Project Sector plan: Medische en Gezondheidswetenschappen

Our goal

What is our goal?

We aim to accelerate in three of our strategic themes:

• Prevention (lifestyle data and interventions)
• Data-driven (artificial intelligence, e-health and medical technology)
• Disease mechanisms & new therapies (therapy development for rare diseases)

Achieving our goal

We are looking for about 40 people with the drive to create impact and pave the way for accelerating healthcare. This is your chance to be part of this movement and help shape the future of our research and education, creating impact on the lives of many.

Application and selection process

We’re searching about 40 people to attain our ambitious goals in the fields of prevention, data-driven, and diseases mechanisms & new therapies. All vacancies will become available on this Sector plan webpage, and of course also on the general vacancy overview of Radboudumc. Please note that some vacancies will be released gradually as of the last week of April. All positions are intended to result in a permanent contract.

All positions are open to both internal and external candidates, however, suitable candidates who already work at Radboudumc have a preference in the selection procedure.  

How to apply? 

Please apply using the ‘apply now’ button in the vacancy. Please upload a motivation letter, your curriculum vitae and the sectorplan application form that applies to your position (see below). This form will guide you through some questions that are relevant for the selection.

• sectorplan application form for research assistant professors and associate professors
• sectorplan application form for all other positions

Selection round 1 

Based on the application letter, motivation letter and application form, candidates will be selected for the first interview. The first interview will be held with the members of the steering group of the sectorplan sub theme together with other relevant people depending on the subject and the position. The selection will focus on how the candidate fits in relation to the sectorplan vision and the envisaged position and team.  

Selection round 2 

In the second round, representatives from the department where the candidate will likely be employed will take part in selection committee; because the best suited department depends on the profile of the applicant, this may differ from the department stated in the vacancy. The selection will focus on how suitable the candidate is for the position and the complementarity between the candidate and the department. 

Assistant & Associate Professor positions 

Assistant and Associate professor positions are subject to Radboudumc’s scientific career path strategy (internal candidates can read this intranet page). This strategy is aimed at providing a clear career perspective to young research talents early on in their career  (at the level of assistant professor)  and providing support to those within the Talent Track to develop further.  

To select the most suitable research talents, the Talent Track Committee has a strict selection procedure. This procedure also applies to all candidates for the Assistant Professor and Associate Professor positions within the sectorplan  with a > 50% research focus. For those positions, the Talent Track procedure is part of the selection procedure. The following steps are added to the standard selection procedure described above:

• Upon application: Please make sure to fill in the sectorplan application form specific to Assistant Professor and Associate Professor positions. This form already guides you through the Talent Track-specific questions.

• Third selection round (if selected): Writing a Personal Performance Preview (PPP) is part of the Talent Track procedure. After selection round 2, you will have about 1 month to write the PPP. The third round will include an interview with the Talent Track Committee, in which you will present your PPP and present current research lines. 

Depending on the outcome of the selection procedure, candidates who apply for a position as Assistant Professor (except the positions focused on education) may directly start as Assistant Professor in Talent Track towards Associate Professor, or as Researcher in Talent Track towards Assistant Professor.  

Please note that the above procedure only applies to Assistant Professor positions with a >50% research focus; Assistant Professor positions with a focus on education will follow the standard procedure (i.e. only 2 selection rounds). 

Senior researcher positions that will be nominated for Staff Scientist 

The sectorplan includes a number of senior researcher positions. These positions will in due time be nominated for Staff Scientist. Staff Scientist positions are intended as ‘dependent researcher’ positions, i.e. the candidate isnot expected to build up his/her own research group, but instead will be a continuous member of the research group of an associate professor or a full professor. A key goal of staff scientists is to continue to excel in science by achieving scientific breakthroughs across the boundaries of disciplines, which can ultimately be applied in patient care. Staff scientists are generally technical scientific experts who develop the techniques and give support to other researchers to answer their scientific questions. This is a career path that does not lead to a position as an assistant-, associate- or full professor.  

