Description:

The University of Houston Law Center (UHLC) and the University of Houston Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine (COM) invite applications for a Presidential Frontier Faculty (PFF) tenure-track Assistant Professor position to begin in the academic year 2027-2028. The PFF program is a university-wide integrated interdisciplinary hiring campaign that is overseen by central university leadership and encompasses hiring a large cohort of convergent research faculty. The PFF program envisions a candidate with specific expertise in the areas of health care innovation law and policy.

Applicants for the position must hold a J.D. degree (or the equivalent) and have a record showing potential for health law scholarship on the legal, regulatory, ethical, and policy frameworks needed to support responsible health innovation, with particular emphasis on digital health innovation, dementia and brain health research, and/or health AI. In addition, applications should show potential for success as a future member of the community of the University of Houston Law Center (UHLC), the University of Houston Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine (COM), and the University of Houston (UH) more broadly.

This position is a joint appointment (80% UHLC- 20% COM) whose locus of tenure will be exclusively at the Law Center. It will require teaching coverage in upper-level health law courses. Willingness to teach elsewhere in the UHLC curriculum, including 1L courses or other courses covered on the bar exam, is also a positive factor. The successful candidate will also be affiliated with the UHLC's top-ranked Health Law & Policy Institute (HLPI) (https://www.law.uh.edu/healthlaw/). The service and responsibility to the COM (https://www.uh.edu/medicine/) may include service on committees relevant to the successful applicant’s expertise, guest lectures in courses for medical students, advising medical students on research projects involving health law, policy, and ethics, and participation as an investigator on joint research grants on topics such as digital health innovation or health systems policy.

Other criteria relevant to this hire include: grant acquisition experience; government service or private practice relevant to health care innovation; and other work on health care innovation in a legal, technological, or policy capacity. The successful candidate’s teaching responsibilities will reflect the position’s joint appointment and its research expectations. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to collaborate with faculty at the Law Center, College of Medicine, and other UH colleges who specialize in health care innovation.

Further information about the UHLC and its programs is available at: http://www.law.uh.edu and COM and its programs at: https://www.uh.edu/medicine/.

This search is coordinated by Professor Johnny Rex Buckles, the chair of UHLC’s faculty appointments committee. Interested applicants can send questions to Prof. Buckles at jbuckles@central.uh.edu.

The UHLC boasts an accomplished and collegial faculty representing a wide range of backgrounds including 16 who are members of the American Law Institute. The UHLC’s 2026 entering class has the strongest credentials in the school’s history. Since Fall of 2022, the UHLC occupies a brand-new, world-class facility designed by award-winning architects. The UHLC and the COM are located in close proximity to the Texas Medical Center, the world’s largest medical complex and an international leader in health and life sciences. The COM is a growing medical school with community-facing education, research, and service programs. UH Health (https://www.uh.edu/uh-health/), the University-wide umbrella for health programs across the University, houses several institutes relevant to the scholarly environment for this position, including the Institute for Digital Healthcare Transformation ( https://www.uh.edu/uh-health/idht/). This Institute supports the discovery and application of sensors, digital means of remote-monitoring, wearables and other technology, and AI driven applications and devices designed to address barriers to healthcare access and delivery.

UH is a Carnegie-designated Tier One public research university. UH serves the globally competitive Houston and Gulf Coast Region by providing world-class faculty, experiential learning, and strategic industry partnerships. The City of Houston offers a lower overall cost of living, no state income tax, an excellent job market, and a world-class food scene.

Employees are expected to have a home address in the state of Texas for the duration of their appointments.

Official transcripts are required for a faculty appointment and will be requested upon selection of the final candidates.

All positions at the University of Houston-System are security sensitive and will require a criminal history check. Individuals conducting research in critical infrastructure areas (i.e., communication infrastructure systems, cybersecurity systems, electric grid, hazardous waste treatment systems, and/or water treatment facilities) are subject to regular review to ensure the security and integrity of the research is maintained.

The University of Houston System and its universities are Equal Opportunity Institutions. Everyone is encouraged to apply.