.edu
Dr. Christopher Passaglia	Medical Engineering	974-7140	passaglia@usf.edu
Dr. Richard Heller	Medical Engineering	974-1221	rheller@usf.edu
Dr. Mark Jaroszeski	Medical Engineering	974-4662	mjarosze@usf.edu
Dr. Huabei Jiang	Medical Engineering	974-5253	hjiang1@usf.edu
Dr. Albert Kim	Medical Engineering	396-2567	akim1@usf.edu
Dr. Olukemi Akintewe	Medical Engineering	974-6152	olukemi@usf.edu
Dr. Jerome Breslin	Molecular Pharm. Physiol.	974-7631	breslin@usf.edu

 

 

3. Advertisements External Venues 

The position will be advertised in:

 

1.         Paid postings:

• Nature Biomedical Engineering (Nature Careers)
• Academic Keys
• LinkedIn Medical Engineering (Free)
• LinkedIn Jobs
• Indeed Jobs
• Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES)
• ARO (Free)
• The Microcirculatory Society

 

 

4. USF Careers Postings:

 Job Opening ID#:

• Assistant Professor (Job ID#TBD)
• Associate Professor (Job ID#TBD)
• Professor (Job ID#TBD)

http://www.usf.edu/administrative-services/human-resources/careers/index.aspx

   

5. Diversity areas of outreach

The following is a list of the inclusive efforts that will be undertaken to identify women and minorities.

• Advertising within diverse engineering/science/higher education organizations: YM Careers site, https://www.ymcareers.com/ . Advertised online to reach a broad network of diverse job boards. The ad will reach active and passive candidates through targeted association emails, social media channels, websites, newsletters, and more.
• Proactive outreach by both our faculty and Mr. Bernard Batson, Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion in the College of Engineering, to national fellowship/postdoctoral programs (e.g., Ford Foundation, Howard Hughes Medical Institute - HMMI, NIH, ASEE, and others) and during diversity meetings (e.g., Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minoritized Students - ABRCMS, Institute on Teaching and Mentoring, Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science and others).
• Posting on USF websites and social media outlets focused on expanding outreach to a diverse pool of candidates from historically underrepresented groups.
• Sharing evidence-based practices for faculty recruitment and overcoming implicit bias from DIEO, NIH Scientific Workforce Diversity Office, and other resources with our panel.

 

6. Criteria to be used in the evaluation of candidates and the process

Minimum Desired Qualifications: 

To be considered for the positions, candidates must have a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering or related quantitative science discipline(s) and/or M.D. with training in biomedical engineering from an accredited institution. Must meet university criteria for appointment to Assistant, Associate or Full Professor rank. 

Preferred Qualifications:  

For Assistant Professor positions, potential for academic and scientific success at the national level, as evidenced by postdoctoral research experience, superior scholarship, external funding, technology transfer, and teaching excellence. For Associate and Full Professor positions, demonstrated excellence in research with a highly competitive research plan and collaboration with colleagues, and demonstrated teaching effectiveness.

Hiring process:

 

Table 1. Tentative selection criteria

 

Criterion	Rating (1 = lowest, 5 = highest)
Demonstrated expertise in biomedical engineering
Demonstrated research leadership and scholarship
Demonstrated external funding and technology transfer experience
Demonstrated teaching excellence at the undergraduate and/or graduate level
Demonstrated potential in entrepreneurship activity

 

 

7. Timetable 

I. Department Chair and Dean/or designee converse to identify department needs.

II. Upon Dean/or designee approval, department Chair draft ad/search plan.

• Department Chair share ad/search plan with college HRBP for preliminary review.

III. December 2025 - Job postings available online

IV. Dean/or designee will charge the search committee.

V. Search committee seek out diversity outlets/informal networks.

VI. January - February 2026 - Departments screens pool & conducts virtual interviews of preferred candidates.

VII. February - March 2026 - Search committee completes initial interviews and determine candidates for 2nd interview.

VIII. March - April 2026 - 2nd interviews: Department forwards top candidates to Dean’s Office for approval before inviting for campus interview.

