163163 Associate professor or Tenure-track assistant professor in computational drug development

Tenure-track assistant professor or associate professor in computational drug development
Center for Pharmaceutical Data Science Education
University of Copenhagen

The new Center for Pharmaceutical Data Science Education, University of Copenhagen is seeking an associate professor or tenure-track assistant professor within computational drug development from 1 June 2025 or as soon as possible thereafter.

About the Center
The vision of the Center is to make pharmaceutical data science a catalyst for life science and healthcare strongholds. To achieve this, the Center will develop and deliver research-based education for the future workforce – spanning bachelor, master, PhD, and life-long learning. The Center is based upon grant funding of DKK 123 million from three Danish private foundations; the Novo Nordisk Foundation, the Lundbeck Foundation, and the LEO Foundation. The Center is a collaboration between the University of Copenhagen (UCPH) and the University of Southern Denmark (SDU) and encompasses seven departments. For further information on the Center, see https://cpdse.ku.dk/.

Job description
The candidate is expected to conduct innovative research and develop research-based teaching in the field of computational drug development, with a particular focus on advancing and applying AI- and data science methodologies in drug development and manufacturing.

Relevant research areas include those that

i) apply data science and simulation techniques to establish a molecular-level understanding of drug development processes.

ii) unfold the potential of data science for extracting knowledge from complex data in order to understand the physical chemistry underlying drug development.

In terms of teaching, the candidate will be a pharmaceutical data science anchor point bringing in new methods and inspiration for other teachers in the pharmaceutical curriculum, covering broadly all aspects of drug development. The candidate will - together with the existing experimentally oriented senior staff - ensure cohesive integration of pharmaceutical data science elements into existing courses related to drug development and manufacturing, in particular by teaching and developing pharmaceutical data science elements at the bachelor and master levels (compulsory and elective courses) but also contribute to teaching at the PhD level and support life-long learning initiatives.

The Center will finance a start package of one PhD student (3-years) and one 2-year postdoc.

The position can either be at the level of assistant professor (tenure-track) or associate professor.

For the position as tenure track assistant professor the responsibilities will primarily consist of:

• research, including publication/academic dissemination
• develop and conduct research-based teaching , including associated examination
• participate in the development and implementation of digital core curricula (e.g., data analysis and software) in the educational programs of Pharmaceutical Sciences (incl. BSc, MSc, Master and PhD levels).
• engagement in outreach activities both within the Center and with other universities and stakeholders
• participation in formal pedagogical training programme for assistant professors

The tenure track assistant professor’s performance will be evaluated through annual evaluations. Furthermore, the tenure track assistant professor will be evaluated in a mid-track appraisal.

After no more than six years of employment and on condition of a positive final appraisal, the tenure track assistant professor will be employed as associate professor. Find more information about tenure track at the University of Copenhagen.

For the position as associate professor the responsibilities will primarily consist of:

• Research, including publication/academic dissemination and attraction of external funding
• Develop, organize, and conduct research-based teaching, including associated examination
• Participate in the development and implementation of digital core curricula (e.g., data analysis and software) in the educational programs of Pharmaceutical Sciences (incl. BSc, MSc, Master and PhD levels) as well as contribute to competence upgrade of teachers involved in implementing data science in compulsory and elective courses
• Leadership, including guidance and supervision of researchers
• Engagement in outreach activities both within the Center and with other universities and stakeholders
• Obligation to share knowledge with the rest of society, including participation in the public debate
• Organizational contributions
• Academic assessments

Qualifications of the applicant
The qualifications of the applicant can be at either the assistant professor or the associate professor level.

While traditional pharmaceutical product design relies heavily on experimental approaches, we aim to hire an assistant/associate professor who can integrate data science into product design. Therefore, preferences will be given to a candidate with a strong background in data science, encompassing exploratory data analysis and machine learning, combined with application/experimental expertise in physical chemistry.

Additionally, we value candidates with good communication skills, a collaborative mindset, and strong ambitions to fostering creative teaching- and working environments that prioritize diversity, equality, and inclusion.

