Assistant Professor in Immunotechnology with focus on Antibody Engineering

Lund University, Faculty of Engineering (LTH), is looking for an up-and-coming researcher who wants to conduct pioneering research to take up a position as assistant professor (associate senior lecturer) in Immunotechnology with focus on Antibody Engineering for Oncology applications.

The Department of Immunotechnology engages in research ranging from advanced technology development to biomedical studies. The main research areas include immuno-oncology, sensitization, and biomarkers. Advanced technologies are utilized within the department, including genomics and transcriptomics, antibody development based on phage display, large-scale mass spectrometry-based proteomics, and associated bioinformatics. The department is host to a unit within Display and Selection Technologies (https://www.scilifelab.se/units/display-and-selection-technologies/) which is part of the national research platform SciLifeLab Drug Discovery and Development (https://www.scilifelab.se/units/ddd-platform/). Its role, on a national level, is to focus on antibody development and work on translational development of academic research discoveries for therapeutic use in clinical settings. The department is also responsible for several student courses and offers high-quality education at both undergraduate and graduate levels. Around 35 people work within the department. The position is linked to CREATE Health (https://www.createhealth.lth.se), which is a center dedicated to using advanced technology to promote cancer research across various areas, managed under the Department of Immunotechnology. Through the collaborative project L2CancerBridge, which is supported over the next five years by a donation (https://www.lu.se/artikel/storsta-donationen-till-lunds-universitet-i-modern-tid) from the Berta Kamprad Foundation, there is now an increased focus on therapeutic modalities such as antibody modalities and cellular therapies.

What we offer the successful candidate
Those who want to become a research leader of tomorrow in research, through pioneering projects and research ideas, have the opportunity to start as an assistant professor (associate senior lecturer) at Lund University. You develop your qualifications over a period of 6 years and can then be promoted to permanent employment as a senior lecturer and eventually professor.

You will receive five weeks of training in teaching and learning in higher education and also get the opportunity to learn Swedish through the University’s Swedish language courses for new international staff. We offer you support for the move to Sweden. If you have a family, they will find new contacts and support through Lund’s International Citizen Hub.

The Swedish Research Council, Sweden's largest scientific funder, will announce attractive funding for assistant professors (associate senior lecturers) with an international background at the turn of the year 2025/2026. Lund University is now making a joint announcement that also aims to find candidates that the university can nominate to the Swedish Research Council at the end of 2025.

Read more about the Swedish Research Council: https://www.vr.se/english.html.

Read more about the University joint announcement: https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/shape-future-research

Subject
Immunotechnology with focus on Antibody Engineering

Subject description
We are looking for an advanced early-career researcher who wants to contribute with research that can provide breakthroughs in how tomorrow's therapeutic antibodies should be designed to cure previously difficult-to-treat cancer patients. You are an expert in antibody technology or related fields and are interested in understanding how this knowledge can contribute to the development of completely new types of therapeutic antibodies and/or antibodies as a starting point for targeted cellular therapies such as Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-cells. You are driven by the need for research advances to reach the patient and therefore have ideas on how your research can be further developed into innovations. You are interested in driving the integration of methods in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to improve and optimize workflows when developing therapeutic antibodies

Duties – what we expect from you
As an assistant professor (associate senior lecturer), you will have the chance to apply a long-term focus on the challenging research questions you are passionate about. To qualify as a senior lecturer, you will also need to develop your teaching skills during your time as an assistant professor (associate senior lecturer), learn Swedish for teaching, be a good colleague and show that you are good at interacting with the surrounding community. And, of course, you will also participate in the department’s everyday work and development.

You will work close to the research environment L2CancerBridge, the national research infrastructure SciLifeLab Drug Discovery and Development and the research group Molecular Evolution.

At LTH, you will mainly work on:

• Research within antibody engineering or related modalities for oncology applications.
• Teaching in the first, second and third cycles of studies.
• Supervision of degree projects and doctoral students.
• Actively seeking external research funding.
• Collaboration with industry and wider society.
• Administration related to the work duties listed above.

Qualification requirements for employment as Assistant Professor (Associate Senior Lecturer)
You hold a doctoral degree or have corresponding research expertise in Immunotechnology with focus on Antibody Engineering. We will primarily prioritise those applicants who have been obtained a doctoral degree within the last 7 years from the closing date for applications for the position. If you have documents recognised in Sweden proving that there are special grounds, such as parental leave, military service or illness, after graduating that have prevented you from working as a researcher, the doctoral degree in the subject can in such cases have been awarded earlier.