IX. February - March 2026: Dean’s Office approves pool and on-site campus interviews.

• Candidates selected for final campus interviews (could be virtual) visit for seminars, meetings with department faculty and Dean/or designee. 
• Department Chair will need to notify college HRBP to initiate the Foreign Influence screening for the top candidates. This process must be done prior any offers can be extended. 
• Department Chair will forward summary of top qualified candidates (unranked) to the Dean’s Office to start conversation about potential offer.

X. The Chair, in consultation with the Dean/or designee and the Provost, will extend offers to selected candidate(s). 

8. Description of methods that will be used to check Reference / Work Experience

Committee members will check research expertise and academic history based on familiarity with academic departments and scientific literature.  For senior candidates selected for on-campus interviews, letters will be obtained from the references. For junior candidates, letters will be obtained for initial screening of candidates.

9. Identification of the person responsible for clerical support to the search committee

 

The designated person(s) for the College of Engineering is Khoa Dinh, Sr. HRBP and Melanie Salarbux, HRBP II. The person responsible for administrative support to the search committee is Cherine Chehab, Medical Engineering Dept. Administrator.     

Internal Guidelines: FACULTY SEARCH GUIDE 25-26

                                        

Part I: ROLES for Faculty Searches:

Search Chair: The Search Committee Chair is responsible for working closely with the Search Facilitator to organize the search process, prepare meeting agendas, attend all meetings and interviews, track and record candidate dispositions (why or why not they being considered for an interview or next steps in the process). 

 

The Search Chair is charged with ensuring open communication during committee meetings.  It’s paramount the Search Chair sees that all committee members are given equal opportunity to express their opinions. 

 

The Search Chair should be available during the finalists’ campus visits for candidate tours and / or meals and act as an ambassador for the College while the candidate is on campus.

 

The Search Chair will meet with the Faculty Search Administrators and the Search Facilitator at the end of the search to complete the Provost Office’s Hiring Report. It is recommended that the Search Chair familiarize themselves with and reference the Hiring Report throughout the search process. 

 

Search Facilitator: The Search Facilitator schedules the search committee meetings, posts the meetings on USF’s public calendar (7 days in advance min), and acts as the scribe to capture important takeaways from the meetings and interview debriefs.  The Search Facilitator will coordinate candidate travel with department FBA & ASA.  The Search Facilitator will schedule and coordinate the finalists’ on-campus interviews including catering and reservations if applicable.  *Reach out to the Assistant Director of Community Partnerships & Events for catering needs and booking meeting space outside of your home department.

 

At the close of the search, the Search Facilitator, using the Search Chair’s notes. will disposition candidates in the system and send candidates notifications if/when the position is filled and thank them for their interest/time spent with the committee on Teams, as applicable.  The Department Chair will either call or email each finalist that was not selected to thank them for their time and interest.

 

Search Facilitator will meet with the Faculty Search Administrators and the Chair at the end of the search to complete the Provost Office’s Hiring Report. 

 

Search Committee Member: Search Committee members are charged with carefully reviewing the job posting, paying careful attention to the minimum and preferred qualifications.  Committee members will review each candidate’s CV, letter of interest, links to works and anything else required by the candidate.  They will work with the other committee members to recommend which candidates to invite for first round interviews.  They will attend all Teams interviews and work toward consensus with other committee members to recommend finalists (typically 3) to come to campus for interviews.  They will attend all interviews, committee meals and public presentations for each candidate.  They will work with the committee to make a recommendation to hire their top candidate, along with a 2nd and 3rd choice, if applicable.

 

Faculty Search Administrators: College HRBP & the Associate Dean for the Dean’s Office will co-lead the faculty search process, lead the Large Charge Meeting(s), hold regular check ins with Search Facilitators, answer any questions about the process throughout the hiring season, and meet with the Chair and Search Facilitators at the end of the search to complete the Provost Office’s Hiring Report. College HRBP coordinates the charge meeting and posts the meeting notice for 7 days per General Counsel / Sunshine Law.  The Dean or designee will formally charge all search committees with their responsibilities.  Ideally a representative from General Counsel will give a presentation on the Sunshine Law and the Public Records Law.  The Faculty Search Administrators will provide an overview of the search process.  This is a mandatory meeting for all search committee members and others with defines roles in the search process. 