Overall criteria for the position:

Six overall criteria (research, teaching, societal impact, organizational contribution, external funding, and leadership) are considered a framework for the overall assessment of candidates. Find information about each criterion here:

Criteria for assistant professor level: https://jobportal.ku.dk/videnskabelige-stillinger/kriterier-for-videnskabelige-stillinger/dokumenter-til-meritering/5a_Criteria_for_recognising_merit_-Assistant_professors.pdf

Criteria for associate professor level: https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/criteria-for-recognising-merit/dokumenter/5b_Criteria_for_recognising_merit_-Associate_professors.pdf

The applicant is also required to possess good interpersonal and communicative skills.

Desired qualifications

• Documented strong scientific track record within the intersection of data science/machine learning and experimental drug development related research area
• Experience and keen interest in development and conduction of research-based teaching
• Track-record in attracting external funding

Terms of employment
The position is a permanent position. The position is anchored at Department of Pharmacy.

The average working hours are 37hours per week.

Salary and other terms and conditions of appointment are set in accordance with the Agreement between the Ministry of Finance and AC (Danish Confederation of Professional Associations) or other relevant professional organizations.

The position is covered by the Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities 2020.

Questions
Please contact Dan Stærk, [email protected] if you have questions about the Center, and Head of Department of Pharmacy Jukka Rantanen, [email protected] if you have specific questions about the Department. For information about the Department Pharmacy and the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences (SUND), please see https://pharmacy.ku.dk/ and https://www.sund.ku.dk/.

Foreign applicants may find the following links useful: https://www.ism.ku.dk/ (International Staff Mobility).

The Center is anchored at Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Copenhagen. This tenure track assistant professor or associate professor position will be placed at the Department of Pharmacy, UCPH, which is one of the seven departments participating in the center initiative. At the Shanghai Ranking with Academic Ranking of World Universities, the University of Copenhagen is ranking 12th world-wide within the subjects of ”Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences”.

The Center is located at Nørre Campus in the Copenhagen district Østerbro. It can be reached in 10 minutes by public transportation from one of the city’s central transportation hubs, Nørreport station, however, most staff choose to cycle to work. Copenhagen, Denmark, is placed 2nd in the 2023 Global Liveability Ranking published by the Economist Intelligence Unit, based on assessments of stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure.

Application
The position may be applied for at tenure track assistant professor level or associate professor level. Please note that it is possible to apply at both levels. If applied at both, separate applications must be submitted (see below). Please note that you will only be considered for the position(s) you have applied for.
The application must be submitted in English, and must include the following documents:

• Application, including motivation for applying for this position (maximum 2 pages)
• Curriculum vitae, including information about obtained funding
• Diplomas (Master, PhD, and other relevant certificates)
• A complete list of publications
• Copies of up to five publications to be considered in the assessment
• Research plan (2-4 pages)
• Teaching experience/teaching portfolio, including documentation of formal qualifications and teaching experience presented in the portfolio (Guidelines)

Application procedure
After the application deadline has expired, the Chair of the Appointment Committee selects applicants for assessment on the advice of the Appointment Committee. All applicants are immediately notified whether their application has been passed for assessment.

The Dean appoints an expert Assessment Committee to assess the selected applicants for the specific position. Selected applicants are notified of the composition of the Assessment Committee and each applicant can comment on the part of the assessment that relates to their own application. You can read about the recruitment process at https://employment.ku.dk/. The applicant will be contacted if the Assessment Committee requires further documentation.

The application will be assessed according to the Ministerial Order no. 242 of 13 March 2012 on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Universities.

The University of Copenhagen encourages all interested in this position to apply.

Please submit your application with the required documents. Only online applications will be accepted. The application deadline is 18 February, 2025, 23.59 p.m. CET.

Interviews for this position are expected to be held in the middle of May 2025.

Københavns Universitet giver sine knap 10.000 medarbejdere muligheder for at udnytte deres talent fuldt ud i et ambitiøst, uformelt miljø. Vi sikrer traditionsrige og moderne rammer om uddannelser og fri forskning på højt internationalt niveau. Vi søger svar og løsninger på fælles problemer og gør ny viden tilgængelig og nyttig for andre.

Kontakt
Dan Stærk
E-mail: [email protected]

Kontakt
Jukka Rantanen
E-mail: [email protected]

Info
Ansøgningsfrist: 18-02-2025

Ansættelsesdato: 01-07-2025

Arbejdstid: Fuldtid

Afdeling/Sted: Center for Pharmaceutical Data Science Education