Director of the Sano Centre

Give us a chance to meet you
  • About us:

The Sano Centre for Computational Medicine is an international scientific Institute located in Kraków, Poland.

Sano aims to become a major driving force for European advancement in the rapidly growing field of computational medicine, developing sophisticated engineering methods for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease, to meet the overarching worldwide need for efficient, effective and radically streamlined healthcare systems.

Sano now invites an experienced and visionary Scientific Leader with a background in Computational Medicine to take on the opportunity of leading this unique Centre of Excellence.

Sano, a major new translational scientific institute, combines expertise in computational medicine, large-scale high-performance computing and machine-learning-based decision science with fundamental biomarker identification using advanced simulation and data analysis methods. As a core technology and expertise provider for industry, it fosters modernisation, innovation and increased productivity.

Operationally, Sano strategically combines the most prestigious scientific grant currently available from the national Polish Foundation for Science (FNP) – the International Research Agenda Programme (IRAP) – with one of the most competitive grants in the EU’s H2020 programme, Teaming for Excellence. Combined with additional Polish Ministry of Science guarantees, the Centre has secured investment exceeding €30M. With this scale of funding, and aided by an excellent European partnership network, we can be confident that Sano will bring a critical mass to this transformational field of research, in order to translate scientific advancement into clinical practice.

Sano, established in September 2019, now employs 63 persons, and is expected to grow further. The Institute is composed of 6 research teams:

  • Health Informatics,
  • Computer Vision,
  • Modelling and Simulation,
  • Extreme Scale Data and Computing,
  • Personal Health Data Science,
  • Clinical Data Science,

as well as 2 senior postdocs involved in VR/AR for Medicine and Wearables/Quantify Self for wellbeing.

Sano research teams directly collaborate with the Scientific Programmers Team, and are supported by departments: Business Development, Operations, Finances, and Data Protection Officer.

We value:

  • Passion – Passion in what we do, engagement in Sano operations, taking responsibility, providing initiative, being happy at work.
  • Innovation – Boldness in articulating and pursuing novel ideas, courage to think outside the box.
  • Integrity – Directness, openness, tolerance and respect. Scientific integrity (we do not cut corners).
  • Diversity – Diversity in backgrounds, cultures and opinions of Sano employees. Promotion of women in STEM.
  • The Role of Director

  • As the Director of Sano you will have a unique chance to lead change, in the field of computationally-enhanced diagnostics and treatment in the clinics of tomorrow. Your role will formally be twofold:

    • As the President of the Sano Management Board you will be strategically responsible for the Centre, as a challenging yet rewarding endeavour; your leadership will be instrumental in further acquisition of top talents for the Centre, and establishing and maintaining focused approach towards excellence in science and innovation
    • As the International Research Agenda Manager you will oversee the implementation of the ambitious programme of computational medicine research and translation, being executed by Sano’s six research teams, described above.
  • Your Tasks as Director

In order to fulfil the formal obligations of the role, your responsibilities will include, but will not be limited to, the commitment to:

  • Oversee the further development and implementation of the research and development strategy of Sano,
  • Provide scientific leadership for the Centre, embracing a range of disciplines and charting a coherent course of research and partnership development,
  • Play key role in attracting best candidates for crucial positions at Sano,
  • Assist each research team leader in attaining research priorities for her/his research team for the coming four years, including clinical and industrial cooperation relationships,
  • Establish new links with external partners (academic, industrial and clinical) and build upon existing relationships in cooperation with a dedicated, professional business development unit,
  • Successfully translate the outputs of Sano’s development processes into clinical practice, whether through spin-offs, licensing agreements or long-term industrial partnerships,
  • Actively develop the Centre’s international academic profile and enhance its international recruitment,
  • Assist in development of entrepreneurial culture among the Centre’s scientists and encourage top innovators to pursue a spinoff career in cooperation with one of seed funds cooperating with Sano,
  • Attract research and development funding and other revenues from a variety of sources,
  • Produce high-quality peer-reviewed publications and cooperate in the preparation of papers by Sano research team members,
  • Assume overall responsibility for annual financial and scientific reports which the Centre is mandated to submit to the relevant authorities,

Engage in periodic evaluations of the institute by the International Steering Committee.

