Job Offer: PostDoc in BBCE Project

PROJECT: EU Horizon 2020 Teaming Phase 2 project: "Baltic Biomaterials Centre of excellence – BBCE" grant agreement No. 857287.

LOCATION OF THE POSTION: Rīga Stradiņš University, Faculty of Pharmacy, Riga, Latvia.

INTERNATIONAL NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES: The position includes participation in short-term (up to 14 days) and/ or long-term (up to 6 months) training visits in world leading research centres within the consortium – AO Research Institute Davos, Switzerland and Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany. Yearly meetings, summer schools and symposia of the complete consortium are also foreseen.

POSITION STARTS: Starting date is negotiable, but tentatively between March and May 2021.

RECRUITING ORGANIZATION: Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) is the leading academic and research institution in the field of medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, rehabilitation, and nursing sciences in Latvia. It is ranked among top 1000 universities in the world, with the highest rating in international student ratio and academic reputation. The University has close affiliation with leading hospitals in Latvia, and about a quarter of all the students (currently more than 2100 international students) come from more than 50 countries. RSU uses a modern quality improvement approach to ensure high study and research quality. The priority research areas are different fields of clinical medicine, as well as biomedicine, rehabilitation and public health. RSU Faculty of Pharmacy is currently running a project to set up a new Finished Dosage Form (FDF) Laboratory to promote research in pharmaceutical technology. It is planned that the lab will be set up in 2022 and it will gradually expand its research area from oral solid dosage forms to biomaterials as drug delivery systems. Within the BBCE project, the FDF lab will be involved in research on carrier particles, kinetics of active molecule release and stability of drug delivery systems, as well as material characterization, processing, and quality control of the finished products.

THE SCIENTIFIC AND FORMATIVE CHALLENGE OF THE BBCE PROJECT: The overall objective of the BBCE is to develop a joint centre for advanced biomaterials development based on the long-term strategic cooperation between Riga Technical University, Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis, Rīga Stradiņš University and LLC Rīga Stradiņš University Institute of Stomatology, on the one part, and AO Research Institute Davos, Switzerland and Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany, on the other part. Strategic research direction of Baltic Biomaterials Centre of Excellence (BBCE) is development of patient specific personalized solutions for bone regeneration in 3 levels: biomaterial composition, geometry and bioactive compound delivery. Full cycle of biomaterials for bone regeneration development consists of continuous steps: 1. Development of biodegradable, osteoconductive and osteoinductive materials, composites and drug delivery systems. 2. Preclinical in vitro/in vivo investigations. 3. Clinical trials.

AVAILABLE POSITION: Within the scope of BBCE project currently, there is one PostDoc position available in research of drug delivery systems for bone regeneration with focus on kinetics and stability of drug delivery systems (BBCE Research Group 4).

OUTLINE OF THE POSITION: The BBCE project, funded by the European Commission under the Horizon 2020 programme (WIDESPREAD-01-2018-2019: Teaming Phase 2) calls to apply for a PostDoc full-time position, with attractive complementary training activities in multidisciplinary and international scientific environment. Successful candidate will have an opportunity to be a part of the research group, consisting of the Group Leader/ leading researcher and at least one PostDoc and one PhD student established within the BBCE, as well as to be a part of multidisciplinary and international scientific network.

EMPLOYMENT TERMS AND BENEFITS: PostDoc will undergo yearly performance assessment related to his/ her research activities (criteria will include: e.g. participation in BBCE training programmes, papers published, competitive funding applications submitted and funding attracted, supervision of Bachelor and Master theses, technology transfer activities performed). Initially, a 2-year contract will be offered to the PostDoc, with a potential renewal for another 1 year. The contract involves full-time job, with 40 working hours per week, with annual gross salary in range of €27.000 – €29.000. The PostDoc’s annual gross salary will be subjected to all local taxes, social benefits and other deductions following the national regulations (https://www.fm.gov.lv/en/s/taxes/).

