Assistant Professor of Regulatory and Quality Sciences (Teaching Track) Artificial Intelligence, Digital Health, and Regulatory Innovation

The USC Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Regulatory and Quality Sciences (https://regulatory.usc.edu), invites applications for a full-time, 12-month, non-tenure track faculty position at the rank of Assistant Professor (Teaching Track) with expertise in clinical pharmacy, artificial intelligence (AI), digital health, digital therapeutics, extended reality (XR), and regulatory science. This position represents a strategic investment in USC Mann's vision to become a national leader in the responsible integration of emerging technologies into pharmaceutical sciences, pharmacy education, clinical care, and healthcare innovation.

Position Overview

The USC Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences is uniquely positioned to become a national leader in integrating digital health, artificial intelligence (AI), extended reality (XR), and digital therapeutics into pharmacy education, pharmaceutical sciences, regulatory science, clinical care, and healthcare innovation. As AI increasingly transforms every stage of the healthcare continuum, from drug discovery and development, clinical trials, regulatory review, pharmacovigilance, precision medicine, and medical product lifecycle management to clinical decision support and patient care delivery, the School seeks a faculty member capable of bridging these rapidly evolving technologies with education in pharmaceutical sciences, pharmacy practice, and regulatory science.

Achieving this strategic priority requires a faculty member with clinical pharmacy training and specialized expertise in AI, digital health, and emerging healthcare technologies who can evaluate their clinical utility, safety, limitations, regulatory implications, and implementation challenges. A PharmD with advanced expertise in AI and digital health is uniquely positioned to contextualize these innovations within real-world healthcare environments, ensuring that future pharmacists, pharmaceutical scientists, and regulatory professionals understand these technologies function and application.

The needs extend beyond teaching foundational concepts in AI or data science. USC Mann seeks faculty leadership capable of critically evaluating AI-enabled interventions, digital therapeutics, software as a medical device (SaMD), virtual and extended reality applications, clinical decision support systems, remote patient monitoring technologies, and other digitally enabled healthcare innovations through the lens of patient safety, regulatory compliance, quality systems, ethical use, and evidence-based practice. This expertise is increasingly essential within academic institutions.

This faculty member will provide leadership in developing innovative curricula, experiential learning opportunities, interdisciplinary scholarship, and academic-industry collaborations while helping students understand the complete lifecycle of AI in healthcare. As a Teaching Track faculty member, approximately 80% effort will be devoted to excellence in teaching, mentoring, advising, curriculum development, and experiential education, with the remaining effort dedicated to scholarly activities and university service consistent with USC promotion expectations. The position does not lead to considerations for tenure

Responsibilities

The successful candidate will contribute to USC Mann's educational and strategic missions through excellence in teaching, scholarship, mentoring, and service.

Teaching and Curriculum Leadership

Responsibilities include:

• Develop and coordinate graduate, professional, and undergraduate coursework in AI, digital health, digital therapeutics, regulatory science, healthcare innovation, and pharmaceutical sciences.
• Develop innovative curricula integrating AI across pharmacy, pharmaceutical sciences, and regulatory science education.
• Teach approximately two to three courses per semester (35-50 contact hours per course), coordinating guest lecturers and interdisciplinary faculty participation.
• Create engaging lectures, workshops, simulations, laboratory experiences, and experiential learning activities related to:
  • Artificial intelligence in healthcare
  • Digital therapeutics
  • Digital biomarkers
  • Remote patient monitoring
  • Clinical decision support
  • Extended reality (XR), virtual reality (VR), and augmented reality (AR)
  • Software as a Medical Device (SaMD)
  • Connected health technologies
  • AI governance and responsible innovation
  • Regulatory science for emerging technologies
  • Imaging science

• Develop assessment tools that evaluate students' ability to critically assess AI-generated outputs, distinguish technological promise from clinically meaningful impact, and responsibly implement AI-enabled healthcare technologies.
• Hold regular office hours and provide mentoring and academic advising.
• Serve on standing and special committees of the department, school and university
• Attend department and Mann Faculty Council meetings.
• All qualifying outside work must be disclosed via the designated website.

Student Mentorship and Experiential Education

The faculty member will:

• Mentor PharmD, MS, DRSc, and undergraduate students.
• Supervise doctoral dissertations.
• Advise graduate students conducting research in regulatory science, digital health, AI, and healthcare innovation.
• Develop experiential learning opportunities for students with:
  • FDA and other regulatory agencies
  • Healthcare systems
  • Pharmaceutical companies
  • Medical device manufacturers
  • Digital health companies
  • AI developers
  • Technology innovators
  • Support student participation in interdisciplinary research and innovation initiatives.

Scholarship and Translational Research

The successful candidate will maintain an active program of scholarly activities related to AI-enabled healthcare and regulatory science.

The faculty member will be expected to:

• Publish scholarly work in peer-reviewed journals.
• Present research nationally and internationally.
• Participate in interdisciplinary grant development.
• Develop collaborative research programs across USC.
• Build academic-industry partnerships supporting translational innovation.
• Collaborate with other USC Mann and university faculty in educational, clinical and regulatory science scholarship. Teaching is not permitted at other institutions.

