The Director of the National Centre for Biomolecular Research

Department: National Centre for Biomolecular Research  – Faculty of Science
Deadline: 9 Jan 2022
Start date: 1.3.2022
Job type: full-time
Job field: Management  |  Science and research  |  Education and schooling

Dean of the Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, announces an open competition for the position of The Director of the National Centre for Biomolecular Research (NCBR)

Workplace: NCBR, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic
Type of Contract: Academic position with 4-year contract
Working Hours: 40 FTE (full-time)
Number of Open Positions: 1
Starting Date: 1.3.2022
Application Deadline: 9.1.2022 

About the Workplace

Masaryk University  is the second-largest university in the Czech Republic with ten faculties, more than 5000 staff, and more than 30 000 students.

Faculty of Science MU , a proud holder of the HR Excellence in Research Award  by the European Commission, is a research-oriented faculty, offering university education (Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral degree programs) closely linked to both primary and applied research and high school teaching of the following sciences: Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Earth sciences. We are the most productive scientific unit of the Masaryk University generating around 40 % of MU research results.

National Centre for Biomolecular Research (NCBR)  is one of 13 institutes of the Faculty of Science , Masaryk University , Brno. The main focus of the Centre is on the study of bio(macro)molecules at the atomic level using experimental and computational methods. Well-equipped laboratories include instruments for nuclear magnetic resonance, crystallography, study of biomolecular interactions, genomics, and proteomics. The department has access to powerful computational facilities used for computational chemistry, bioinformatics and chemoinformatics. Beyond the activities of the Centre, research in specific areas of chemistry and biology, the department is also involved in teaching and training of bachelor, master and doctoral students in degree programmes focused on bioinformatics, biomolecular chemistry, genomics, and proteomics. Staff members, Ph.D. students, postdoctoral fellows, and diploma students contribute to the research output of the Centre.

The research activities of the Centre include projects in the following areas: Computational chemistry and molecular modelling , Structural Bioinformatics , Computational studies on nucleic acids , Protein structure and dynamics , Structure of biosystems and molecular materials , Glycobiochemistry , Structural biology of gene regulation , Recombination and DNA repair , Functional genomics and proteomics .

About this position

We are seeking an experienced scientist and research manager with a vision, strategic thinking, and an excellent track record in the research field of Biomolecular chemistry / Integrated structural biology. We require an experience with management of large research teams and a history of acquiring international competitive project funding.

The director will be responsible for:

• The overall development of the research centre in accordance with the principles of transparency, internal culture, openness in science and gender issues;
• The consolidation and development of the Centre’s governance structure to promote excellent research, training and education;
• The scientific management of the research centre, including the development of research strategies and long-term visions reflecting modern trends in the field and current scientific challenges and European priorities, based on the existing capacities and new opportunities;
• The financial management and resource planning, the identification of and pursuing opportunities and research grants for the further development and financial sustainability of the centre, with particular attention to competitive ERC-type grants;
• The establishment of a strategic partnership with CEITEC MU and other research centres at the University Campus at Bohunice to promote synergies and interdisciplinary collaborations;
• The development of human resources in line with the HR Award, recruitment, supervision, and mentoring of employees, including early-stage researchers;
• The development, management and accreditation of existing and new study programmes at all levels to attract more students;
• The promotion of public outreach activities to increase public trust, including the support of a youth training center;
• International collaboration with strategic scientific partners and interaction with the international scientific community;
• Research communication and interaction with various stakeholders, including applied sector and policy makers;

Necessary competences:

• Systematic understanding of Life Sciences research domains, their challenges, and strategic development;
• Established reputation based on research excellence, the excellent track record and proven ability to secure research funding;
• Strong organisational skills and leadership competencies, and the ability to identify research problems and opportunities as well as to improve competitiveness in the research;
• Teaching experience, ability to supervise early-stage researchers, and acting as a mentor;
• Independence, enthusiasms, critical thinking, creativity, flexibility, motivated and collaborative mindset;
• Ability to take the lead in executing interdisciplinary collaborative research projects in cooperation with project partners;
• Ability to communicate research and its societal values with the wider scientific community, policy makers, and general public;

What we offer

NCBR is a research centre building on strategic partnerships with the leading European research institutions. It hosts progressive, interdisciplinary, and international research teams and provides an access to the state-of-the-art research infrastructure located in the new campus of Masaryk University. Brno a lively city surrounded by countryside located in the heart of Europe (half-way between Prague and Vienna), where history meets modern architecture and culture complements science and technology (workplace of Gregor Mendel or Leoš Janáček).

Faculty of Science is a proud holder of the HR Excellence in the Research Award and an inclusive, equal opportunity employer. NCBR offers a highly collaborative and family friendly international working environment. We offer attractive salary conditions, medical insurance, and various employer benefits, including 8 weeks of paid holiday and contribution to the to the pension scheme.

Application procedure

Applications including a CV, list of publications, description of skills, and experience related to the advertised position, 3-page outlook of a future development strategy of the NCBR, and contacts for three references should be sent via the e-application (please, use the link in the e-application section below). After submitting your application, you will receive an automatic confirmation e-mail from jobs.muni.cz. In justified cases, the job announcer can extend, suspend, or cancel the selection procedure. For informal inquiries about the position, or in the case of any difficulties filling out the e-application, please contact: Jana Kneblová ([email protected] )

Selection procedure

All applications will be considered carefully in line with principles of the EU Charter and Code for Researchers . The selection procedure is based on meeting of the qualification requirements described above. Shortlisted candidates will be invited for a personal or videoconference interview.

The Faculty Recruitment Policy (OTM-R) can be seen here .

Faculty of Science, Masaryk University is an equal opportunity employer. We support diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Visit our Career page .

We are looking forward to hearing from you!