UA bio institute to break ground, seek director

The University of Arizona will soon break ground on a $65.7-million building to house its Institute for Biomedical Science and Biotechnology (IBSB), according to reports in the Arizona Daily Star and Inside Tucson Business.

The institute is a virtual organization that promotes research collaboration among university faculty. Its new 168,691-square-foot facility will be located at the northwest corner of North Warren Avenue and East Helen Street. The groundbreaking is tentatively set for October, with construction to begin later that month. Plans are also moving forward on a new Medical Research Building that will have floor-by-floor connectivity with the IBSB building.

The newspapers report that the institute is simultaneously gearing up to begin a nationwide search for a permanent director for the IBSB. The institute's founding director, Thomas Baldwin, retired from the position on July 1.

Dick Powell, UA vice president for research and graduate studies, told the Star  that he expects candidates from Tucson and Phoenix, but that the post will also be advertised in nationwide publications, including Science and Nature. Salary for the position will be based on experience and negotiations.

"We can't commit to a number until we talk with someone and negotiate with them," Powell added. "It's going to be a very high-profile, established person in the field, so it's not going to be cheap."

According to the Star, the IBSB plans to hire six scientists in 2004 in the fields of chemoinformatics and molecular immunology. Plans also include a 2005 search for a director of the institute's Transgenic Mouse Facility.

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For more Information

"UA to seek director for biotech institute," Arizona Daily Star, 7/31/2003

"Search for biomedical director begins in Tucson," Business Journal, 8/11/2003