More information and profiles of the staff scientist positions are available for internal candidates on intranet. 

The selection procedure for senior researchers will follow the standard procedure (i.e. only 2 selection rounds) as described above. The motivation and ambitions of the candidate to become a staff scientist will be assessed during these selection rounds. Once the staff scientist position is available at Radboudumc, the researchers will be nominated for this position. 

Prevention background information

Lifestyle data and interventions

Join us to work on an evidence base for personalized prevention. We believe that successful prevention of physical and mental diseases and disorders needs to be based on the needs of people, with attention to socioeconomic health differences. Help us to bring together data from different sources, both inside and outside the Radboudumc to gain better insights into the mechanisms of action and build targeted interventions that match the needs and capabilities of individuals.

Below you can read more on background information, our ambitions and our positions. You can also go directly to the overview of available vacancies for this theme (note: vacancies for this theme are available in Dutch only).

• Background

  Prevention is one of Radboudumc's 6 strategic themes. We focus much of our research and education on prevention and want to build even further towards a solid prevention infrastructure both within the Radboudumc, and together with partners in our environment (campus, municipality, region).  

  Education and research on   prevention of physical and mental diseases and disorders, and related insights into the mechanisms of action, are central to the theme of prevention. In addition, promoting healthy lifestyles and resilience are important topics with attention to the needs of citizens/patients, and attention to socioeconomic health disparities.  

  With the Prevention Sector Plan, we want to boost research and education on lifestyle and physical and mental health, in which researchers, students, teachers and health professionals at various places within the Radboudumc work together to optimally organize the prevention axis 'living environment - primary care - hospital' for the citizen/patient and give it evidence-based content. This can be built on top of a broad palette of inspiring, innovative initiatives and projects, as well as various meaningful collaborations.

• Ambitions

  With the positions financed as part of the Sectorplan, Radboudumc wants to collect data in the region to work on personalized prevention. Interventions must match the needs and capabilities of target groups and individuals, and therefore information from different sources is essential. To this end, field labs 'Lifestyle, living environment & health' and a platform 'Data for health in the region' are being developed, in which data from different sources come together: citizens (citizen science together with MUMC+ and Vierdaagseonderzoek), healthcare data, public sector, cohorts (like NES, Healthy Brain) and national routine data (CBS, RIVM, GGD). These sources are still rarely brought together (the prevention landscape consists of silos) and more knowledge is needed about the possibilities, barriers and importance of combining data.  

  Within the Radboudumc we are setting up a Prevention Hub, which will bring together our research (and related education) on lifestyle and behavior for physical and mental health. Among other things, we are focusing on research into tertiary (indicated and disease-related) prevention, such as prehabilitation (interventions prior to treatment), rehabilitation (recovery after treatment) and sustainable lifestyle change in transmural chains of care. 

  For medical, dental and biomedical science students, education on implementing health interventions in different settings in the region is developed and implemented. In addition, Radboudumc will collaborate with the paramedics’ and nurses' training programs of HAN University of Applied Sciences. Students will guide patients across the boundaries of the echelons (1st, 2nd, 3rd line) in health promotion. Here the link with the field labs will be made. 

  An interdisciplinary graduate program in "Lifestyle Medicine" will be initiated to train young scientists and future health care professionals in this field who can take this approach further in the future. Among other things, expertise from the only addiction medicine training program in the Netherlands is used for these educational initiatives. Achieving a healthy living environment (sustainability) requires investment in knowledge and education, and calls for intensified cooperation with other faculties of Radboud University and HAN University of Applied Sciences.

