Director of Research

About CASPR

CASPR (caspr.org) is a 501(c)(3) organization working to reduce addiction at the population level through research, pilot programs, and policy. CASPR is a true grassroots non-profit organization, not funded by pharma or corporate interests. We are dedicated to reducing the global burden of addiction through scalable science-based interventions. We are passionate about advancing evidence-based practices, running research and clinical studies, and shaping policy to find a cure for substance use disorders. Our advisory board includes some of the most well known international experts in the field. Our work was recently featured in STAT, the New York Times, and the Washington Post.

CASPR is unique in the field of addiction medicine and policy. We operate at the intersection of pharmaceutical policy, drug development, and public health, pushing for high-leverage evidence-based approaches to the addiction crisis.

The Role

The Director of Research will lead CASPR's efforts to advance addiction medicine through engagement with medical, scientific, and public health communities: identifying opportunities, building partnerships, launching programs, and ensuring our policy work is grounded in rigorous clinical evidence.

We need someone who can move fluidly between organizational and agency partnerships, scientific data, and program creation.

What You Would Do

• Launch and manage programs and trials within CASPR or in partnership with other researchers and organizations.
• Build and maintain partnerships across the scientific and clinical addiction medicine landscape, including medical centers, federal agencies, biotech, treatment providers.
• Identify opportunities for CASPR to have a unique impact in advancing addiction medicine: pilot programs, clinical trials, studies, and collaborations.
• Write clinical research protocols in partnership with site Principal Investigators or Contract Research Organizations.
• Hire, supervise and mentor additional clinical research personnel as the program grows.
• Stay current on clinical-stage assets, novel mechanisms, and competitive dynamics across the field.
• Advise on regulatory strategy and clinical trial design questions that inform CASPR's policy positions, including endpoint selection, adaptive designs, and evidentiary standards.
• Interface with FDA, NIAAA, NIDA, NCATS, SAMHSA, and other federal agencies on drug development, repurposing, and treatment access initiatives.
• Represent CASPR's positions on therapeutics and addiction medicine at conferences, in media, and in stakeholder meetings.

Who We Need

• PhD or MD with experience in addiction medicine, pharmacology, neuroscience, or a closely related field.
• Strong understanding of medical and scientific processes, regulatory constraints, and the process of drug development and clinical research.
• Strong interest in becoming an expert on the SUD clinical trial landscape: GLP-1 agonists for addiction, non-opioid analgesics, psychedelic-assisted therapies, and emerging mechanisms of action.
• Experience navigating IRB processes, ClinicalTrials.gov registration, or clinical trial network infrastructure (e.g., NIDA CTN).
• Strong interpersonal skills, entrepreneurial energy, and an orientation toward action and innovation.
• Comfort operating in a lean nonprofit startup-style environment.
• High alignment with CASPR's existing work and approach.

To Apply

Send a cover letter on why CASPR's mission resonates with you and how you see our strategic positioning, along with your CV.