Chair, Department of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering

Mayo Clinic is seeking an outstanding Chair for the Department of Physiology & Biomedical Engineering.  The Chair provides overall strategic direction for the growth and development of the department across all three Mayo Clinic Campuses and is an enterprise role.  Candidates for this enterprise position will be allowed the opportunity to select which Mayo Clinic campus they would prefer to base their own programs and leadership from. This position is responsible for overseeing the ongoing performance of the department, recruitment and retention of outstanding staff, and ensures the alignment and development of critical resources to achieve goals for the department across the entire Mayo Clinic enterprise.

• Set an inspirational, innovative, transformative vision and strategy for the Department in the context of Mayo Clinic Bold. Forward strategies and emerging scientific opportunities in physiology and biomedical engineering.
• Promote the discovery and effective delivery of leading-edge medical science.
• Guide and set direction for the department within the framework of institutional policy and direction, in collaboration with other department and institutional leaders, and in partnership with Research Administration.
• Oversee the day-to-day performance of the department as set forth by annual plans and priorities
• Provide stewardship of departmental resources to serve the institutional good while promoting the long-term growth and development of the research conducted in the department.
• Continue to host students from the Mayo clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and provide meaningful research experiences.
• Nurture the development of staff and mentor the current and next generation of Mayo Clinic’s leaders.
• Promote and advance the department’s and Mayo Clinic’s research and academic mission.

The Department of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering

The Department of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering (P&BME) at Mayo Clinic has a long and rich history of scientists, engineers and clinical investigators working together across the Mayo Clinic enterprise to drive innovative science in medicine and engineering and translate discoveries into biomedical applications.  The Department is one of ten discovery science departments at Mayo Clinic, engaged in driving innovative basic discovery science to translational applications. 

The department is one of the most highly recognized physiology or biomedical engineering departments in the U.S., consistently ranking among the best (top five) in the country in terms of extramural funding, publications, patents and innovations. Physiology and Biomedical Engineering currently has 39 primary faculty members and over 120 faculty members who hold a secondary appointment in the department with their primary appointment in another Mayo Clinic department.  Currently, the department’s 39 primary faculty members hold $31M in external research funding (annual direct costs), of which $20.3 M is federal peer-reviewed funding (primarily from NIH and DOD) and $10.6M (annual direct costs) is from other federal (two ARPA-H awards) and state funding entities and private foundations. In 2024, the department’s 39 primary faculty members published 206 peer-reviewed publications in highly cited journals. 

The department studies how the body works normally, investigates processes that contribute to a variety of diseases and conditions, and develops approaches to cure them. To accomplish these goals, faculty members develop and apply innovative tools and techniques not only for research but also for clinical implementation. The highly interactive and collaborative department has a range of scientific strengths spanning from cellular physiology (membrane biophysics, cell and epithelial biology, fibrosis, cellular senescence pathways) to tissue and organ engineering (spatial “omics,” 3D bioprinting, regenerative medicine) to in vitro and in vivo biomedical engineering (in vivo sensor technology, in vivo physiologic monitoring, in vivo pharmacies) to AI-driven imaging and mathematical modeling. Close collaborations between department staff members and clinical investigators in a rich and nurturing medical environment position the department as an ideal translational partner, capable of infusing novel technologies and harnessing new solutions to meet current and future biomedical and health care challenges.

Mayo Clinic

For over 160 years, the mission of Mayo Clinic has been to inspire hope and promote health and healing through the integration of clinical practice, research, and education on behalf of the patients, communities, and learners it serves from across the nation and the world.  Each of Mayo Clinic’s three Destination Medical Center (DMC) campuses in the United States are fully engaged in clinical practice, innovative r