The Faculty of Science, the Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research (LACDR) is looking to recruit:

2 assistant/associate/full professors in Systems Pharmacology and Pharmacometrics (1.0 fte)

Vacancy number: 23-037

We have two open vacancies for an assistant/associate/full professor to contribute to the research and education activities at the Division of Systems Pharmacology and Pharmacy at the Leiden Academic Center for Drug Research (LACDR). Depending on the level of experience and scientific track record, more junior candidates will be offered an assistant professor position which may either have stronger education responsibilities (50% education/50% research), or a tenure track position with a stronger research focus (25% education/75% research). More established candidates may apply for an associate/full professor position with the expectation to lead an independent research group at our division.

From the research perspective, the Division of Systems Pharmacology and Pharmacy (SPP) aims to develop quantitative precision medicine approaches to characterize and predict variation in treatment response and enhance translational drug development strategies. Across the five current principal investigator-led research groups of our division, the main overarching research themes are focused on (i) application of quantitative modeling/pharmacometrics in clinical pharmacology to develop optimized treatment strategies, and (ii) the development and application of systems approaches to enhance translational drug development strategies.

Our ambition is to impact development of personalized treatment strategies and innovative translational drug development through integration with clinical data, including real-world patient data. We develop new methodological advances at the interface of quantitative systems- and clinical pharmacology/pharmacometrics and other disciplines such as innovative experimental disease models, emerging biomarker technologies, state-of-the art biophysical tools, and advanced statistical/ ML/ AI-approaches. 

From the education perspective, our division is involved in the Bachelor/Master program of Bio-Pharmaceutical Sciences. In addition, our division is closely involved in the Master program of Pharmacy, which is jointly organized with the Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC). For more information about our division, please visit our website. 

Key responsibilities

The successful candidate will be expected to:

• Perform innovative research in the area of systems pharmacology, quantitative clinical or translational pharmacology, or pharmacometrics. Depending on experience level and ambition this may be either as a fully independent principal investigator (PI)- group, or as part of other PI groups within our division.
• Have a clearly defined research vision and strategy, which complements and builds on current research of our division, and aligns with our future ambition, for example through focusing on new approaches/technologies and/or emerging therapeutic modalities, or new disease areas.
• Lead and/or support the acquisition of external research funding.
• Perform (co-)supervision of PhD candidates.
• Contribute to teaching and/or coordination of courses in the Bachelor and/or Master of Bio-Pharmaceutical Sciences.
• Contribute to student supervision in Bachelor and Master research projects.
• Play an active role in supporting and enhancing a collaborative and supportive environment at our division, enabling ‘team-science’ approaches.

Selection criteria

The successful candidate should meet the following selection criteria:

• PhD degree in quantitative approaches in systems- or clinical pharmacology, pharmaceutical sciences or biomedicine.
• Experienced in the use of quantitative/computational approaches using mathematical and/or statistical modeling in pharmacological research.
• Knowledge of and ideally prior experience in state-of-the-art experimental approaches in the areas of basic, translational, or clinical pharmacology (e.g.  bioanalytical pharmacokinetic assays, biomarker assays, experimental disease models).
• Team player, experienced in working with multi-disciplinary research teams.
• Depending on experience, either a fully established research line and vision or the potential to establish such a research line based on a clear vision of the candidate.
• Alignment of the research expertise and vision with the vision and ambition of our division.
• Proven ability or likely success to attract external research funding from funding agencies and industry.
• Experience and affinity with teaching in pharmacological and quantitative approaches, and the supervision of students.
• Well established international network and research profile with relevant high-quality publications.
• Excellent communication skills in English (both in speaking and writing)
• Able to communicate in Dutch or committed to learn Dutch

Terms and conditions

The salary range for a 1,0 fte position for an assistant professor is between € 3974, to € 5439 (pay scale 11) or € 4814 to € 6181 (pay scale 12) gross per month, for an associate professor € 5506      to € 6702 (pay scale 13) or € 5784 to € 7362 (pay scale 14) gross per month, and for a full professor € 6099 to € 8881 (pay scale H2) gross per month, depending on education and experience level of the candidate. The contract will be for a one year, or for tenure track positions for a fixed term of 6 years, with a possible extension to a permanent position, based on performance.

Leiden University offers an attractive benefits package with additional holiday (8%) and end-of-year bonuses (8.3%), training and career development and sabbatical leave. Our individual choices model gives you some freedom to assemble your own set of terms and conditions. Candidates from outside the Netherlands may be eligible for a substantial tax break.

Research at our faculty and institute

The Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research (LACDR) is a leading institute dedicated to world-class research and education in drug discovery and development. LACDR comprises a diverse and international team of approximately 150 researchers and is ideally located at the Leiden Bio Science Park, the largest life science cluster in The Netherlands.

The research carried out at the Faculty of Science is very diverse, ranging from mathematics, information science, astronomy, physics, chemistry and bio-pharmaceutical sciences to biology and environmental sciences.