Research Team Leader Systems Biology (f/m/d)

As member of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers, the HZDR employs about 1,400 people. The Center's focus is on interdisciplinary research in the areas energy, health and matter.

The Center for Advanced Systems Understanding (CASUS) is a German-Polish research center for data-intensive digital systems research. We combine innovative methods from mathematics, theoretical systems research, numerical simulations, machine learning and AI, data science, and computer science to provide solutions for a range of disciplines: materials science under ambient and extreme conditions, earth system research, systems biology, and autonomous vehicles.

CASUS was jointly founded in August 2019 by the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, the Technische Universität Dresden and the University of Wroclaw. CASUS is located in the heart of Görlitz at the border between Germany and Poland. The CASUS start-up phase is hosted by the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf and is financed by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the Saxon State Ministry of Science and the Arts.

As a Research Team Leader (f/m/d), you will shape and explore innovative research at the interface of Systems Biology and Computational Biology, with applications in medicine desired. In particular, the research program should emphasize how the spatial organization and the information processing in biological systems interact in order to define their self-organization into a living system. Other possible topics include studying the encoding of information in cells, modelling and simulation of biological processes from image data, formal analysis of biological pathways, probabilistic modelling of biological information processing, bio-information theory, physical models of self-organization, or the inference of predictive models in space and/or time in a data-driven fashion. The team will also collaborate closely with the other departments of CASUS and the CASUS partner institutions to jointly develop data and computationally intensive models and simulations. Synergies in research topics with the other CASUS departments are expected. Additionally, you will work closely with the Center for Systems Biology Dresden, the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, and the Computer Science Department of the Technische Universität Dresden. These partnerships will facilitate access to world-class systems biology research, data sets, collaborations with experimental groups, research data infrastructure, and high-performance computing resources. Consideration of candidates will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled

Tasks:

The Research Team Leader (f/m/d) is a full-time position that functions independently with the primary responsibility to lead research projects within the team that are compatible with the overall CASUS strategy. The CASUS Systems Biology research is entirely computational, and CASUS has no wet labs for experimental work in biology. Therefore, strong collaborations with experimental groups will be essential. As a Research Team Leader, you will be responsible for:

• Building and leading the CASUS Systems Biology Research Team:
  • Identify aims and vision for the group, purpose, and direction;
  • Identify resources, people, processes, systems, collaborators, and tools;
  • Create the plan to achieve the identified goals - deliverables, measures, timescales, strategy, and tactics;
  • Establish responsibilities, objectives, accountabilities, and measures, by agreement and delegation;
  • Review, re-assess, and adjust plans, methods, and targets as necessary.
• Representing CASUS to the outside world, presenting data and results to the scientific community and the general public.
• Facilitating collaboration between the Systems Biology Research Team and:
  • other CASUS research teams,
  • CASUS partner institutions and
  • external partners both in Germany and abroad.

Requirements:

• PhD in a field relevant to the call;
• Experience in building and leading an own independent and interdisciplinary research program, performing independent research, and supervising junior scientists;
• Experience is supervising graduate and PhD students.
• Experience in mathematical modeling, computer simulation, machine learning, and statistics;
• Proven ability to establish collaborations with experimental groups;
• Knowledge of computer science methods;
• Track record of obtaining competitive third-party funding;
• Demonstrated ability to work across disciplinary boundaries;
• Excellent written and oral English communication skills and demonstrated ability to work in interdisciplinary team settings;
• Excellent publication record;
• Proficiency in professional services (journal editorials, reviews, panels).

We offer:

• A vibrant research community in an open, diverse, and international work environment
• Scientific excellence and extensive professional networking opportunities
• The employment contract is limited to one year with the possibility of longer-term prospects
• Salary and social benefits in conformity with the provisions of the Collective Agreement TVöD-Bund
• 30 Vacation Days per year
• Company pension scheme (VBL)
• A good work/life balance for which we offer assistance in the form of:

  • possibility to work part-time

  • flexible working hours

  • possibility to work from home

  • in-house health management

Kindly submit your completed application (including cover letter, CV, diplomas/transcripts, etc.) only via our online-application-system.

The HZDR is committed to equal opportunity employment and we strongly encourage applications from qualified female candidates. We also carefully consider all applications from job candidates with severe disabilities.

Helmholtz-Zentrum
Dresden-Rossendorf
Bautzner Landstraße 400
01328 Dresden

For any questions, do not hesitate to ask:
Dr. Michael Bussmann
Tel.: +49 3581 37523-11,
+49 351 260-2616

Mrs. Inken Köhler
Tel.: +49 3581 37523-10

Mrs. Weronika Mazur
Tel.: +49 3581 37523-23,
+49 171 3635554

Job-ID:
57/2021