• Allocation of positions

  Data for health: Improving the data infrastructure to better target prevention

  • Research group on data and population health management. By combining data from different data sources, efforts can be made to reduce socioeconomic health disparities through health interventions aimed at behavior change. Data sources relevant to health and lifestyle come together in a platform "Data for health” in the region.
    • Team:
      • 1 UD
      • 1 senior researcher
      • 1 scientific programmer (0.5 FTE)
      • 1 data steward (0.5 FTE)

  Build towards Radboudumc-wide Prevention Hub

  • Development of innovative projects on population health management
    • Team:
      • 1 UHD (1 FTE)
  • A Radboudumc-wide Prevention Hub, which will bring together our research (and related education) on lifestyle and behavior for physical and mental health. The focus will be on 1) tertiary (indicated and disease-related) prevention, such as prehabilitation (interventions prior to treatment), 2) rehabilitation (recovery after treatment), and 3) sustainable lifestyle change in transmural chains of care.
    • Team:
      • 1 senior project manager
      • 1 seniour researcher (1 FTE)
      • 1 data steward (0.5 FTE)

  Strengthening of existing internal and external connections and collaborations

  • The formation of an active interdisciplinary community of HBO (university of applied sciences), umc and other faculties of the university. From thereon connection to (inter)national consortia on health and prevention research 
    • Team:
      • 1 community manager (0.8 FTE)
  • Structural support for academic workplace public health AMPHI to secure its role in linking policy, research, and public health practice. 
    • Team: 
      • 1 senior researcher (0.8 FTE)

  Building capacity to connect professionals working in prevention related research and education

  • Fieldlabs in neighbourhoods (mainly with socioeconomic health disparities. These work along a long-term neighborhood/municipality research and innovation agenda. In the fieldlabs, medical, dental and biomedical science students collaborate with students from other faculties and HBO. Landing site intervention research projects with high complexity.
    • Team: 
      • 1 logistics coordinator (0.9 FTE)
      • several part-time staff scientists / community-based lecturers
  • Lifestyle advisory desk for chronic patients with lifestyle problems. Medical, dental and biomedical science students will guide patients towards healthy habits.  
    • Team:
      • 2 lifestyle coaches
  • Interdisciplinary master 'Lifestyle and behavior' with access from biomedical sciences, medicine, psychology, and education science. 
    • Team:
      • 1 coordinator

Data-driven innovation background information

Artificial intelligence, e-health and medical technology

Discover the future of healthcare at Radboudumc, where AI-driven diagnostics and prognostics, and continuous monitoring are paving the way towards improved efficiency, safety, and patient care. With a focus on data-driven health, we're leading the charge in developing new medical technologies and training the next generation of clinical innovators. Join us in building a self-learning healthcare system and improving the lives of patients around the world.

Below you can read more on background information, our ambitions and our positions. You can also go directly to the overview of available vacancies for this theme.

• Background

  Radboudumc is leading the way in implementing AI-driven diagnostics, digital surgery, and continuous monitoring to address healthcare staff shortages and improve efficiency and safety. Our approach is to involve the integration of data from various sources to better understand which interventions are most effective and how to prevent certain conditions and complications.  

  In the focus area "data-driven health: AI, e-health and medical technology," we are committed to developing and implementing new technology in medical practice. The sector plan allows Radboudumc, together with regional, national and international collaboration partners, to continue building a self-learning healthcare system where data about our patients and treatment outcomes are used to improve the treatment of future patients and develop new prevention strategies. 

  Radboudumc also plans to invest in a new Master's program in Medical Data Science to train healthcare professionals in clinical innovation skills and attract talent early on. With a focus on rare diseases, Radboudumc aims to improve diagnostics and treatment through natural history studies and innovative clinical trial designs. 

• Ambitions

  Radboudumc sees an important role for implementation of AI-driven diagnostics, digital surgery and continuous monitoring (in the hospital and at home) in addressing healthcare staff shortage and improving efficiency and safety. Data from various sources must be integrated to better understand which interventions are most (cost) effective and how certain conditions and complications can be prevented.    

