Assistant, Associate or Professor in Physical Therapy

Assistant, Associate or Professor in Physical Therapy

Job Title - Assistant, Associate or Professor in Physical Therapy

Department Name - Physical Therapy

Work Location - Lexington, KY

Type of Position - Faculty

Position Time Status - Full-Time

Tenure Track Status - Tenure Track

Required Education - Terminal academic doctoral degree (i.e., PhD or similar terminal degree) in relevant field

Required Related Experience - Record of scholarly work in content areas relevant to physical therapy practice

Required License/Registration/Certification - Current physical therapy license in Kentucky or eligibility for licensure by endorsement from another U.S. jurisdiction.

Job Summary - The Department of Physical Therapy, College of Health Sciences at the University of Kentucky (UK) is currently accepting applications for a full-time, open-rank 11-month appointment, tenure-eligible faculty member. Rank to be determined by qualifications in the Regular Title Series, and to begin employment at the Lexington campus by August 1, 2026, or negotiable. Primary duties of this position include advancing a research agenda that synergizes with and enhances the research portfolio of the Department and College, teaching in the content areas related to their expertise, building and maintaining strong relationships with internal and external constituents, and mentoring students in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program. The distribution of effort for this position will be approximately 30-40% instruction, 30-50% research, and 10% service and professional development. Faculty may also assume an active role in the CHS Rehabilitation and Health Sciences PhD Program, a multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional Ph.D. program with faculty and students from disciplines such as Athletic Training & Clinical Nutrition, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy and Speech-Language Pathology. This is an in-person, on-campus position.

About the Physical Therapy Program The Physical Therapy program at UK has been educating physical therapists since 1967. Our program is conducted at the Lexington, Kentucky campus and at the Center of Excellence in Rural Health in Hazard, Kentucky. The qualified candidate will join an outstanding academic faculty devoted to teaching, research, clinical practice, and service. Our faculty is comprised of numerous physical therapists with post professional doctoral training who are involved in clinical, bench, and educational research, and clinical faculty involved in delivery of patient care services. Our research portfolio spans a wide range of disciplines and places a high value on translational and interdisciplinary science.

The qualified candidate will have access to several significant resources including the College's state-of-the-art teaching and research facilities, widespread UK Healthcare facilities and other partners within the academic medical center, and those incorporated into our developing Health Education Building. The College of Health Sciences research centers and institutes include the Biomotion Laboratory, Center for Muscle Biology, and Sports Medicine Research Institute. The candidate may also have access to the UK Core Facilities and the UK's Center for Clinical Translational Sciences (CCTS), and develop partnerships within the Kentucky Appalachian Rural Rehabilitation Network, the Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center, the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, Barnstable Brown Diabetes & Obesity Research Center, Veteran's Affairs Medical Center, Kentucky Neuroscience Institute, and our UK Human Development Institute.

The University of Kentucky and the College of Health Sciences are dedicated to fostering a professional and collaborative environment for students, faculty, and staff. We aim to support a strong community where individuals can thrive in their academic and professional pursuits. The Department of Physical Therapy strives to develop practitioners who are knowledgeable, ethical, independent, adaptable, reflective, and service oriented. For more information, please visit:

Candidates should apply online with a curriculum vita and a letter of interest outlining how your research agenda will enhance or synergize with those of the College of Health Sciences and leverage partnerships within the University or UK Healthcare. Questions should be directed to the search committee chair, Sheila Clemens, College of Health Sciences, Department of Physical Therapy, Wethington Building, 900 S. Limestone Street, Lexington, KY 40536-0200, or email at View email address on click.appcast.io.

Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Visit the University's website and see for yourself what makes UK the perfect place to work, which includes a comprehensive benefits package (

Skills / Knowledge / Abilities

Does this position have supervisory responsibilities? - No

Preferred Education/Experience - 1. Record of or potential for extramural funding 2. Record of or potential for interdisciplinary research collaboration 3. Teaching experience with potential for course management and design

Deadline to Apply

Open Until Filled - Yes

Our University Community - We value the well-being of each of our employees and are dedicated to creating a healthy place for everyone to work, learn and live. In the interest of maintaining a safe and healthy environment for our students, employees, patients and visitors, the University of Kentucky is a Tobacco & Drug Free campus. The University follows both the federal and state Constitutions as well as all applicable federal and state laws on nondiscrimination. The University provides equal opportunities for qualified persons in all aspects of institutional operations and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnic origin, religion, creed, age, physical or mental disability, veteran status, uniformed service, political belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, marital status, genetic information or social or economic status or whether the person is a smoker or nonsmoker, as long as the person complies with University regulation concerning smoking. Any candidate offered a position may be required to pass pre-employment screenings as mandated by University of Kentucky Human Resources. These screenings may include a national background check and/or drug screen.

Applicant Documents

Required Documents

1. Curriculum Vita
2. Cover Letter

Optional Documents