163748 Group Leader, Associate Professor of Structural Biology and Protein Biochemistry

Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Vaccines and Immunity
University of Copenhagen

The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Vaccines and Immunity (NIVI Research) is actively seeking to appoint an Associate Professor of Structural Biology and Protein Biochemistry

The position is a unique opportunity to join the newly established initiative that is a potential game changer in the field of vaccines. Joining now offers the opportunity to help shape NIVI Research. As a Group Leader, you will be provided with the resources and funding to build and grow your research team, as well as the necessary finances for research projects during the grant period.

Background
The Novo Nordisk Foundation Initiative for Vaccines and Immunity (NIVI), launched in December 2023, has a unique mission to harness airway immunity through innovative vaccine research and development to prevent airborne epidemics. NIVI has two parts:

• NIVI Research (NIVI-R): A state-of-the-art research center anchored to the University of Copenhagen, Department of Immunology and Microbiology (www.isim.ku.dk).
• NIVI Development (NIVI-D): A company that focuses on translational sciences and advancing vaccine development.

NIVI-R conducts scientific research, while NIVI-D works to quickly turn that research into new vaccine candidates. NIVI-D accelerates clinical trials (phases 1 and 2) and ensures a smooth transition to partners for later stages of development.

By connecting science, innovation, clinical trials, regulatory processes, and product development, NIVI aims to streamline the journey from research to real-world vaccines.

Job Description
The incumbent will serve as Group Leader, Principal Investigator of Structural Biology and Protein Biochemistry; to lead transformative research at the intersection of structural biology, biochemistry and computational technologies. The role focuses on applying advanced digital tools, including artificial intelligence, machine learning, and molecular modeling, to unravel protein structures and dynamics and to develop innovative approaches for protein engineering for vaccine immunogens. The candidate will spearhead projects involving high-throughput structural analysis, integrate experimental and computational methods, and drive technological advancements in structural bioinformatics & subsequent vaccine protein designs. The associate professor will also be expected to cultivate interdisciplinary collaborations and foster partnerships across the field. The Group Leader will be expected to lead translational sciences for the team and work closely with the other NIVI-R leaders.

Responsibilities

1. Scientific/Research Leadership & Management: As Group Leader the incumbent will be responsible for hiring the group, and will subsequently lead and manage the group, providing in guidance and supervision. It is envisaged that the position will lead to the generation of knowledge and intellectual property which will be used extensively by other groups within NIVI and hence the ability to collaborate is quintessential to the role.
2. Research Facilities: Design, implement and maintain state-of-the-art facilities for the purposes of discovery, research and early development activities. Responsible for maintaining such facilities according to national and international quality standards.
3. Cross Collaboration: Provide collaborative leadership and participate in cross-cutting project teams to ensure research will be closely integrated with NIVI-R’s other research groups. Ensure collaboration with the Department, The Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences and the University of Copenhagen.
4. External Partnerships & Collaborations: Working closely with NIVI-R’s Director of External R&D, and NIVI-Ds Chief Business Officer, partner and collaborate with external groups to gain access to model systems and related technologies which could apply to NIVI’s mission. 
5. Strive for Translational Sciences: Lead close collaborations with NIVI-D to ensure that research activities on disease pathogens and/or airway immunity have a strong basis in translational sciences.
6. Research-based teaching, in the form of supervision and course-based teaching in relevant fields as well as associated examination.
7. Representation: Act as a representative externally for NIVI-R and NIVI at scientific events and congresses internationally, as well as support NIVI-R’s Leadership Team. The incumbent will also play a crucial role supporting the governance of NIVI-R.
8. Obligation to share knowledge with the rest of society, including participation in public debate.
9. Publication: Responsible for the publication strategy for the group, striving for the highest impact publications and presentations at key congresses for the group and themself.
10. Network: Build and maintain a Key Opinion Leader network.
11. Academic Assessments: Assessments of qualifications of potential candidates

Qualifications and Requirements
Six overall criteria apply for Associate Professor appointments at the University of Copenhagen. These criteria (research, teaching, societal impact, organisational contribution, external funding and leadership) are considered a framework for the overall assessment of candidates. Please find information about each criterion here: https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/criteria-for-recognising-merit.

Furthermore, the candidate must be able to document:

• Research qualifications corresponding to that achieved after completing an employment as postdoc/assistant professor – or similar.
• Ph.D. and/or M.D. in a relevant field of biology for the aforementioned positions. 
• Documented research outputs at the international level, including considerable contributions to the development of the discipline and ideally with relevant vaccine related experience.
• Interested in leading a research group of scientists and technicians located within state-of-the-art facilities.
• Leadership skills able to champion NIVI and NIVI-R’s values and motivate diverse teams – or interest in developing these skills
• Agile ways of working, with an appetite for change and challenging dogma.
• Interest in working on complex projects across multiple geographical locations.
• Familiarity with or interest in knowledge and technology transfer.
• Research-based teaching experience, and preferably pedagogical competencies.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills and experience in complex organizations. Strong profile of collaborative activities.
• Research qualifications at the level that can be achieved by satisfactorily completing a period of employment as an assistant professor/postdoc, but may also be obtained in other ways

Terms of employment
The contract will be open-ended.

The average weekly working hours are 37 hours per week.

Salary and other terms and conditions of appointment are set in accordance with the Agreement between the Ministry of Taxation and AC (Danish Confederation of Professional Associations) or other relevant professional organisations.

The position is covered by the Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities 2020.

Questions
For further information, please contact the CEO and Executive Director of NIVI, Dr. Nicholas Jackson, email: [email protected]

For administrative inquiries, please contact Head of HR NIVI Research, Ditte Maria Bohn, [email protected]

For more information about the Center and the Department, please see www.nivi.ku.dk and www.isim.ku.dk.

Foreign applicants may find this link useful: http://www.ism.ku.dk/ (International Staff Mobility).

Employment will be at the Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen.

Application
The application must be submitted in English and must include the following documents:

• Application, including motivation for applying for this position (Maximum 2 pages)
• Curriculum vitae, including information about external funding
• Diplomas (Master’s, PhD and other relevant certificates)
• A complete list of publications
• Research plan (3‐5 pages)
• Uploads of maximum 10 publications to be considered in the assessment
• Teaching plan
• Teaching portfolio (Guidelines: https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/job-application-portfolio)

Application procedure
After the expiry of the deadline for applications, the authorized recruitment manager selects applicants for assessment on the advice of the Appointments Committee.  All applicants are then immediately notified whether their application has been passed for assessment. The Dean then appoints an expert assessment committee in order to make an assessment of the selected applicants for the specific post. Selected applicants are notified of the composition of the committee and each applicant has the opportunity to comment on the part of the assessment that relates to the applicant him/herself. You can read about the recruitment process at university's Job Portal.

Please note that the applicant will be contacted if the assessment committee requires further documentation.

The applicant will be assessed according to the Ministerial Order no. 242 of 13 March 2012 on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Universities.

The University of Copenhagen encourages all interested applicants to apply for this position.

Please submit the application with the required attachments. The closing date for applications is 23.59 p.m. CEST, Monday 21 April 2025.