Supporting biomanufacturing

The Multidisciplinary Hiring Initiative in Biomanufacturing is a capacity-building game changer for the university that supports the research enterprise in the expansive area of biomanufacturing.

Starting during the 2023-24 academic year, the university hired 12 new tenure/tenure-track faculty positions in biomanufacturing and related bioscience and enabling technologies.

Recruitment began in fall 2023, with start dates in summer/fall 2024. Faculty of all ranks were eligible for hiring in research areas of interest that include but are not limited to:

• Biomaterials development.
• Biomanufacturing engineering.
• Bioprocessing.
• Artificial intelligence and machine learning for biomanufacturing process engineering.
• Synthetic biology in microbes/plants.
• Synthetic microbial communities.
• Vector-borne diseases.

The research and teaching activities of those hired will contribute to economic and workforce development in Kansas by supporting the biomanufacturing industry, creating industry engagement opportunities and increasing instructional capacity.

This bold multicollege and strategic cluster hiring initiative will move the dial immediately in growing research, increasing instructional capacity, building industry engagement opportunities and contributing to economic development in Kansas.

The intention of this hiring is to recruit research-active faculty at all ranks into multiple departments and colleges. The new faculty positions will improve the quality of education for students in biomanufacturing-related fields, and the interdisciplinary approach will prepare students for careers in a rapidly evolving industry.

Faculty hired into this program specified their home department — and secondary department, where appropriate — as part of a cross-college interview process. They were invited to specify the department representation of the promotion and tenure committee.

The Office of the Provost and the Office of the Vice President of Research jointly oversaw the faculty search processes and approve the hires.