About the Centre/Departments

The Centre for Bioinformatics was established in 2018 as a partnership between the Department of Informatics, Department of Biosciences, Department of Chemistry, and the Department of Pharmacy. The Centre has a hub-node structure connecting central bioinformatics user environments at UiO and in the Oslo region. The hub is initially hosted by the Department of Informatics, but will move to the New building for life sciences, together with the Departments of chemistry and pharmacy when it is finalized in 2024. The centre currently has four adjunct professors, six permanent scientific staff, 10 PhD/post doc positions and externally funded service staff.

The Department of Pharmacy has 130 employees. We have an active research and innovation environment based on independent research in pharmaceutical topics. The Department of Pharmacy is responsible for the popular master's degree program in pharmacy and has 350 competent and committed students.

Pharmaceutical related research and education forms the base of all activities at the Department of Pharmacy. The science of pharmacy lies in the interface between the natural sciences, pharmaceutical technology, health related topics and social sciences. This interdisciplinarity is reflected both in our study programmes and in our research.

The Department of Chemistry is Norway's largest institution within research and education in chemistry. Our research excels internationally and we educate students to a wide variety of jobs in industry, academia, research institutions, schools and public administration. Our research ranges from the core topics of chemistry to applied science within in environmental, health, energy and materials. The Department has extensive contacts with industry, research and educational institutions at home and abroad. As partner in the Centre for Materials Science and Nanotechnology our researchers contribute to a significant interdisciplinary effort in cooperation with the Department of Physics. The Department of Chemistry has its own school laboratory as a great resource for teachers, public outreach and the didactics of chemistry.

Job description

We seek a highly motivated scholar for a permanent position as an Associate Professor in Bioinformatics at The Department of Pharmacy and Department of Chemistry (see below for further details) hosted at the Centre for Bioinformatics at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at the University of Oslo and jointly financed by and with strong connections to the Department of Pharmacy and the Department of Chemistry.

The successful candidate is expected to take a lead in bioinformatics activities supporting and strengthening the involved Departments, in collaboration with the Centre for Bioinformatics. Relevant activities within the Departments include: pharmaceutical and medicinal statistical analysis within clinical testing and epidemiology, analysis and handling of big data in omics-related research with data obtained by NMR, electron microscopy and/or mass spectrometry, and protein structure/activity research.

The successful applicant is expected to have a strong background in bioinformatics and the potential to execute research projects at a high international level. His/her research is expected to be performed in synergy with one or more of the sections of both the Department of Pharmacy and the Department of Chemistry, so documented research experience in one or more of the fields listed in the paragraph above will be an advantage. The successful applicant is also expected to engage in bioinformatics research within the Centre and its hub at the Department of Informatics as well as in the supervision at both master's and PhD levels. In addition, the successful candidate is expected to contribute to the teaching at the two departments where relevant.

The successful applicant will be employed at the Department of Pharmacy, and will also have obligations at the Department of Chemistry. The obligations at the two departments will depend on his/hers qualifications and how well his/hers research profile fits current and future activities in the respective departments. At the Department of Chemistry, it is expected that all faculty members are able to teach the basic courses ("1000-emner").

Qualification requirements

When evaluating applicants, academic qualifications will be ascribed more weight than other qualifications.

Emphasis will be on documented experience and qualifications in the following areas:

• Scientific expertise revealed by a track record of high impact publications
• Documented experience and qualifications in supervision of PhD and master students.
• Ability to attract external funding; experience from participation and coordination of research projects.
• Deep knowledge of bioinformatics and broad knowledge of biology, pharmacy, chemistry and related fields.
• To qualify for appointment the applicant must have completed a PhD in bioinformatics or in biomedical research with an extensive bioinformatics component or document alternative strong expertise in bioinformatics
• Teaching experience is an important factor in the evaluation and should be well documented in a teaching portfolio. The applicant should describe her/his qualifications in view of the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL)-criteria:

- Focus on student learning

- A definite progress over time

- A research philosophy to teaching and learning

- A collegial behaviour and practice

● The successful applicant must have fluent oral and written communication skills in both in a Scandinavian language and in English.

The successful candidate must demonstrate mastery of both English and one of the Scandinavian languages as working languages. If an appointee is not fluent in a Scandinavian language, the appointee will be required to learn sufficient Norwegian within a two-year period, to be able to participate actively in all functions the position may involve.

Personal skills

Personal qualities, such as ability to collaborate, communication skills, and scientific leadership will be emphasized.

We offer

• Salary NOK 608 200 – 817 000 per year depending on qualifications in position as Associate Professor (position code 1011)
• A professionally stimulating working environment
• Attractive welfare benefits and a generous pension agreement, in addition to Oslo’s family-friendly environment with its rich opportunities for culture and outdoor activities

How to apply

The application must include:

• Cover letter (statement of motivation, summarizing scientific work and research interest)
• Research plan including possible synergies with the Department’s sections (up to 5 pages)
• Portfolio organized in the following order:
  • CV (including complete list of education, PhD diploma, positions, pedagogical experience, administrative experience, project acquisition and coordination experience, and other qualifying activities)
  • PhD diploma
• Full list of scientific publications, together with:
  • A summary of up to 3 selected scientific publications the applicant wishes to include in the evaluation describing their significance and impact
  • Documentation of teaching qualifications, experience, and teaching philosophy
  • Documentation of external fund raising
  • Other qualifications, including administrative experience, the applicant wishes to have included in the evaluation
• List of reference persons: 3 references (name, relation to candidate, email and phone number)

The application with attachments must be delivered in our electronic recruiting system, please follow the link “Apply for this job”. Please note that all documents should be in English (or a Scandinavian language).

Formal regulations

As a general rule an interview will be used in the appointment process, and it may be appropriate to require trial lectures. The basis for assessment will be the scholarly production of the applicant, other qualifications, pedagogical or educational, the applicant’s qualifications within leadership and administration as well as the general personal suitability. In ranking the competent applicants, the full range of qualifications will be considered and explicitly assessed.

Cf. the Rules for appointments to associate professorships. For more information see this.

Rules for the assessment and weighting of pedagogical competence for appointments to permanent academic posts which include teaching duties.

According to the Norwegian Freedom and Information Act (Offentleglova) information about the applicant may be included in the public applicant list, also in cases where the applicant has requested non-disclosure.

The University of Oslo has an agreement for all employees, aiming to secure rights to research results a.o.

The University of Oslo aims to achieve a balanced gender composition in the workforce and to recruit people with ethnic minority backgrounds.

The University of Oslo has a goal of recruiting more women in academic positions. Women are encouraged to apply.

The University of Oslo has an agreement for all employees, aiming to secure rights to research results, see this.

In addition, the University of Oslo aims for its employees to reflect the diversity of the population to the greatest degree possible. We therefore encourage qualified applicants with disabilities or gaps in their CV to apply for the position. The University of Oslo will adapt the workplace to suit employees with disabilities. Applicants who indicate that they have disabilities or gaps in their CV are made aware that this information may be used for statistical purposes.

Contact persons

• Head of Centre of Bioinformatics Eivind Hovig, phone: +4722858504, e-mail: ehovig@ifi.uio.no
• Head of Department of Pharmacy Henrik Schultz, phone: +4722854275, e-mail: henrik.schultz@farmasi.uio.no
• Head of Department of Chemistry Einar Uggerud, phone: +4722855537, e-mail: einar.uggerud@kjemi.uio.no

For questions regarding the recruitment system, please contact: HR Adviser Therese Ringvold, e-mail: therese.ringvold@mn.uio.no.

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