Professor and Director of SMARTbiomed

Aarhus University (AU); Aarhus; On-site; DKK 1,100,000 - 1,400,000; Full time

Job summary

Aarhus University in Aarhus, Denmark invites applications for a prestigious Professor and Director role at SMARTbiomed. You will shape the centre’s scientific direction and lead cross-site collaboration to translate research into health impacts.

The position is based at the Department of Public Health and requires a track record of leadership and external funding success. We seek an internationally recognized scholar who can cultivate a diverse, inclusive environment, attract talent, and advance

Qualifications

• Substantial experience in academic leadership and research management.
• Outstanding research track record and knowledge of relevant methods, tools and international best practice.
• Ability to inspire, communicate clearly and navigate complex challenges with a constructive, solution-oriented approach.
• Proven ability to attract significant external funding and develop ambitious research initiatives and collaborations.

Responsibilities

• Shape the scientific vision and set the overall agenda for SMARTbiomed, translating the vision into a clear programme.
• Strengthen relationships with key stakeholders including foundations, universities and strategic partners.
• Foster collaboration, inclusion and shared purpose across SMARTbiomed.
• Lead development and strategic management of SMARTbiomed and fulfil commitments to funders and partners.
• Drive expansion of the centre’s research portfolio and funding base, supporting researchers in ambitious agendas.
• Build visibility of SMARTbiomed with the academic community and funders to enable societal impact.

Skills

Academic leadership

Research leadership

Visionary leadership

Resource management

Funding partnerships

Job description

The Department of Public Health at the Faculty of Health Sciences – Aarhus University invites applications for a position as Professor and Director of The Pioneer Centre for Statistical and Computational Methods for Advanced Research to Transform Biomedicine (SMARTbiomed). The starting date is 1 June 2027 or as soon as possible thereafter. The position is a permanent full-time position. The director of SMARTbiomed is based at Aarhus University, Denmark.

About SMARTbiomed

The Pioneer Centre for SMARTbiomed is funded by a combined grant of DKK 250 million from the Lundbeck Foundation, the Novo Nordisk Foundation, the Villum Foundation, the Carlsberg Foundation and the Danish National Research Foundation. The Centre is funded for 13 years, starting in June 2024, and currently consists of approximately 60 researchers at all levels and support staff. SMARTbiomed is anchored at the National Centre for Register-based Research at the Department of Public Health at Aarhus University with main sites at the University of Copenhagen and the University of Oxford and satellite sites at several research institutions. You can read more about SMARTbiomed here.

The Centre aims to support methodological research and software development for analysis and inference from massive human data, advancing applications in medicine. The broad methodological focus is used to answer questions relevant to common complex diseases/disorders specifically cardiometabolic, brain, and infertility and reproductive health. It leverages large-scale, multimodal biomedical data combined with focused innovation in statistical and computational methods, including machine learning and AI, to advance our understanding, treatment, and prevention of human disease. SMARTbiomed supports a critical mass of researchers who focus on method and software development for analysis of, and inference from, human health-related massive data, advancing applications in medicine.

The main objectives of SMARTbiomed are to bring together multi-disciplinary teams to develop new methods and apply them in biomedical research motivated by problems in clinical practice, develop data platforms and software for biomedical data science, and to deliver world-leading training and career development in health data science.

About the Department of Public Health

The Department of Public Health is a research-intensive environment dedicated to advancing both fundamental scientific knowledge and applied solutions to major public health challenges. Our research spans theoretical, basic, and applied sciences, with the shared ambition of generating impactful knowledge and improving population health. Academic excellence is at the core of everything we do. We are committed to conducting rigorous and innovative research and delivering high-quality teaching. The department is responsible for teaching within public health, sport science, health science, nursing science, and related methodological disciplines, as well as a substantial part of the teaching in the medical degree programme.

While firmly rooted in our respective disciplines, we actively foster interdisciplinary collaboration to advance innovation and excellence in both research and education. We are equally committed to cultivating a healthy, inclusive, and supportive workplace culture characterized by open dialogue, mutual respect, and an informal atmosphere. We believe that academic excellence and personal well-being are mutually reinforcing and essential to long‑term success.

You can read more about the department here and about the faculty here.

