Assistant professor in Molecular Infection Medicine - Expression of Interest

Employer: MIMS, Umeå University

Location: Umeå (Stad), Västerbotten (SE)

Salary: According to university guidelines and collective agreements.

Closing date: Nov 10, 2025

Discipline: Life Sciences, Microbiology, Molecular Biology

Position Type: Full Time

Job Type: Faculty

Organization Type: Academia

Job Details

Assistant professor (Tenure Track) in Molecular Infection Medicine - Call for expression of interest

Umeå University

Umeå University is one of Sweden’s largest higher education institutions with over 37,000 students and about 4,700 employees. The University offers a diversity of high-quality education and world-leading research in several fields. At Umeå University, everything is close, our cohesive campuses make it easy to meet, work together and exchange knowledge, which promotes a dynamic and open culture.

The ongoing societal transformation and large green investments in northern Sweden create enormous opportunities and complex challenges. For Umeå University, conducting research about – and in the middle of– a society in transition is key. We also take pride in delivering education to enable regions to expand quickly and sustainably. In fact, the future is made here. Are you interested in learning more? Read about Umeå university as a workplace

The Swedish EMBL node-Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden (MIMS)

MIMS is the Swedish node of "The Nordic-EMBL Partnership for Molecular Medicine” which is a part of the European network of excellence centres focused on molecular medicine and infection biology. MIMS is hosted at the Department of Molecular biology, at Umeå University. Researchers affiliated with MIMS benefit from access to cutting-edge infrastructure, including advanced cryo-electron microscopy and a newly established animal biosafety level 3 (ABSL3) facility. MIMS has a strong track record of research into microbial (including viral) biology and pathogenesis (https://www.mims.umu.se). Notably, the groundbreaking discovery of the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing tool, which was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, was made by a MIMS researcher.

Expression of interest are now invited for an Assistant Professor level appointment at Umeå University that is endowed with a generous startup package worth around 20 million SEK (ca. EUR 1.8 million) over 5 years. The recruited researcher will receive extensive support to establish their own research group with members at postdoctoral and doctoral level. We are committed to supporting emerging scientific leaders through a collaborative and resource-rich environment. Successful candidates will have access to cutting-edge facilities, interdisciplinary networks, and tailored mentorship.

Excellence is at the core of our mission, and we seek individuals who are driven to contribute meaningfully to both research and education.

Tasks

We are seeking highly talented researchers who have already produced high-quality, impactful work relevant to molecular biology or molecular infectious medicine. Candidates should demonstrate independence, consistency, and leadership in their research activities.

This appointment is intended for researchers in the early stages of their academic careers. The goal is to provide an assistant professor with the opportunity to develop research independence and to qualify in both research and teaching for future employment as an associate professor.

The position is primarily focused on research, with at least 80% of the time dedicated to developing research qualifications. The remaining time will be devoted to acquiring teaching experience and educational qualifications.

Teaching may be conducted in both Swedish and English, and some courses may be delivered remotely using internet-based methods.

Administrative responsibilities may also be included.

The primary place of employment is Umeå.

Promoting a good working culture is important to us and the holder of this assistant professor position is expected to cooperate well at all levels and show good collegiality.

Qualification requirements

To be eligible for this position, applicants must hold a doctoral degree or a foreign qualification deemed equivalent. The degree must have been awarded no more than seven years prior to the application deadline. Exceptions may be made to account for documented career interruptions. Such exceptions might refer to sick leave, parental leave or other similar circumstances.

As an early-career researcher, you should demonstrate scientific and pedagogical excellence, along with strong potential to establish an independent, high-impact research program aligned with the focus areas of Molecular Biology and the MIMS organization.

Applicants are expected to have completed postdoctoral training in a relevant research field. A proven commitment to mentoring early-career researchers and supervising scientific theses is essential.

Candidates must also show documented proficiency in teaching or lecturing in English. Those not yet proficient in Swedish will be expected to acquire the necessary language skills during their employment.

Applicants must not have been employed at Umeå University for more than six months by February 2026.

Assessment criteria

Since this position is intended for researchers in the early stages of their careers, according to Chapter 4, Section 4a of the Higher Education Ordinance, eligible applicants should primarily be individuals who have obtained a doctoral degree or achieved equivalent qualifications no more than seven years prior to the end of the application period for the assistant professor position.

Applicants who obtained their doctorate or equivalent qualifications earlier may also be considered if special circumstances apply, as outlined in Chapter 4, Section 4a of the Higher Education Ordinance.

Additional criteria for assessment include demonstrated research excellence, teaching proficiency, and administrative competence.

A general basis for the assessment of an assistant professor at Umeå University is both, good cooperative skills and the expertise and suitability in general required to complete the work duties satisfactorily.

The weighting of assessment criteria

Upon appointment, qualifications will be weighted as follows: research expertise will carry the highest weight (3), followed by teaching expertise (2), and administrative expertise (1).

Description of the assessment criteria

In evaluating scientific qualifications for this position, particular emphasis will be placed on the applicant’s ability to conduct independent research, demonstrate innovation, and contribute original, high-quality work that is relevant to the field of molecular infection medicine (for affiliation with MIMS) or molecular biology more generally. Special consideration will be given to documented original publications where the applicant has played a leading role, as well as to externally funded research grants awarded to the applicant as either principal or co-applicant. Additional merits include postdoctoral experience at an institution other than the one where the applicant earned their PhD, and service as a peer reviewer for international scientific journals.

Teaching experience at both undergraduate and graduate levels is also valued. We expect a genuine interest in mentoring and training the next generation of researchers. In assessing teaching expertise, attention will be given to the applicant’s ability to plan, deliver, and evaluate instruction, as well as their experience in academic supervision and examination.

Administrative competence may be demonstrated through experience in planning first-cycle education, leadership in academic development, and proficiency in educational administration.

The applicant’s research area, academic merits and potential to develop collaborations with EMBL and the Nordic EMBL Partnership for Molecular Medicine will be considered when evaluating applicants for association with MIMS.

Further Details About the Appointment

The position will be organisationally situated within the Faculty of Medicine or the Faculty of Science and Technology. Departmental affiliation will be with Molecular Biology.

A comprehensive teaching and research development plan will be established at the time of appointment. To support the implementation of this plan, the candidate will be assigned both teaching and research mentors.

This is a fixed-term, full-time position in accordance with Chapter 4, Section 12a of the Higher Education Ordinance, with eligibility for promotion to Associate Professor. Applications for promotion must be submitted no later than six months prior to the end of the fixed-term appointment. If, after evaluation, promotion is not granted, the appointment will conclude at the end of the fixed term.

Promotion criteria will be defined following the appointment, in alignment with the candidate’s development plan and departmental expectations.

Application

Please submit your expression of interest via email to prefekt.molbiol@umu.se and make sure to write in the subject line ‘‘Expression of interest-Assistant Professor (tenure track). Last application date is 10-Nov-2025.

The application should include the following:

• Short abstract (1500 characters)
• Research plan in English (max. 6 pages and no less than 4 pages, font 12pt)
• CV containing research qualifications – positions, prizes and postdoc positions (max 2 pages)
• Brief presentation of the candidate’s mobility and international experience (max 0.5 page)
• Publication list – highlight the 10 most important publications. Add a short summary of the significance of each of the 10 most important publications.

Selected candidates will be invited to visit Umeå in December, and interested individuals may then be nominated by UMU to a national selection process for the position.

For questions please contact:

Matthew Francis matthew.francis@umu.se

Oliver Billker oliver.billker@umu.se