Academic

Tenure track Academic Position Knowledge Discovery for Predictive Personalized Medicine

The Science, Engineering and Technology Group of K.U.Leuven invites applications for a full-time academic position in the domain of Knowledge discovery for predictive personalized medicine at the Department of Computer Science.

1. DUTIES

1.1. Research

The tenure track positions are intended to foster high quality research in strategically selected domains.

The successful candidate will be expected to develop a research program that delivers excellent, international level research results and to support and enhance national and international research collaboration.

More specifically, this research will concentrate on 'Knowledge discovery for predictive personalized medicine'. This research is motivated by the fast development of science and technology for medicine. The use of 'Patient Data Management Systems' in intensive care units, combined with extensive lab tests and genetic screening, generates massive amounts of personal data on patients. The study of data from different sources and time periods provides unprecedented possibilities to discover new knowledge. One of the outcomes could be a personalized medicine that orients the therapy according to the genetic profile of the patient. The sheer amount of data, their heterogeneity and complexity, necessitates the use of knowledge discovery and data mining techniques.

Knowledge discovery is a novel branch in computational sciences, which integrates techniques from databases, machine learning, knowledge technology and artificial intelligence with statistics. It is concerned with the development of new algorithms, the formalization and introduction of background knowledge and ultimately the discovery of new knowledge that can be added to the knowledge base of a given discipline. The research program should develop in close contact with the bio banking initiative for translational medicine, and lead to a fruitful collaboration with applied research in the area of patient care.

Research will be conducted within the framework of the Leuven ICT Centre (LICT) and the Department of Computer Science. The successful candidate will collaborate intensively with biomedical research groups (e.g. Intensive Care Medicine).

1.2. Teaching

The successful candidate will take on teaching responsibilities allocated to the Department of Computer Science in study programs of the Faculty of Engineering, Faculty of Science or other faculties.

They are expected to meet the reigning K.U.Leuven standards regarding academic program level and orientation and to adhere to the K.U.Leuven’s concept of education. Commitment to quality of education as a whole is a matter of course.

2. QUALIFICATIONS

Candidates should hold a PhD or doctoral degree in Engineering or in Science, with specific expertise in the domain of computer sciences or informatics.

They are expected to be excellent researchers who show independence and originality. More specifically we are looking for candidates with a strong background and experience in data mining and knowledge discovery for complex data (relational data mining, graph and network mining, heterogeneous data,...), in knowledge technology and artificial intelligence for medical applications (e.g. intensive care), in interdisciplinary collaborations and fund raising. They are dedicated to high-quality teaching and will contribute to the quality of both research and teaching at the Faculty and the Department.

The candidate's research ability should be evidenced by publications in international peer-reviewed journals. International research experience is most important. In their application, candidates should include a description of objectives they wish to realise/methods they plan to use during the five-year period of the position.

At K.U.Leuven the main language of instruction is Dutch. Successful applicants who are not proficient in Dutch, will be provided language training in order to be able to also instruct in the Dutch language within three years time. Near-native proficiency in the English language is expected of all applicants.

The full-time position will be offered for a period of five years starting on March 15, 2010 at the level of assistant professor (docent). A positive evaluation at the end of the five-year appointment will result in a tenured appointment as associate professor (hoofddocent).

The K.U.Leuven pursues a policy of equal opportunity and diversity.

More information:
Pierre.Verbaeten@cs.kuleuven.be (chair Dept. of Computer Science),
Luc.DeRaedt@cs.kuleuven.be (Machine Learning Research Group)
Maurice.Bruynooghe@cs.kuleuven.be (Lab for Declarative Languages and
Artificial Intelligence);

Should you encounter any problems with the electronic registration,
please contact Katoe Buyle
e-mail: katoe.buyle@pers.kuleuven.be
tel.: +32 (0)16 328 324.

See also Website:
http://www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jobsite/vacatures/engineering.html

Deadline for Applications 30 September 2009