Associate Senior Lecturer (DDLS Fellow) in data-driven Precision Medicine and Diagnostics

Lund University, Faculty of Medicine,

Lund University was founded in 1666 and is repeatedly ranked among the world’s top 100 universities. The University has around 44 000 students and more than 8 000 staff based in Lund, Helsingborg and Malmö. We are united in our efforts to understand, explain and improve our world and the human condition.

The Faculty of Medicine is a part of Lund University, and is responsible for education and research within medicine and healthcare. Our academic programs are closely linked with the healthcare system and are firmly anchored in the faculty’s strong research tradition. Our research spans a broad field within experimental preclinical research, near-patient clinical research and health sciences research. The Faculty of Medicine, with its 1,800 employees and 2,700 students in Lund and Malmö, is a knowledge-intensive meeting place for students, teachers and researchers from all over the world.

Lund is strategically positioned close to the continent, hosting major national and European research infrastructures, such as MAXIV Laboratory and the European Spallation Source (ESS). In the field of Precision Medicine and Diagnostics research we offer attractive environments at the Faculty of Medicine in collaboration with the Faculty of Engineering, the Faculty of Science and regional university healthcare, within a broad range of medical topics and disease areas as well as cutting-edge infrastructures, high-capacity computational resources, extensive biobanks and career support programs. 

In this tenure track position as Associate Senior Lecturer (DDLS Fellow) we are addressing outstanding early-career scientists with international research experience. The position is located within the Faculty of Medicine, and the appointed candidate will be enrolled in the Wallenberg Center for Molecular Medicine (WCMM) at Lund University. Departmental placement will be determined at the time of appointment. The position is time-limited to five years with the possibility for promotion to Senior Lecturer.

Background
The SciLifeLab and Wallenberg National Program for Data Driven Life Science (DDLS) is a 12-year initiative funded with a total of 3,1 billion SEK from the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation. The purpose of the program is to recruit and train the next-generation of data-driven life scientists and to create globally leading computational and data science capabilities in life science in Sweden.

The program will recruit 39 eminent junior group leaders as DDLS Fellows, launch over 210 postdoctoral positions and establish a research school for 260 PhDs, within both academia and industry. The program is coordinated by SciLifeLab, a nationwide research infrastructure and a hub for cross-disciplinary life sciences. The Fellows will be recruited to the 11 participating host universities/organizations, enabling them to link up with strong local research environments as well as with the national DDLS program. The DDLS program promotes collaborative interdisciplinary work and engagement with industry, healthcare and other national and international partners, such as WASP, with the aim of bridging the life science and data science communities.

The DDLS program will focus on four strategic areas of data-driven research: cell and molecular biology, evolution and biodiversity, precision medicine and diagnostics, epidemiology and infection biology. We are now looking for the first 20 junior group leaders to join as DDLS Fellows. 

Each Associate Senior Lecturer (DDLS Fellow) will receive a recruitment package of 17 million SEK, which is meant to cover 5 years of his/her own salary, two PhD students and two postdoc positions, as well as running costs. The Fellow positions are tenure-track, and the universities/organizations will assume the long-term responsibility of their support as tenured faculty.

The future of life science is data-driven. Will you be leading that change with us? Then apply now!

At Lund University, we are looking to fill the position as Associate Senior Lecturer (DDLS Fellow) in Data driven Precision Medicine and Diagnostics

The subject area concerns data-driven research on precision medicine, such as the use of computational tools to integrate molecular and clinical data for translational research and diagnostic development thereby facilitating individualized patient care. Data integration and analysis can be used for patient stratification, for discovery of diagnostic biomarkers and for longitudinal monitoring and follow-up. Precision medicine also depends on capabilities for data interpretation, visualization and clinical decision support. The research is expected to use assets, such as electronic health care records, molecular data (e.g. imaging and omics), as well as longitudinal patient and population registries, biobanks and digital monitoring data.

Work duties
The ideal candidate is expected to initiate and maintain a strong data-driven research program in synergy with on-going preclinical and clinical research at the faculty within the field of Precision medicine and Diagnostics.