 

Hiring Unit Director: The Search Facilitator/ Lead will engage faculty during budgeting time to help identify new or replacement faculty positions needed, write job posting, recommend and invite the search committee and interview finalists.  Along with the Dean, they will review the committee’s recommendation and survey results from public presentations, select and recommend the top candidate to the Dean and once approved, make an offer. The Search Facilitator/ Lead will either call or email each finalist that was not selected to thank them for their time and interest.

 

Part II: Beginning a Faculty Search

Job Posting:

The Search Facilitator/ Lead will seek faculty input when possible to determine future faculty needs for their department during the academic year’s budgeting cycle. 

 

In preparation for the upcoming faculty hiring season, the Search Facilitator/ Lead will draft a job posting.  The minimum qualifications should at least match the university’s faculty job description associated with the designated rank.  Additional minimum qualifications may be added. For reference: Faculty Job Titles | Human Resources | USF.


The job posting should include the following:

• Job Title, Rank, and Working Title if applicable
• Position summary paragraph
• Job Duties – bulleted
• Departmental organizational summary
• Minimum Qualifications *Reminder that any MQ’s that are set, must be followed.
• Preferred Qualification *More flexibility with PQ’s.
• Instructions for Applicants: ie Letter of Interest, CV, Links to Creative Works.  *References will be obtained at a later date and will be checked by HR, the Search Facilitator/ Lead, or the Dean.
• Optional Statement: To ensure full consideration please apply by__________; however, applications will be received until the position is filled.
• College and University organizational summaries will be added in from templates.

 

The Search Facilitator/ Lead will email the proposed job posting to the Dean and copy the Faculty Search Administrators (College HRBP and Associate Dean of the Dean’s Office).  The Search Facilitator/ Lead will make adjustments as needed.

 

Posting the Position: Once the Dean has approved the job posting, the Search Facilitator should work with the College HRBP to post the position. 

 

Delegate a Search Facilitator: Unit Office Managers or other unit staff are typically designated as the Search Facilitator.  The Department Chair should notify the newly appointed Search Facilitator about the search.  The Search Facilitator will work with the Chair to schedule, document and coordinate the search. When a department has multiple searches, the designated Search Facilitator may coordinate more than one search at a time.  Other staff can be assigned to serve as a Search Facilitator as needed.  The Search Facilitator’s role is further defined below in the section title “Roles”. 

 

Establishing a Search Committee: Search Facilitator/ Lead will recommend a Search Committee (name, roles, job title, department) to the Dean for approval via email and copy the Faculty Search Administrators.  Generally, the Search Committee will include a Chair from the home department, 2 committee members from the home department, 1 College wide committee member and 1 university wide committee member.  Community Partners may be substituted for another committee member if approved. The Search Facilitator/ Lead will obtain approval by the Dean in advance of members being recruited by the Search Facilitator/ Lead. Search Committee members must be able to commit to all interviews whether remote or in-person. 

 

Once approved and committee members have agreed to serve, the Search Facilitator will schedule the first committee meeting following the Sunshine Law requirement to submit a public posting at least 7 days in advance of all committee meetings. USF’s Public Calendar http://webcal.forest.usf.edu/cal/main/showMain.rdo.

 

The Search Facilitator should complete the Recruitment Roles form and upload it to the posting.

 

First Search Committee Meeting:

The Search Facilitator should notify the Unit Hiring Director and the Dean when and where the first committee meeting will be held. If possible, the Search Facilitator/ Lead and / or the Dean will attend the first part of the meeting to explain a high-level overview of the position and what we are looking for with particular focus on the minimum and preferred qualifications.  *If neither the Search Facilitator/ Lead or The Dean is available, the Chair should provide this overview. 

 

When the job is posted on USF Careers, it will be automatically posted to job boards ie Indeed.com and some advertising will have been already requested by the Search Facilitator/ Lead.  The Search Committee should recommend additional advertising, networking, social media and other forms of communicating the job posting.  The Search Facilitator will work with College HRBP to get quotes on paid advertising.  The Search Facilitator/ Lead will approve what ads should be placed based on the quotes.  Committee members should share the posting within their networks, social media, etc as agreed upon.  The Search Facilitator should record all methods of promoting the position.

