We are looking for an Assistant Professor (see The University of Groningen Career Paths in Science in the area of host-microbe biology. The candidate investigates the complex beneficial interactions between bacteria (commensals) and their mammalian hosts and/or between pathogens and their host. The envisioned research group combines expertise in areas such as computational biology, cell biology, immunology, microbiology, functional genomics and/or systems biology to further our understanding of the molecular interactions occurring in the cross-talk between microbes and their mammalian hosts. The position will be embedded within the department of Molecular Immunology and Microbiology and is complementary to the research at GBB led by Geert van den Bogaart and Sahar El Aidy and various principal investigators at the research institute GELIFES (e.g. Gert-Jan van Dijk) and the University Medical Centre Groningen (e.g. Ciska Wijmenga, Sasha Zhernakova, Paul de Vos).

As an Assistant Professor you will:

• set up and develop your own research line and research group
• supervise PhD students
• acquire external funding
• promote the societal relevance of your research
• teach in and contribute to the development of the BSc and MSc degree programmes in the life sciences
• contribute to the organisation of the faculty, for example by participating in working groups and committees, in the domains of teaching and research.

At the stage of Assistant Professor 60% of your time is for research, 30% for teaching activities and 10% for organisational tasks.

We encourage you to apply if you have:

• a PhD degree in a relevant discipline
• at least two years of postdoctoral experience outside of the Netherlands, preferably in a different country than where you received your PhD
• a relevant international network
• excellent research qualities which demonstrate originality in addressing significant questions in the area of host-microbe biology and show an outstanding publication record in international peer-reviewed journals
• a good track record in teaching, appropriate to your career stage
• demonstrable organisational competences
• a cross-cultural mindset
• excellent command of spoken and written English.

And you are:

• a recognized expert in your field, appropriate to your career stage
• a team player with good communication skills
• able to acquire substantial research grants from external sources
• willing to obtain a University Teaching Qualification (Dutch: BKO) within three years
• able to speak the Dutch language or motivated to speak it within five years.

Fixed-term contract: 84 months.

We offer you in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities:

• a salary, depending on qualifications and work experience, from € 3,746 (salary scale 11) up to a maximum of € 5,826 (scale 12) gross per month based on a full-time position (1.0 FTE)
• holiday allowance and year-end bonus of respectively 8% and 8.3% of your gross yearly salary
• a pension scheme
• support for maternity and parental leave
• a full-time position as Assistant Professor in our faculty’s tenure track system Career Paths in Science and the possibility to work part-time (0.9 FTE or 0.8 FTE)
• a mentor programme and a broad range of opportunities for personal development
• 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/about-us/work-with-us/that-is-why/

As an Assistant Professor you will enter a tenure track which, if followed successfully, will lead to a Full Professorship in approximately 10 years. In case of a full-time contract, you will initially be appointed for seven years and your performance will be assessed after five 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 first get a tenured appointment as an Associate Professor. Four to seven years after being appointed as an Associate Professor, you will be assessed for promotion to the position of Full Professor. Please consider Career Paths in Science for a complete description of our tenure track system as well as the criteria for promotion: https://www.rug.nl/fse/organization/vacatures/vacatures/career-paths-in-science-edition-4?lang=en

Faculty of Science and Engineering

The University of Groningen is a research university with a global outlook, deeply rooted in Groningen, City of Talent (http://www.rug.nl/about-us/who-are-we/discover-groningen/). 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 mathematics, astronomy, physics, chemistry and mechanical engineering, to interdisciplinary fields such as artificial intelligence, computer science, pharmacy and material science. 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 The Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute (GBB – http://www.rug.nl/gbb), one of the larger institutes of the Faculty of Science and Engineering (FSE). GBB provides an excellent environment for top-notch research in the field of biomolecular sciences. Twelve vibrant research groups with strong roots in biochemistry, biophysical chemistry, cell biology, computational biology, genetics, microbiology, molecular biology, and systems biology are organised in two focal areas: ‘Molecular Mechanisms of Biological Processes’ and ‘Physiology and Systems Biology’.