Expert-Technology Scientist and Institute Coordinator

The KU Leuven Institute for Single-Cell Omics (LISCO) has a vacancy for a postdoctoral-level Expert-Technology Scientist and Institute Coordinator. A new expert-technology scientist position is available to coordinate and innovate the multidisciplinary research and service activities of the newly established KU Leuven Institute for Single-Cell Omics (LISCO). LISCO nucleates interdisciplinary expertise in single-cell multi-omics to investigate normal development, aging and disease processes in humans and other multicellular organisms down to the biology of unicellular life forms. LISCO aims to develop innovative single-cell analysis technologies and high throughput platforms to enable breakthrough biological and biomedical science that transcends an individual research lab, to pioneer and set standards in disruptive single-cell technologies and research, and to translate technologies and biomedical discoveries to the clinic. It will create a framework for academic and industrial collaboration, service provision, and training of the next-generation researchers. LISCO unites researchers from KU Leuven, VIB-KU Leuven and UZ Leuven.

The coordinator role will consist of an array of tasks that promote technological advancement, collaborative research, service, acquisition of external funding in addition to overall management, dissemination and administrative tasks.

Specifically you will be able to:

• Develop technology-expert level understanding and innovation skills in single-cell multi-omics technologies and function as a key liaison of LISCO;
• Set-up of the synergistic LISCO Innovation Labs, and develop, acquire, perform and coordinate interdisciplinary research projects within LISCO, develop a helicopter-view oversight on ongoing highly interdisciplinary projects and propose, see opportunities for and realise new interdisciplinary technology development projects
• Coordinate the setup of continuously innovating and serviceable workflows that encompass the LISCO Innovation Labs and multiple core facilities, which are vitally important to LISCO,and support as part of the Core Coordination Team project intake and consultancy;
• Establish, fine-tune and coordinate (new) connections with participating core facilities at the KU Leuven, VIB-KU Leuven and UZ Leuven;
• Define and coordinate the acquisition of new infrastructure needs for LISCO;
• Identify and assist in coordinating internal and external academic collaborative networks for interdisciplinary single-cell technology development and research in synergy with group/lab-specific research managers;
• Identify funding opportunities,leveraging both the technologies developed within and the R&D-capabilities of the LISCO Innovation Labs;
• Coordinate and actively contribute to the writing and submission of research proposals for (inter)national funding schemes, in line with the scientific priority themes of LISCO;
• Interact and network with interested companies, seeking for single-cell methodological advice,developments, applications and project execution;
• International networking and positioning of the Institute, through the management of ongoing and extension towards new Single-Cell initiatives inside and outside Europe;
• Disseminate LISCO’s interdisciplinary expertise and scientific outputs as a tool to attract novel collaborations in Cell Atlasing networks as well as attract the related funding;

You report directly to LISCO’s Directorand Board of Management. You interact directly with the leaders of the different scientific pillars within the institute, as well as with their technical and research staff. You will collaborate closely with the other research experts (e.g. engineers, lab technicians, bioinformaticians) and project/research managers around single-cell technologies.

• PhD-level training, with a background in life sciences (bioscience engineering, biotechnology, biomedical sciences, biology, bioinformatics ...)
• You have relevant experience in single-cell (multi)omics research
• Demonstrated engineering and/or methodological innovation skills
• Demonstrable project and people management skills
• Strong organisational skills
• Strong scientific writing skills
• Able to work in and stay on top of a fast-paced environment
• Able to meet deadlines and to handle stressful situations
• Able to work both independently and within a group, be able to recognise when to seek help from other team members
• Able to organise own workload
• Able to self-study technologies and biological processes
• Excellent social and diplomatic skills
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English

Desirable:

• 
  Ambition for interdisciplinary technology development, their application to discover novel cell biological processes in health and disease, and/or their translation to clinical applications.
• Experience in next-generation sequencing technologies, use and programming of liquid handling robots, design of microfluidics assays, (automation of) high throughput assays (e.g. screens,microfluidics, cell atlases), single-cell molecular biology and/or single-cellbioinformatics
• Active in the Human Cell Atlas or other Cell Atlasing communities, like EU LifeTime
• Experience with project budgeting and technological servicing
• Experience in research valorisation and industry related services

KU Leuven seeks to foster an environment where all talents can flourish, regardless of gender, age, cultural background, nationality or impairments. If you have any questions relating to accessibility or support, please contact us at diversiteit.HR@kuleuven.be.