  • Essential Requirements for Applicants

As prerequisites for consideration for the post of Sano Director, you must be able to demonstrate:

  • Recognized authority in your field, as an outstanding scientist with a research profile matching the leaders of the world’s most prestigious academic Centres of Excellence,
  • A PhD in biomedicine, medicine, engineering (computer science) or the natural sciences, with substantial academic experience, including 7 years of postdoctoral research and 4 years in senior scientific leadership, multiple publications in high-impact journals, and evidence of strategic thinking,
  • Notable success in grant funding acquisition and international scientific project management, combining excellent leadership and team-building skills in creative working environments,
  • The ability to forge alliances between academia and practice,
  • Excellent communication skills with a fluent command of English, Sano’s main language,
  • Willingness to operate from Kraków from 1 August 2022.

In accordance with the Sano Statute as well as with the IRAP competition documentation and the grant agreement, only the leader of a Sano research group and, possibly, the person who will be the leader of a Sano research group at the time of taking over the duties of the director, may compete for the Sano director position.

Parallel to this announcement, Sano Centre for Computational Medicine in Krakow published a job advertisement for a Research Group Leader of Health Informatics in computational medicine.

 

  • Desirable Attributes

The appointment panel will be pleased to receive information on your additional skills, for example:

  • Interest in one or more of the following healthcare technology trends: distributed computing, data science, modelling and simulation, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things,
  • Specific collaboration successes,
  • Experience of intellectual property management,
  • Knowledge of additional European languages.
  • Contractual and Remunerative Provisions

Sano will offer the successful candidate:

  • A full-time employment contract, with an evaluation based on the following assessment periods:
    • As President of the Management Board you will report annually directly to the Sano Foundation Council (Sano’s supervisory body) whose members are appointed by our English, German and Polish partners:
      • University of Sheffield,
      • Forschungszentrum Jülich,
      • Fraunhofer ISI,
      • ACC Cyfronet AGH,
      • Klaster LifeScience Kraków.
    • An attractive salary,
    • An annual financial bonus, should you exceed key performance indicators for the Centre,
    • Social benefits, including private medical care for you and your immediate family, financial support for access to local sport and cultural facilities, language courses, technical and soft-skills training, social events, and more,
    • Relocation support and access to an assigned expert to assist with legal matters related to relocation, including visas, work permits and taxation.

If you feel that this job opportunity is the career that you are looking for, please apply immediately and give Sano a chance to meet you. Please, be informed that Sano will contact only with Candidates fulfilling the formal criteria.

  • The Application Process

Step 1: Expression of Interest

If you are interested in the position of Sano Director, and have not already done so, please register an Expression of Interest by emailing a CV/ Resume with key items of information:

  • Your name
  • Your current role
  • Your total research income (grants/contracts)
  • The number of your recent publications
  • Your Google Scholar h-index
  • Your agreement to our storing your data

Step 2: Complete the Initial Application Process

Soon after your registration of an Expression of Interest you will receive an information pack, which will include an invitation to begin the formal process of application. This process consists of the provision of additional information, the supply of supporting documentation, and agreement that we can initiate the process of assessment. Sano’s formal requirements for documentation are additionally governed by conditions attached to FNP funding, and the provision of such materials is mandatory. The information pack will include templates to facilitate the provision of required data.

Step 3: Subsequent Recruitment Steps

Your application will be assessed in a process involving the assessment team, formed from members of Sano’s 15-person International Scientific Committee (ISC).

The process will be as follows:

  1. Validity: Valid documents, qualifications, experience.
  2. Merit: Quantitative assessment.
  3. Interview #1: Remote discussion and Q&A with ISC members.
  4. Interview #2: Face-to-face interviews (possibly in Kraków) with ISC members, this is an optional step.

Step 4 may take place in Kraków; success will be followed by discussions with the Foundation Council, Sano’s supervisory body, and FNP, before appointment.

Further Information

Several approaches are available to you, should you wish to obtain additional information:

  • Further information about Sano, including our Research Teams, development directions, and achievements so far, can be found at https://old.sano.science/
  • Sano’s recruitment specialists are available at any time for discussions about the opportunity, please contact Michał Gołąbek
  • Contact with members of Sano’s international consortium can also be requested; to arrange this, again please contact:

Applications for the role of Sano Director should be received by 24.06.2022.

The recruitment process for the position of Sano Director is being conducted by the Sano International Scientific Committee, on behalf of the Sano Foundation and its International Partners:

  • The University of Sheffield (UK),
  • Fraunhofer Society (DE),
  • Research Centre Juelich (DE),
  • AGH University of Science and Technology (PL),
  • Kraków LifeScience Cluster (PL)

Apply through Sano recruitment system. If you would like to apply for future openings feel free to send your application to our database.​