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA (requirements and necessary competences)

 The PostDoc position is open for applicants of all nationalities fulfilling the following eligibility requirements:

• Doctorate degree (PhD) holders in life sciences, medicine, pharmacy or material sciences, who have not yet established a significant level of independence.
• Applicant should demonstrate a systematic understanding of a field of drug delivery systems, kinetics of active substance release/ pharmacokinetics, carrier particles, stability studies and/ or biomaterials, as well as mastery of research associated with that field (minimum 2 years of experience in the field).
• At least 3 high impact original research articles in international peer-reviewed journals in the relevant scientific field (at least 2 as first author).
• Experience in implementation of scientific research projects.
• Experience on supervision/co-supervision of First Stage Researchers and students.
• Excellent/good oral and written English language skills (at least B2 level).
• Good communication skills and ability to cooperate with other professions.
• Team working skills.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• To be responsible for the tasks in complex projects in close collaboration with Group Leader / Direction leader.
• To participate in the national/ international project proposal preparation (attracting competitive/ contract funding).
• To explain the outcomes of the research and summarize them in to the high impact scientific publications.
• To participate in BBCE organized training visits, seminars, summer schools and international scientific conferences.
• During the PostDoc project, to participate in at least one long-term training visit at Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen Nuremberg, Germany, or AO-Forschungsinstitut Davos (ARI), Switzerland, depending on the scientific topic.
• To participate in BBCE communication, dissemination and outreach activities with the researchers, as well as with the general public.
• To participate in BBCE internal and external international networking events.
• To supervise and/ or co-supervise students’ research and theses.
• To participate in student teaching activities.

NECESSARY COMPETENCES

• Ability to independently carry out research and produce data under supervision.
• Ambition to develop knowledge of research methodologies and discipline.
• Capable of critical analysis, evaluation and synthesis of new and complex ideas.
• Able to explain the outcome of research and value thereof to the research community. Ability to communicate with peers and colleagues.
• Systematic understanding of a field of study and mastery of research associated with that field.
• Contribution through original research that extends the frontier of knowledge by developing a substantial body of work, innovation or application.
• Management of career progress, setting realistic and achievable career goals, identifying and developing ways to improve employability.

DESIRABLE COMPETENCES

• Understanding the agenda of industry and other related sectors.
• Understanding the value of the research work in the context of products and services from industry and other related sectors.
• Ability to communicate with the wider community, and with society generally, about the area of expertise.
• Ability to promote, within professional context, technological, social or cultural advancement in a knowledge based society.
• Ability to mentor First Stage Researchers, helping them to be more effective and successful in their R&D trajectory.

SELECTION PROCESS FOR THE POSTDOC POSITION

Candidates are asked to apply on-line for the above-mentioned PostDoc position. The application must include the following:

• CV in English (Europass format, max. 5 pages, including list of publications).
• A copy of a valid ID document (passport or equivalent).
• A motivation letter in English (max. 2 pages), including statement that the applicant fulfils all eligible criteria listed in the paragraph above. Statement that the applicant is eligible to apply for a work permission in Latvia should be included in the motivation letter as well.
• Degree transcripts (PhD).
• Letters of recommendation (at least two).

All documents must be submitted to bbcentrertu[pnkts]lv before February 27, 2021 6.00 PM (CET).

For additional information, please contact bbcersu[pnkts]lv and visit https://bbcentre.eu and https://www.rsu.lv/en.

The selection procedure will be based on two steps. The first step will consist of the screening of all applications received and the selection of a shortlist of candidates based on CV, academic transcripts, motivation, strategic development plan and relevance with the specific research project. The second step will consist of an interview (held in person or online via Skype/ Zoom), resulting in the recruitment of the successful candidate. Prior to recruitment, the successful applicant will be requested to produce the original copies of all certificates and documents declared. Incorrect or lacking of documentation may invalidate the recruitment procedure.

When applying for the position, the candidate agrees to the processing of his/ her personal data pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (General Data Protection Regulation) and for storage at Rīga Stradiņš University. Without the consent of the candidate, personal data will not be transferred to third parties, except in the cases specified in the laws and regulations in force in the Republic of Latvia.

Posted on January 28, 2021.

BBCE project´s main objective is to establish a joint Baltic Biomaterials Centre of Excellence for advanced biomaterials development based on the long-term strategic cooperation between AO Research Institute Davos, Switzerland (ARI) and Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany (FAU) on the one hand and RTU RBIDC, LIOS, RSU and RSU IS on the other hand.

  This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 857287.