Lund University was founded in 1666 and is repeatedly ranked among the world’s top universities. The University has around 46 000 students and 8 500 staff based in Lund, Helsingborg and Malmö. We are united in our efforts to understand, explain and improve our world and the human condition.
Description of the workplace
SciLifeLab (www.scilifelab.se), founded in 2010, is a national hub for life science research in Sweden and a collaboration between Swedish universities.
The employee will be based at the SciLifeLab Data Centre (DC), which is responsible for IT-related matters and research data management for SciLifeLab’s technology platforms and other SciLifeLab-organised programmes and activities, including the national Data-Driven Life Science (DDLS) programme. We have a national mission and develop services for life science data and e-infrastructure, as well as work with issues related to FAIR principles, open science, and data-driven research, in close collaboration with national and international stakeholders. With us, you will have the opportunity to actively influence how IT is integrated into future health and environmental research, and to work towards openness, reproducibility, and maximizing scientific impact from the large volumes of research data generated in the field. You will collaborate with researchers, data engineers, data stewards, and system developers in a rapidly growing, dynamic, and progressive team with a leading role at the national level. The position is based at Lund University within the organisational unit SciLifeLab Lund, with line reporting directly to its Director. The work is led by the Director of the SciLifeLab Data Centre.
Duties and responsibilities
The SciLifeLab Data Centre (DC) is seeking a Head of the Scientific Data Services unit. The unit currently employs approximately 20 system developers and data engineers located across several partner universities. The focus is on the development, operation, and support of data services with scientific and bioinformatics content, for example AI models and computational applications, FAIR data sharing for infectious diseases, biodiversity, imaging data, and cell and molecular biology. These services are developed based on the needs of SciLifeLab users and as part of the Data Centre’s mission as a provider of digital infrastructure. The work targets users within national infrastructures, within the Data-Driven Life Science (DDLS) programme, and Swedish life science researchers in general. A key focus for the coming years is to build integrated services for multimodal data generated by SciLifeLab infrastructure platforms.
As Head of the unit, you will be responsible for staff and budget matters, be part of the management team, and coordinate activities within the unit with other areas of the Data Centre. This includes collaboration with areas such as research data management, IT, and service management. You will also play a key role in DC’s strategic work within SciLifeLab regarding digital infrastructure, as well as in collaborative efforts with university administration, other national infrastructures (e.g. NAISS, SUNET, and SND), and international partners (e.g. EMBL, CSC, CERN, and VIB). The Data Centre has a strong research-driven profile, and you will be expected to further develop this aspect.
You are expected to have extensive and international experience as a manager and researcher within bioinformatics and life science infrastructures, and to take an active and leading role in developing and managing operations and organisation within DC. You should have strong personal research experience. Excellent collaboration and communication skills are essential, both within the management team and in interactions with partners and user groups.
The position is based at Lund University. You will play a key role in developing DC’s national collaboration in Lund and southern Sweden, but the role is clearly national in scope and requires a strong presence and the ability to lead a nationally distributed organisation.
Qualifications
Requirements:
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A PhD in a relevant field and at least ten years of experience in a managerial role with staff, budget responsibility, and strategic work within international life science or bioinformatics infrastructures
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Documented, long-term experience of independent research within life science/bioinformatics
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Documented experience of large-scale data management, high-performance computing (HPC), GPU acceleration, and parallel file systems
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Documented experience in leading staff and operations supporting bioinformatics and developing bioinformatics services and tools
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Documented experience in securing competitive funding for own projects and leading them as Principal Investigator (PI)
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Documented experience in training and educating researchers and technical staff within life science
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Documented experience as a system developer, including technologies for containerisation such as Docker
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Excellent ability to communicate fluently in English, both orally and in writing
Meritorious/Additional qualifications:
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Knowledge of or interest in Swedish biomedical research and infrastructure
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Experience working with Scrum or similar agile methodologies
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Experience in developing strategies for digital infrastructure
Great importance will be placed on personal suitability. The candidate must demonstrate excellent collaboration skills, initiative, and strong communication abilities, as well as active competence development relevant to the position. As a person, you should be flexible, creative, and service-oriented, as well as quality-conscious and goal- and result-oriented.
Further information
This is a permanent, full-time position with a desired start date of 1 September 2026 or as agreed. A six-month probationary period may apply.
How to apply
Applications are submitted via the university’s recruitment system. The application must include a cover letter explaining your motivation for applying and how your qualifications match the position. It should also include a CV (or equivalent) and any additional documents you wish to submit (e.g. copies of degree certificates).
The Faculty of Medicine is a part of Lund University, and is responsible for education and research within medicine and healthcare. Our academic programs are closely linked with the healthcare system and are firmly anchored in the faculty’s strong research tradition. Our research spans a broad field within experimental preclinical research, near-patient clinical research and health sciences research. The Faculty of Medicine, with its 1,800 employees and 2,700 students in Lund and Malmö, is a knowledge-intensive meeting place for students, teachers and researchers from all over the world.
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Anställningsform: tillsvidareanställning | Anställningens omfattning: heltid | Antal lediga befattningar: 1 | Sysselsättningsgrad: 100 | Ort: Lund | Län: Skåne län | Land: Sweden | Referensnummer: PA2026/2046 | Kontakt: Markus Heidenblad +46462220425, Markus Heidenblad +46462220425, Adam Niekrasz +46462220000, Adam Niekrasz +46462220000, | Facklig företrädare: SEKO: Seko Civil 046-2229366, SEKO: Seko Civil 046-2229366, OFR/ST:Fackförbundet ST:s kansli 046-2229362, OFR/ST:Fackförbundet ST:s kansli 046-2229362, SACO:Saco-s-rådet vid Lunds universitet 046-2220000, SACO:Saco-s-rådet vid Lunds universitet 046-2220000, | Publicerat: 2026-06-11 | Sista ansökningsdag: 2026-08-09
