Support of applicants for the SNF Eccellenza Professorial Fellowship, the SNF PRIMA funding program and the ERC Starting Grant in the field of "Biomedical Modeling".

The Department of Quantitative Biomedicine (DQBM) of the University of Zurich announces opportunities for applicants who seek to establish their own research group by obtaining independent third-party funding (SNF Eccellenza Professorial Fellowships, SNF PRIMA grant program and/or ERC Starting Grant Program (ERC-StG)). Successful candidates may be invited to negotiate an independent Assistant Professorship for a period of 5 years. To complement the independent external funding, the DQBM will provide laboratory facilities, administrative support and a first-class scientific environment.

The DQBM fosters research and education at the interface of biomedical research, biotechnology, and computational biology, to develop the foundations of next-generation precision medicine. The exploration of novel tools to extract knowledge from experimental quantitative data sets will accelerate the precision medicine revolution. For the forthcoming ERC/SNF application rounds, we particularly encourage proposals that match the following profile:

The Assistant Professorship will focus on the (multiscale) modeling of disease processes, using e.g. statistical interference methods, differential equations, neural network based methods or similar approaches, with the aim of conducting computer-assisted simulation experiments for the dynamic prediction of processes in multicellular systems. Such systems include, but are not limited to, immune systems, tumor micro-environments, neural circuits and microbiomes, taking into account spatial (3D) relationships. Further research interests could include system dynamics, perturbations, and evolution, such as evolutionary dynamics in chronic infections and tumor development, as well as prediction of complex emergent behavior resulting from multicomponent interactions, as seen in protein assembly and aggregation.

The Assistant Professorship is designed for a scientist with strong methodological expertise in the fields of Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics or (Bio-) Physics, and excellent research experience in modeling quantitative systems data. Furthermore, the supported candidate is expected to have the ambition to establish a strong independent research group with an international profile, as well as the willingness to synergize with the current research groups at the DQBM. In addition to research activities, the Assistant Professorship will contribute to teaching in the quantitative biomedicine curriculum.

Applicants should submit their application via the UZH online portal. This application should include:

• A 1-page personal statement on why you are interested in joining our new, interdisciplinary department;
• A 2-page research plan for the next 5 years;
• A full CV highlighting your academic track record;
• Contact details of 3 referees who can be contacted for recommendation letters.

The supported Assistant Professorship offers major opportunities for establishing a first-class computational research program in the field of biomedical modeling in collaboration with numerous partners and institutions in Zurich, including the University Hospitals of Zurich and the Bioinformatics Hub at the LOOP Zurich.
The University of Zurich is an equal opportunity employer and strives to increase the percentage of women in leading positions. Therefore, qualified female researchers are encouraged to apply.

The deadline for applications is 30 September 2020. Short-listed candidates will be informed by mid-October 2020 and invited to present their past achievements and research proposal during a symposium at the DQBM in November 2020. Final support decisions will be communicated in December 2020. Employment start date to be mutually agreed.