Tenure Track MERLN | in Biofabrication for Food Tissue Engineering

Introduction

We seek a tenure track candidate to join the MERLN Institute for Technology-Inspired Regenerative Medicine. MERLN was founded at Maastricht University in 2014 and has quickly become a leading institute in Europe. We are a team of 18 faculty members (principal investigators from Assistant to Full Professor level) and >130 PhD candidates and postdoctoral researchers with diverse expertise and research interests, including biomaterials, cell biology, tissue engineering, biofabrication, microfabrication and -fluidics, nanotechnology, computational modeling, and bioinformatics. We share newly renovated laboratory facilities with state-of-the-art equipment. Our staff members are leaders in the field of biomaterials, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, for which we have a focus on engineering approaches, and we are particularly well-known for our orientation towards translational research.

Description of the candidate

The successful candidate will be embedded within the Complex Tissue Regeneration department of the MERLN Institute. For those unfamiliar with Dutch academic norms, departments are led by a chair who supervises an independent research group of their own (comprising PhD candidates and postdoctoral researchers) and is also responsible for the activities of a small number of junior academics (typically at the Assistant and Associate Professor level) who are responsible for their own research groups within the same department. In this context, team science is fostered and encouraged, where in most of the Institute research efforts PhD students and Post-docs are supervised by a team of at least 2 PIs. In each of the MERLN departments there are currently 3 to 5 junior academics in a tenure track trajectory. The position is an independent one suited for someone with at least 4 years of experience post-PhD. Excellent knowledge of scientific English is required as it is our working language. Knowledge of Dutch is not required at this stage, but candidates should be willing to learn for their administrative tasks. We encourage candidates who reflect diversity in the broadest sense.

 

Requirements:

Candidates must:

• Have a track record of high-quality publications
• Have supervision experience
• Possess an international network
• Be recognized as emergent scientific leaders in their field
• Have a talent for leadership and management
• Be passionate about interdisciplinary collaboration
• Have experience in education, willing to teach Bachelor and Master students
• Have demonstrated an ability to fund their research.

Salary Benefits:

What we offer

The contract terms will be finalized upon selecting a candidate, but the expectation is for an initially temporary position (max 4 years) in a tenure track system, which may be turned into a permanent contract following a probationary period, acquisition of any necessary certificates/qualifications, and positive evaluation from a tenure track.

• Laboratory and office facilities (with support staff) are shared by the entire institute.
• You will be appointed first as researcher, but once tenured will be appointed on a permanent basis as assistant or associate professor depending on the level of experience.
• In addition to research activities, you are expected to perform education duties using the Problem Based Learning (PBL) approach that is synonymous with UM education.
• The contract starts with a low level of teaching, eventually increasing to 50% after 4 year period; however, this effort/time can distributed between you and the junior researchers.
• The position is in the salary scale 11 respectively salary scale 12 (€3.974–€6.181 gross per month based on full-time employment). Salary will be based on relevant education combined with relevant work experience;
• In addition to the salary, we offer an 8% holiday allowance and an 8.3% end-of-year bonus;
• If you have to relocate from abroad you may be eligible for the Dutch ‘30% ruling’, which can result in a significantly higher net salary.
• 232 vacation hours per year for full-time employment and the possibility of expanding this slightly and additional holidays;
• The terms of employment at Maastricht University are largely set out in the Collective Bargaining Agreement of Dutch Universities. In addition, local provisions specific to UM apply. For more information, consult the website www.maastrichtuniversity.nl > About UM > Working at UM.

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