 

Sample agenda

• Review the job posting by the Dean, Search Facilitator/ Lead or Chair.
• Propose paid and unpaid promotions/advertisements of the position.
• Create a search timeline (e.g., Compare calendars, set date for candidate selection, days/times for Teams interviews, campus interviews etc.).
• Set questions for Teams interviews, review candidate matrix, and the Provost Office’s Hiring Report (completed at the end of the search).  Along with the minimum and preferred qualifications, consider these questions from the Hiring Report when developing interview questions:

1.   How did you incorporate one or more of the seven strategic areas of focus from the USF Strategic Plan?

2.   How did enrollment patterns and Teaching and Learning/Student Success impact your hiring of this individual?

 

*COE HRBP will provide resources to review the do’s and don’ts of interviewing. 

 

Part III: SEARCH COMMITTEE TRAINING 

Search Committee Members are required to complete CHR’s Recruitment Training.

Link to Recruiting and Interviewing Training

RECINT/ Recruitment Training (And Interviewing Training) (Online).

https://usfemployeelearning.catalog.instructure.com/courses/recruitment-training

 

Once the system refreshes after a committee member completes their training (usually 2 hours), they can begin reviewing applications as they are received.

 

Part IV: First Round Interviews

 

First Rounds Interviews: Use Teams to interview the first round of candidates and narrow the pool of applicants (minimum 30 mins for each interview).  Meeting notices must be posted a minimum of 7 days before the proposed meeting to the University’s Calendar.

 

Once the first round is completed, the committee should meet to determine which candidates they recommend as finalists to be interviewed on campus.  The recommendation should note the strengths weaknesses (if any) of each candidate that was interviewed via Teams.  The Search Chair should forward the recommendation to the Department Chair and copy the Faculty Search Administrators. 

 

The Department Chair reviews the recommendations and forwards to the Dean, cc’ing the Faculty Search Administrators, along with their recommendation and CV’s for finalists to come to campus.  The Dean will review the recommendations and approve the finalists.  At this time the Dean may re-introduce candidates and/or re-evaluate the candidates.

 

Part V: On-Campus Finalist Interviews

 

Once approved, the finalists will be invited to campus.  The Search Facilitator schedules interviews for candidates, coordinates travel and distributes the schedule electronically to all involved in the interview process and posts on the COE Important Dates calendar.  Meeting notices must be posted a minimum of 7 days before the proposed meeting to the University’s Calendar. 

 

On Campus Interviews: 

All candidates must meet with at least the following individuals:

• Dean
• Search Committee (all members) for interviews and scheduled meal(s)
• Hiring Unit Director
• Other Stakeholders tbd; ie students, public etc, via candidate public lecture and / or classroom presentation, coffee social, etc.

 

*Once the interview schedule is set, no other meetings with candidates should take place without the Search Chair’s approval and the Sunshine Law requirements followed.

The Faculty Search Administrators will develop a survey and provide the link to the Search Facilitators to distribute for the finalists’ public presentations.  Results will be provided to the Dept. Chair and the Dean.

The Search Facilitator will upload committee minutes / notes, search matrixes and any other important search related documents to the recruiting system to satisfy record keeping requirements.

The Chair convenes a final meeting of the search committee to develop their recommendation.  The recommendation should note the strengths weaknesses (if any) of each candidate. The Search Chair should forward the recommendation to the Hiring Unit Director that summarizes the committee’s top candidate, along with a 2nd and 3rd choice. 

The charge of the Search Committee is now complete! Thank you.


Part VI: Closing the Search

The Search Facilitator will review the search committee’s recommendation(s) and prepare a summary of the final candidates for submission to the Dean and copy the Faculty Search Administrators. Upon the Dean’s approval, the Unit Hiring Director should make a verbal offer and negotiations will begin. 

 

If the candidate accepts the verbal offer, HRBP will initiate a written offer.  The Faculty Search Administrators will work with the Chair and the Search Facilitator to complete the Provost Office’s Hiring Report and submit the Provost Packet for approval along with the written offer.

 

Once the Search Facilitator has notified the finalists who were not selected, the Search Facilitator will disposition candidates in the recruitment system and send out communications related to closing the search to each applicant/candidate.

 

The Hiring Director or Dean will send thank you letters to the Search Committee Chair and Committee Members for their participation and completion of a successful search.