Strategic Leadership

The successful candidate will provide leadership in advancing USC Mann's strategic priorities by:

• Leading integration of AI, digital health, and digital therapeutics throughout the curriculum.
• Serving as a resource for faculty, students, healthcare organizations, regulatory agencies, and industry partners.
• Supporting grant development and interdisciplinary research initiatives.
• Facilitating collaborations across pharmacy, engineering, computer science, medicine, public health, regulatory science, and business.
• Contributing to the DK Kim International Center for Regulatory Science.
• Remaining current with evolving FDA guidance, international regulatory frameworks, quality standards, and best practices governing AI, machine learning, digital therapeutics, and digitally enabled healthcare technologies.

University Service

Faculty members are expected to participate actively in departmental, School, University, and professional service through committee participation, faculty governance, annual reviews, peer teaching evaluations, accreditation activities, and leadership in national professional organizations. Excellence in inclusive teaching, innovative pedagogy, and effective use of educational technologies is expected.

Minimum Qualifications

Applicants must possess:

• A PharmD degree (preferred) and/or an earned doctoral degree in pharmacy, pharmaceutical sciences, regulatory science, medicine, biomedical engineering, health informatics, computer science, or a closely related discipline.
• Demonstrated expertise in at least several of the following:
  • Artificial intelligence
  • Machine learning
  • Digital health
  • Digital therapeutics
  • Software as a Medical Device
  • Healthcare informatics
  • Regulatory science
  • Clinical decision support
  • Precision medicine
  • Digital biomarkers
  • Extended reality
  • Imaging science
• Demonstrated excellence or strong potential in teaching and curriculum development.
• Evidence of scholarly productivity related to AI, digital health, healthcare innovation, or regulatory science.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to mentor graduate, undergraduate, and professional students.

Preferred Qualifications

Preference will be given to candidates with:

• A PharmD combined with advanced training or substantial professional expertise in AI, digital health, clinical informatics, or regulatory science.
• Experience evaluating AI-enabled healthcare technologies in clinical, academic, industry, or regulatory settings.
• Knowledge of FDA regulatory frameworks governing AI/ML-enabled medical devices, Software as a Medical Device (SaMD), Digital Health Technologies (DHTs), digital therapeutics, and AI lifecycle management.
• Experience in curriculum innovation and interdisciplinary education.
• Demonstrated success collaborating with healthcare systems, regulatory agencies, technology companies, and pharmaceutical organizations.
• Experience with externally funded research and grant development.
• Expertise in implementation science, pharmacovigilance, real-world evidence, quality systems, or AI governance.
• Demonstrated commitment to inclusive excellence and educational innovation.

Compensation and Benefits:
The University of Southern California offers a competitive salary and benefits package within an academic environment based on the candidate's experience, accomplishments, and continuous funding sources. The rank of Associate is provided commensurate with the research and scholarly accomplishments, assessed teaching capabilities, and expertise and demonstrated leadership in the field of study. The University's benefits options include health, dental and life insurance; tuition assistance; disability and retirement plans; credit union membership; and participation in cultural and social events, as well as access to athletic and recreational facilities.

The position does not lead to consideration for tenure. Merit reviews are conducted annually from which salary enhancements are decided. Re-appointment and eventual promotion within the teaching track are expectations based on performance assessment and longitudinally via administrative review, with department evaluation, dossier submission and internal/external review.

The annual base salary range for this position is $120,000 - $140,000. When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate's work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state, and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.

Application Procedure:
The position is available immediately. Review of applications and interviews for selected qualified candidates will continue until the position is filled. Qualified individuals are requested to apply online at https://usccareers.usc.edu, and are requested to upload a current curriculum vitae, a letter of intent/personal statement, a teaching philosophy statement, and the names of five references with current contact information who will serve as professional references.

The USC Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences is located on the USC Health Sciences Campus, which includes the Keck Hospital of USC, the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, Doheny Eye Institute, and the flagship Los Angeles General Medical Center, along with directing five university- and community-based pharmacies, the latest in South Los Angeles added in 2026. Ranked by US News and World Report as the #1 private pharmacy school in the United States, and the #2 overall school according to World Scholarship Forum, the USC Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences is recognized for its more than century-long reputation for innovation and leadership in pharmaceutical education, practice, research, and service to the community and to the profession. The school uniquely spans the entire spectrum of pharmaceutical development and clinical care - from drug discovery to regulatory approaches that promote safety and innovation, from delivery of contemporary patient care services to evaluating the impact of care provision on patient outcomes and costs. The school's dynamic faculty is involved in all levels of pharmacy education: from undergraduate majors to multiple MS and PhD graduate programs, from the Doctor of Pharmacy degree program with dual degree options to a wide variety of residency and fellowship postgraduate training programs, and from laboratory to bedside learning experiences. The school has received a $50 million endowment from the Alfred E. Mann Foundation to name the school and to support student scholarships, faculty development and recruitment, and integrated biomedical innovation. USC is actively committed to equal opportunity within its faculty hiring practices, so all qualified candidates are encouraged to apply.