Assessment criteria
For appointment to assistant professor (associate senior lecturer), the following shall form the assessment criteria:

• A good ability to develop and carry out high quality research.
• Teaching ability.

Requirements - what you must have in order to carry out your tasks
We hope that one of your first duties will be to conduct an innovative research project that is funded by the Swedish Research Council. Therefore, we are seeking those who have:

• Very good oral and written proficiency in English.
• A good ability to initiate, develop and implement high-quality research
• Good teaching ability
• Relevant experience from doctoral and/or post-doctoral research in antibody engineering from a university/institute outside Sweden or relevant experience from industry/public sector.
• You currently hold an international position in the research field, and that you have not received a salary or grant from Sweden since before 31 December 2021.
• Good motivation and the ability to learn new languages
• Relevant experience from research in immunology/immunotechnology with focus on antibodies and antibody development outside Sweden.
• A project description for an innovative project within research in antibody engineering for therapeutic applications in oncology, that you submit with your application
• Documented good leadership skills, e.g. through elected office assignments, leadership courses and assessed leadership skills.
• Good communication skills.
• Collaborative skills, initiative and the ability to solve work tasks independently.

Additional qualifications – other credentials that we consider desirable: 
We very much want you to thrive at Lund University and be able to make the best of your time at the /department/, and for that reason we consider it preferable if you can also demonstrate that you:

• Have documented research experience from design of antibody modalities.
• Have documented experience from cancer-related research.
• Have documented research experience from using AI/machine learning/deep learning to improve workflows related to antibody engineering.
• Have documented experience from development of therapies for oncology applications.
• Have or have had a postdoctoral appointment.
• Have obtained research funding from funding bodies outside Sweden.
• Have ability to positively contribute to the work environment.

The extent to which the applicant, through their experience and skills, may complement and strengthen ongoing research, undergraduate education, departmental innovation, and how they can contribute to the future development of the department will also be taken into consideration.

Lund University welcomes applicants with diverse backgrounds and experiences. We regard gender equality and diversity as a strength and an asset.

Form of employment
Fixed-term position, 6 years, in accordance with Chapter 4, Section 12a of the Higher Education Ordinance, with the opportunity for promotion to permanent employment as a senior lecturer.

We offer 
Lund University is a public authority which means that employees get particular benefits, generous annual leave and an advantageous occupational pension scheme.  Read more on the University website about being a Lund University employee: https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/about-university/work-lund-university.

Instructions on how to apply

Applications shall be written in English. Please draw up the application in accordance with LTH’s Academic qualifications portfolio – see link below. Upload the application as PDF-files in the recruitment system. Read more:
http://www.lth.se/english/working-at-lth/to-apply-for-academic-positions-at-lth/

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Promotion - what is required for you to be promoted to Senior Lecturer in Immunotechnology with focus on Antibody Engineering
When you are an assistant professor (associate senior lecturer), you can apply for promotion to permanent employment as a senior lecturer. You will undergo a special assessment to determine if you fulfill the faculty’s requirements for employment as a senior lecturer. It is important for you to know that you can only apply once for promotion and that you must apply for promotion at least six months before your employment as an assistant professor (associate senior lecturer) ends.

Qualification requirements
Appointment to senior lecturer requires that the applicant has:

• A PhD or corresponding research competence or professional expertise considered important with regard to the subject matter of the post and the work duties it will involve.
• Demonstrated teaching expertise.
• Completed five weeks of training in higher education teaching and learning, or acquired equivalent knowledge by other means.

Assessment criteria
When you apply for promotion, you will be assessed based on whether you have:

• A good national and international standing as a researcher. The requirement for international experience shall be assessed with consideration to the character and traditions of the subject.
• Good teaching ability, including a good ability to conduct, develop and lead teaching and other educational activities on different levels and using a variety of teaching methods.
• An ability to supervise doctoral students to achieve a PhD.
• An ability to collaborate with wider society and communicate his or her activities.
• A general ability to lead and develop activities.

Additional requirements

• Good ability to collaborate, independence and drive.
• Sufficient knowledge of Swedish to carry out administrative and educational tasks that require an understanding of Swedish.
• Progression in research and teaching expertise.
• Demonstrated ability to attract external research funding in competition.