We are looking for an early-career academic who is interested to start a tenure track that focuses on education and who can strengthen our teaching and research in the field of theoretical biology.
Theoretical biology is a broad, interdisciplinary field of research that employs theoretical analysis, and mathematical and computational modelling of living systems to investigate the principles that govern the structure and dynamics of biological systems in time and space, including their development and evolution. Theoretical research in biology thrives in a collaborative environment: it contributes to biological insight, the generation of novel hypotheses and the validation of informal reasoning, in ways that complement experimental and observational approaches; furthermore, it relies on insight from empirical data to guide model construction, and on experiments to confirm or refute hypotheses and predictions derived from theory.
As Assistant Professor with an education profile you will:
• teach in the degree programs BSc Biology, MSc Biology, MSc Ecology and Evolution, and possibly the MSc Biomolecular Sciences, the MSc Biomedical Sciences or the MSc Marine Biology
• play a significant role in the development of education at FSE, both at the course and the program level
• contribute to current research lines in the GELIFES institute and/or develop your own research line
• contribute to the supervision of Master and PhD students in the research group you will be embedded in
• contribute to the organization of the faculty, for example by participating in working groups and committees, especially in the domain of education.
At the stage of Assistant Professor 60% of your time is for teaching and education development, 30% for research and 10% for organizational tasks. After five years you will be assessed for tenure and promotion to the level of Associate Professor (see Conditions of employment).
Qualifications
We offer you the opportunity to start a career path that focuses on education and to become an educational leader in time. We encourage you to apply if you have:
• a passion for teaching and education development
• demonstrably excellent teaching qualities
• a PhD degree in Biology or a related field (specialized in theoretical biology / biological modelling)
• a good track record in research, as shown by publications in international peer-reviewed journals and proceedings of renowned conferences
• at least two years of relevant work experience after your PhD
• a relevant international network and preferably international experience
• demonstrable organizational competences
• good command of spoken and written English.
And you are:
• if not yet in possession, willing to obtain a University Teaching Qualification (Dutch: BKO) within three years and a Senior Teaching Qualification (Dutch: SKO) within five years
• able to work well in an international, culturally diverse, environment
• a team player with good communication skills who is able to inspire students and colleagues
• able to speak the Dutch language or motivated to speak it within five years (B1 level).
Organisation
The University of Groningen is a research university with a global outlook, deeply rooted in Groningen, City of Talent. Quality has been our top priority for over four hundred years, and with success: the University is currently in or around the top 100 on several influential ranking lists.
The Faculty of Science and Engineering (FSE) is the largest faculty within the University. We offer first-rate education and research in a wide range of science and engineering disciplines, from classical disciplines such as biology, mathematics, astronomy and mechanical engineering, to interdisciplinary fields such as artificial intelligence, pharmacy, life sciences and nanoscience. Our community has an open and informal character with students and staff from around the world.
The position we offer will be embedded in the Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES – https://www.rug.nl/research/gelifes/). GELIFES aims to enhance the understanding of adaptive processes and the maladaptive consequences of their limitations, across all levels of biological organization (from molecules and genes to individuals and ecosystems), to inform the society and contribute solutions to societal problems. GELIFES specifically aims at the integration of mechanistic, evolutionary and ecological approaches. The institute is coordinating one of the four Faculty strategic themes called Adaptive Life (https://www.rug.nl/(…)e-life/adaptive-life), and is the homebase for a cluster of theory-oriented research groups (TRES – https://www.rug.nl/(…)elifes/tres/?lang=en). The institute further has tight connections with the Faculty of Medical Sciences (FMS) and University Medical Centre Groningen (UMCG).
Conditions of employment
We offer you accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities a full time tenure track position as Assistant Professor and:
• a salary, depending on qualifications and work experience, from € 3,974 up to a maximum of € 5,439 gross per month (salary scale 11, depending on your career stage) for a full-time position
• a starting package of k€ 40 to travel, organize workshops, etc., as well as access to additional resources for education development projects
• holiday allowance and end-of-year bonus of respectively 8% and 8.3% of your yearly salary
• a pension scheme
• maternity and parental leave
• the possibility to work part-time (0.9 or 0.8 FTE)
• a personal development trajectory and a mentor program
• dual career support for partners of new faculty members moving to Groningen.
Consider our website for more information about the working conditions at the University of Groningen: https://www.rug.nl/(…)with-us/that-is-why/
In case of a full-time contract, you will initially be appointed for 7 years and your performance will be assessed after 5 years. This moment may be extended with at most one year in case of a life event (e.g. prolonged illness or maternity leave). If your assessment is positive, you will get a tenured appointment as Associate Professor with an education profile. Please consider the following link for more details on the criteria for promotion: https://www.rug.nl/(…)tion-profile-def.pdf
The continuation of the career path after the level of Associate Professor with an education profile is currently being developed. It will include the possibility of applying for promotion to the position of Full Professor with an education profile.
Application
We invite you to submit a complete application including:
• a cover letter in which you describe your motivation and qualifications for the position
• a curriculum vitae, including
o a list of your publications
o from this a list of five self-selected ‘best papers’
o your ORCID and/or ResearcherID
o a list of grants awarded including year, your role (single applicant, lead applicant or co-applicant) and the amount involved
o summary of teaching experience: course name, number of students, course level (BSc/MSc/PhD) and your role (e.g. coordinator/developer, lecturer, examiner, teaching assistant)
o summary of supervision experience: number of BSc/MSc/PhD students and postdocs, and your role (main supervisor, co-supervisor, daily supervisor, examiner)
• a statement of your teaching goals and experience, in particular pertaining to your vision on cross-disciplinary teaching (as in biomathematics / modelling / programming courses for biology/life-sciences students), and what you would like to accomplish in our degree programs (teaching statement)
• a description of your scientific interests and plans (research statement)
• a list with names of references, complete with title and contact information.
You may apply for this position until 1 September 11:59 pm / before 2 September 2022 Dutch local time (CET) by means of the application form (click on “Apply” below on the advertisement on the university website).
The selection interviews are scheduled for 7 October 2022.
The University of Groningen strives to be a university in which students and staff are respected and feel at home, regardless of differences in background, experiences, perspectives, and identities. We believe that working on our core values of inclusion and equality are a joint responsibility and we are constructively working on creating a socially safe environment. Diversity among students and staff members enriches academic debate and contributes to the quality of our teaching and research. We therefore invite applicants from underrepresented groups in particular to apply. For more information, see also our diversity policy webpage: https://www.rug.nl/(…)rsity-and-inclusion/
Our selection procedure follows the guidelines of the Recruitment code (NVP): https://www.nvp-hrnetwerk.nl/sollicitatiecode/ and European Commission’s European Code of Conduct for recruitment of researchers: https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/charter/code
Unsolicited marketing is not appreciated.
Information
For information you can contact:
- Prof. R.S. Etienne, Scientific Director GELIFES, gelifes-director@rug.nl
- Prof. G.S. van Doorn, Program Director BSc Biology/MSc Biology, g.s.van.doorn@rug.nl
Please do not use the e-mail address(es) above for applications.