Your profile

We are seeking a distinguished and visionary academic leader at Full Professor level with an internationally recognised research profile in an area central to SMARTbiomed. This is a unique opportunity to shape the Centre’s scientific direction, strategic development and long‑term success. SMARTbiomed unites leading research environments across three universities, supported by major philanthropic foundations, providing an exceptional platform for interdisciplinary collaboration, scientific innovation and impact. You will bring:

• Strategic academic leadership: Substantial experience in academic leadership and research management, ideally in ambitious, collaborative research environments.
• Scientific excellence: An outstanding research track record and comprehensive knowledge of relevant methods, tools and international best practice within SMARTbiomed’s scientific areas.
• Visionary and collaborative leadership: The ability to inspire, communicate clearly and navigate complex challenges with a constructive, solution‑oriented approach.
• Strategic resource management: Experience in developing effective structures, managing resources and enabling researchers and research environments to thrive.
• Funding and partnerships: A proven ability to attract significant competitive external funding and develop ambitious research initiatives and collaborations.

Your role

As a senior leader of SMARTbiomed, you will have a key role in shaping the Centre’s scientific and strategic direction and in realising its ambition to develop an internationally leading research environment. You will be a highly visible and motivating leader who fosters a culture characterised by trust, collaboration, intellectual ambition and academic excellence. You will be based at the Department of Public Health at Aarhus University while playing an active leadership role across SMARTbiomed’s different sites and partner institutions. A central part of your role will be to connect people, disciplines and research environments across the Centre and across Denmark, accelerating the translation of research into solutions that benefit society and healthcare.

You will champion a diverse, inclusive and intellectually stimulating research environment in which talented researchers and staff are encouraged to develop, collaborate and pursue ambitious scientific ideas. Through engaged and visionary leadership, you will contribute to making SMARTbiomed a highly attractive environment for recruiting, developing and retaining outstanding researchers and staff. You will report to the leader of the National Centre for Register-based Research.

Key responsibilities include:

• Shape the scientific vision and set the overall agenda for SMARTbiomed, in collaboration with the co‑directors, and translate the vision into a clear programme.
• Strengthen relationships with key stakeholders, including the major foundations funding SMARTbiomed, the universities and institutions involved in the Centre, and other strategic partners.
• Foster a strong culture of collaboration, inclusion and shared purpose across SMARTbiomed, ensuring that colleagues feel connected regardless of location or site.
• Lead the overall development and strategic management of SMARTbiomed, while ensuring effective day‑to‑day management and fulfilment of the Centre’s commitments to its funders and partners.
• Drive the expansion of SMARTbiomed’s research portfolio and funding base, while supporting researchers in developing ambitious research agendas and securing external funding.
• Build the visibility of SMARTbiomed, through active engagement with the academic community and funders, and unite the Danish research community, creating a foundation for societal impact and translation.

An attractive start package can be negotiated.

About the Department of Public Health

The Department of Public Health is a research-intensive environment dedicated to advancing scientific knowledge and developing applied solutions to major public health challenges. Research at the department spans theoretical, basic, and applied sciences, with the shared ambition of generating impactful knowledge and improving population health. Academic excellence is at the core of everything we do, and we are committed to conducting rigorous and innovative research and delivering high-quality teaching. Rooted in our respective disciplines, we foster interdisciplinary collaboration to strengthen research, education and innovation. We are equally committed to cultivating a healthy and supportive workplace characterised by open dialogue, mutual respect and an informal atmosphere. We believe that academic excellence and personal well-being are mutually reinforcing and essential to long‑term success. You can read more about the department here and about the faculty here.

In order to be assessed as qualified for a Professor position, you must meet these academic criteria.

Shortlisting will be used.

To be considered for the position, applicants must meet the formal requirements for academic appointments at Aarhus University and submit all required application materials by the deadline. Applications that are substantially incomplete will not proceed to further assessment.

Questions about the position

Your place of work will be the Department of Public Health, Bartholins Allé 2, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark. For questions about SMARTbiomed, please contact Head of the National Centre for Register-based Research, Bjarni Jóhann Vilhjálmsson tel.: [phone]. For questions about the Department of Public Health, please contact Head of Department of Publich Health, Michael Baggesen Klitgaard tel.: [phone].

We expect to conduct interviews in January 2027.

Terms of employment

• In making the appointment, emphasis will be placed on a high degree of original production at an international level.
• Further information on the appointment procedure can be found in the Ministerial Order on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Universities.
• The appointment is in accordance with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (Akademikerne).
• Remuneration is in accordance with the above, and the Salary agreement catalogue for staff at Health.
• Professors have the authority to negotiate pay on their own behalf.
• Researchers recruited from abroad are offered a special researcher tax scheme with a lower tax rate.
• Travel and moving expenses may be covered according to the employee in question and, to a limited extent, the accompanying family.
• Further information on qualification requirements and job description can be found in the Ministerial Order on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities.

International applicant? Aarhus University offers a broad variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including assistance with relocation and career counselling to expat partners. Please find more information about the International Staff Office and the range of services here.