We are looking for a director at UUniFI research insitutes - application deadline October 24th

The director’s task is to lead and develop the research institute as its head of research in accordance with the established research theme.

Role of director at UUniFI research institutes

A new form of research initiative, the Uppsala University Future Institutes (UUniFI), has been established at Uppsala University. We are now looking for four directors to lead and develop four UUniFI research institutes on migration, precision health, green energy transition and AI.

The purpose of UUniFI is to create a University-wide, internationally leading research environment that facilitates the pooling of excellence around challenge-driven, boundary-crossing research. The vision is to establish conditions for original and excellent research through new inter- and multidisciplinary collaborations.

Within UUniFI, five thematic research institutes with clear profiles have been established. One of these, the Uppsala University Conflicting Objectives Research Nexus (UUniCORN), is already operational. A sixth institute will focus on knowledge and learning about inter- and multidisciplinarity and will build on the activities conducted at the Centre for Integrated Research on Culture and Society (CIRCUS).

UUniFI serves as host organisation for the constituent institutes and will be controlled by a governing board and a head of institute. The individual research institutes will each be led by a director who will be responsible for research development. We are now looking for four directors for the research institutes on migration, precision health, green energy transition and AI.

The research institutes

The migration research institute

The research institute will promote and focus on excellent research on migration in a broad sense. The overarching theme of the institute’s research will be to investigate the causes and consequences of historical and contemporary migration. While the causes and consequences of contemporary immigration to Sweden and other Western countries are central issues, these should only be part of the research field. The institute should also cover research on topics such as emigration, internal migration within countries, migration from a historical perspective, migration experiences from a life-course perspective, temporary versus permanent migration, and research problematising dimensions of time and spatiality, agency and voluntariness. This will require accommodating different ways of conducting research within the institute’s framework.

The precision health research institute

The research institute will promote excellent research by using and developing advanced technologies, methods and models to address societal challenges in precision health. The focus lies on developing molecular and AI-based tools and instruments for diagnostics or health monitoring, to make it possible to match a patient with the most effective treatment. This also includes helping to develop methods for real-world experiments and models for clinical trials and implementation, so that personalised care reaches those most in need. The institute will contribute to identifying pathways for social reforms, taking into account in particular ethical considerations, health economic impacts and relevant regulatory frameworks.

The green energy transition research institute

The research institute will conduct excellent research in green energy transition, leading to the green energy systems of the future. The institute will contribute to the knowledge and solutions needed to address climate change and achieve the transition to sustainable energy systems that is a prerequisite for good public health globally. This includes developing a knowledge-based view of how the energy systems of the future should be designed, covering technical, legal, social, resource, geopolitical and security aspects, as well as ecological, biological and health perspectives.

The institute’s research will be characterised by world-leading knowledge of individual components, processes and systems, and a broad understanding of their impact on humans and the environment.

The AI research institute

The research institute will promote excellent research on the opportunities and challenges of AI technologies. The institute will be a platform where researchers from different academic disciplines address societal challenges and opportunities linked to the development of AI technology.

The overarching aim of the institute’s research is to study the opportunities and problems associated with the development of AI, in order to realise the full potential of the new technologies in society.

The role of the director

The director’s task is to lead and develop the research institute as its head of research in accordance with the established research theme.

The position of director is a fixed-term management role lasting three years. The appointment will be made by the governing board of UUniFI. The mandate may be renewed, at most twice, making a total of a maximum of nine years. The role will cover 50–80 per cent of working time, some of which may be own research time within the research institute’s theme. The scope of the management role may vary over time but should initially amount to at least 50 per cent of working time. A fixed salary supplement will be paid for this role.

The starting date will be as agreed between the parties, preferably from 1 January 2026.

The director’s qualifications

To be eligible for the role, candidates must have a doctorate and preferably hold a permanent position at Uppsala University as a professor or senior lecturer. External candidates must fulfil the requirements for being appointed by nomination to a professorship at Uppsala University.

Qualifications required for the role are:

• Leading scholarly expertise in some part of the research institute’s subject area.
• Proven experience of managing and developing excellent research environments.
• Proven experience of interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary approaches.
• Very good cooperation skills.
• Very good ability to communicate in English in speech and writing.