The successful candidates will primarily be conducting research and research supervision. Up to 20% of the employment can be devoted to teaching at the faculty on graduate as well as postgraduate level so that the criteria for promotion to a tenure position as Senior Lecturer can be fulfilled within five years. Other duties may be added. 

The candidate is also expected to take active part in interactions and exchange programs within local and national DDLS fellow programs, Science for Life Laboratories, as well as the WCMM program at Lund University.

Qualifications
According to Chapter 4, Section 4a of the Higher Education Ordinance a person is qualified for appointment if the applicant holds a PhD or has corresponding research expertise. Priority should be given candidates who have completed their degree or achieved the corresponding competence no more than 5 years before the last date for applications. However, a person who has been awarded a PhD or achieved the equivalent expertise at an earlier date may also be considered if there are exceptional circumstances. Exceptional circumstances are sick leave, parental leave or other similar circumstances.

Promotion to Senior Lecturer
An Associate Senior Lecturer is to be appointed on application to a permanent position as Senior
Lecturer if he or she has required qualifications and is deemed to be suitable with reference to the
qualifications and assessment criteria for promotion and appointment as Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Medicine. See: Senior Lecturer- General requirements profile and assessments criteria,
www.med.lu.se/recruitment_process

The application for promotion is to be submitted to the Faculty office no later than six month prior to the end of the appointment.

Basis for assessment We expect the successful candidate to become one of the future research leaders at the Medical Faculty in the field of data-driven Precision Medicine and Diagnostics. We are seeking highly motivated individuals with documented international research experience, a demonstrated potential for creativity and a high degree of excellence in the field, for example in computational biology, mathematical modelling and simulations, bioinformatics of large-scale datasets. The candidate will be evaluated with regard to: 1) The scientific excellence. 2) Teaching credentials. 3) Leadership skills.

Particular weight will be given to scientific excellence in an international context. Emphasis will, in addition, be placed on the candidates’ personal suitability and the candidates’ potential to become eligible for a senior lecturer position within the time frame of the associate senior lecturer position. Specific assessment criteria are given below:

1) The scientific excellence 
Independently performed experimental research within the area, including publications at a high scientific level and grants achieved in strong competition. Novelty of the scientific approach, giving added value to the existing research at the faculty within the field. Several years of research in an international environment, outside Sweden, is a very strong merit.

2) Teaching credentials
A further merit is pedagogical skills in planning, execution, and evaluation of teaching as well as supervision and examination.

3) Leadership skills
Evaluation is also made on the basis of documented administrative skills, including leadership, research supervision, ability to plan, develop and maintain research group organization, and the ability to interact with the surrounding society.

In addition to the Higher Education Ordinance, the following apply to the appointments of teaching staff: Lund University Appointment Rules and at promotion to Senior Lecturer, the Faculty of Medicine’s general requirements profile and assessment criteria for the appointment of a Senior Lecturer, see www.med.lu.se/recruitment_process

The appointment will be made after preparation in the Academic Appointments Board

For further information about the position please contact:

Vice-Dean David Gisselsson, tel +46 73 391 40 36,
e-mail: David.Gisselsson_Nord@med.lu.se or

Dean Kristina Åkesson, tel +46 46 222 80 84,
e-mail: Kristina.Akesson@med.lu.se

Information on application formalities may be obtained from Ms Kajsa Johnsson,
Tel: + 46 46-222 08 22, e-mail: Kajsa.Johnsson@med.lu.se

Application
Applications are to be made electronically via Lund University’s applications portal by the 5 th of September 2021. Applications are to be submitted in accordance with the Faculty of Medicine’s guidelines for academic appointments (see www.med.lu.se/recruitment_process
under the headings List of qualifications for lecturers and and Create a CV)

The applicant’s name may be listed on the Faculty’s homepage unless the applicant has disagreed to this.

The application should be written in English as international evaluators may be consulted.

Lund University welcomes applicants with diverse backgrounds and experiences. We regard gender equality and diversity as a strength and an asset. We kindly decline all sales and marketing contacts.

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