As a Full Professor, you will be able to optimally use your commitment and talent for research, as well as your motivation and flexibility to help develop teaching programmes and teach interdisciplinary courses.
Stimulating research and teaching between departments is high on the agenda of the Faculty of Science at Utrecht University. To enhance the connections between research performed within the department of Information and Computing Sciences and Life Sciences research (the departments of Biology, Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences) we are setting up an interdepartmental chair group on `Artificial Intelligence Technology for Life’. Here we interpret the term Artificial Intelligence (AI) broadly, encompassing research in Data Science, AI, Simulation, Planning, and related areas. We are looking for an inspirational Full Professor to lead this new initiative and connect the high-level Life Sciences research of the different departments with state-of-the-art AI technology to help generate new breakthroughs in this multi-disciplinary area. Together with the staff members in your group, you provide expertise and promote Computer Science methods for the analysis of:
- high-throughput images at the molecular, cellular and whole organism level;
- heterogeneous quantitative omics data to link genetics to biological causality;
- next-level nucleotide sequence big data (e.g. metagenomics);
- complex (pre)clinical biological data.
The research programme further develops the areas of (1) Data generation, mining, and interpretation of Life Science data; (2) Explainable AI and usability; and (3) Simulation and prediction with a particular focus on Life Science data. Members of the new chair group will collaborate with and contribute to the Utrecht Bioinformatics Center external linkand potentially industrial stakeholders.
Life Sciences research is a gold mine of rich and complex data, offering many exciting opportunities for developing innovative data management, machine learning and other AI approaches while working on vibrant cross-disciplinary projects. The Life Sciences research field is increasingly becoming data-driven. Technological developments have resulted in experimental methods producing vast amounts of data (e.g. by genome sequencing or other omics techniques, high-throughput phenotyping, dynamic imaging). Also, the analysis, interpretation, and integration of novel data with existing data is becoming more and more complex. To address current and future questions in Life Sciences research, it is crucial to invest in novel and powerful computational Data Science approaches and AI. This enables our Life Sciences researchers to address increasingly complex data challenges and maximize the biological knowledge obtained from this data. Translation of the developed AI technology and resulting discoveries to the application will contribute to solving real-world problems. Computational biology and bioinformatics are already well developed within the Faculty of Science, but would highly benefit from strong investments in researching, developing and implementing algorithmic, Data Science, and AI methodology, provided by a synergistic collaboration with Information and Computing Sciences.
As a Full Professor, you will be able to optimally use your commitment and talent for research, as well as your motivation and flexibility to help develop teaching programmes and teach interdisciplinary courses. You will contribute to teaching Data Science, AI, or Computer Science programmes, as well as educational programmes in Life Science.
The approach in our Faculty of Science is characterized by a collaborative, open, and can-do spirit that stimulates personal initiative and curiosity. In your role, as a team player, you will take ownership and create value while sharing your knowledge both internally and across the wider (global) community.
If you are excited to play a pivotal role at the interface of AI and Life Sciences research we invite you to apply.
Qualifications
You have a strong track record in developing AI/Data Science technology and its application in Life Sciences research, which is evident from your publications with impact in international conferences and journals. Your experience allows you to be at ease with many types of data: molecular (e.g. DNA/RNA/protein sequences), cellular (microscopic images), organismal (e.g. phenotypes of whole plants), clinical, and other experimental data types. In addition, you have:
- a PhD in Computer Science, AI, Data Science or a relevant Life Science discipline with a very strong focus on Computer Science related areas;
- leadership qualities and a broad vision of Computer Science and Life Sciences research;
- experience with, or good prospects for, acquiring external research funds;
- a vision on future research directions in your own area of expertise;
- motivation to translate technology and discoveries to application and societal impact;
- experience with and enthusiasm for teaching in Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes and supervision of PhD students and Postdocs;
- experience with or willingness to use innovative teaching methods, and (e-learning) technologies;
- a vision on teaching and your own contribution to teaching;
- the ability to speak and write English fluently.
Offer
- A unique opportunity to lead the development of a new interdepartmental chair group and connect the high-level Life Sciences research of the different departments;
- A tenure position as Full Professor, which will be subject to evaluation after five years;
- A full-time gross salary ranging from €5,864 to €8,539 (scale H2 according to the Collective Labour Agreement Dutch Universities) at Full Professor level;
- Benefits including an 8% holiday bonus and an 8.3% end-of-year bonus;
- A pension scheme, partially paid parental leave, and flexible employment conditions external linkbased on the Collective Labour Agreement (cao) Dutch Universities.
In addition to the employment conditions laid down in the cao for Dutch Universities, Utrecht University has a number of its own arrangements. For example, there are agreements on professional development, leave arrangements and sports. We also give you the opportunity to expand your terms of employment via the Employment Conditions Selection Model. This is how we like to encourage you to continue to grow.
More information about working at the Faculty of Science can be found here external link.
About the organisation
The interdepartmental chair group on `Artificial Intelligence Technology for Life’ is a collaborative research group, initially between the Information and Computing Sciences and Biology departments. The research group operates as a computing sciences group, with a special focus on the domains of Biology and the broader Life Sciences. As a Full Professor, you lead this group which will consist of two Assistant/Associate Professors (Tenure Track), a Postdoctoral researcher and 4 PhDs.
At the Faculty of Science external link, there are 6 departments to make a fundamental connection with: Biology, Chemistry, Information and Computing Sciences, Mathematics, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Physics. Each of these is made up of distinct institutes that work together to focus on answering some of humanity’s most pressing problems. More fundamental still are the individual research groups – the building blocks of our ambitious scientific projects. Find out more about us external link.
Utrecht University external linkis a friendly and ambitious university at the heart of an ancient city. We love to welcome new scientists to our city – a thriving cultural hub that is consistently rated as one of the world’s happiest cities. We are renowned for our innovative interdisciplinary research and our emphasis on inspirational research and excellent education. We are equally well-known for our informal atmosphere and the can-do mentality of our people. This lively and inspiring academic environment attracts professors, researchers and PhD candidates from all over the globe, making both the University and the Faculty of Science a vibrant international and wonderfully diverse community.
Additional information
If you have any questions that you’d like us to answer, please contact Professor Johan Jeuring external link(Information and Computing Sciences) at j.t.jeuring@uu.nl external link.
Do you have a question about the application procedure? Please send an email to science.recruitment@uu.nl external link.
Apply
Everyone deserves to feel at home at our university. We welcome employees with a wide variety of backgrounds and perspectives. If you have the expertise and the experience to excel in this role, then simply respond via the “Apply now” button!
Please enclose:
- your letter of motivation;
- your Curriculum vitae, including (a link to) your full publication list;
- your research statement (at most 2 pages) and teaching statement (at most 2 pages);
- a list of three references.
If this specific opportunity isn’t for you, but you know someone else who may be interested, please forward this vacancy to them.
Some connections are fundamental – Be one of them
The application deadline is 30 May 2022.