  AI offers opportunities for delivering value-driven and appropriate care that is well aligned with citizens' needs and values without increasing costs, if indeed properly deployed. In the field of imaging in radio diagnostics and pathology, much has been achieved at Radboudumc by training AI algorithms on available images. Implementation of these AI systems in routine diagnostics is a process that needs to be supported by innovation and implementation experts. The next step will be to train AI algorithms on multimodal clinical data including -omics data, and unstructured text, audio and video recordings. Radboudumc also sees opportunities for successful innovations in deploying AI for the analysis of (semi)real-time data collected by sensors and devices (for example, in intensive care or, using wearables in nursing wards and in one's own living environment). It is also Radboudumc's ambition to realize pioneering research into AI applications at the interface of imaging and minimally invasive treatments.   

  Radboudumc realizes that a transition in healthcare is needed to actually implement and realize the potential of the above innovation. This means that patients, citizens, healthcare providers and supporters in clinical practice must be included in the process in a timely manner. In order to facilitate the further rollout and the exploitation of all the potential of AI-based diagnostics, digital surgery, continuous monitoring and E-Health, Radboud university medical center wants to invest in:

  1. Real-time data management and analytics;
  2. Innovative analytics of multi-modal data;
  3. Ongoing clinical validation of AI models in development sites and living labs;
  4. Training of the next generation of biomedical and computer scientists to successfully develop and implement data-driven health(care) applications;
  5. Network care and scaling up with relevant partners in the chain of care.

  The establishment of a structural multi-source clinical data stream and the learning process to use it to make care more efficient, safe and patient-friendly requires physician scientists and other healthcare professionals with clinical innovator skills who are empowered to realize development, actual implementation, scientific research and training around data-driven care. Furthermore, expert data stewards, data analysts and software engineers are needed, but these are also highly sought after in other sectors, making attracting and retaining expertise an additional challenge and benefiting from a strongly designed talent policy and career prospects. Radboudumc wants to invest (in collaboration with Radboud University and the University of Twente) in setting up a new Master's program in Medical Data Science to engage talents at an early stage.    

  Radboudumc is strong in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with rare diseases, playing a pioneering role in a number of European Reference Networks and building registries with pulmonary data on patients with rare diseases. A data-driven approach here offers opportunities for improving diagnostics and treatment, but also poses an additional challenge because each treatment center only treats limited numbers of patients. The data are thus scattered throughout Europe, which requires a coordinated approach as in the European Joint Programme on Rare Diseases, its national mirror group and the nationally recognized centers of expertise for rare diseases. Within Radboudumc there is much attention to 'natural history studies' with well-characterized patient cohorts and FAIR patient registries to form a baseline for trials, use of computational and statistical models to design, test and evaluate new and therapies in innovative in vitro models (organ-on-a-chip, organoids), development of innovative clinical trial designs.

• Allocation of positions

  The Sectorplan provides funding for 15 structural positions to support these ambitions. Details about the current vacancies for these positions can be found here. Positions that are not yet on the vacancy list will become available later. 

  1. Scientific programmer 

  To contribute to the development, expansion, automation and implementation of innovative AI models to make healthcare more efficient, effective and person-centered.

  2. Staff scientist (senior researcher)

  To support scientists and clinicians on AI models that make integrated use of multimodal data. 

  3. Junior clinical innovator 

  Physician in training to become a medical specialist. Contributes very concretely to the design and establishment of 1 or more clinical living lab(s) that strives to maximize collaboration between healthcare professionals and data managers.

  4. Project coordinator

  In developing data-driven digital care.

  5. Senior clinical innovator

  Academic Medical Specialist. Development of data driven digital care with a focus on development and validation of digital data driven care, training of healthcare professionals in this new care and rollout within and outside Radboudumc and development of network care.

  6. Researcher in Talent Track

  To develop AI-based methods for structuring, analyzing, integrating and interpreting real-world data, and exploiting these methods in diagnosis and prognosis. 

  7. Data steward

  To structure, analyze, integrate and interprete unstructured data and to select or develop AI tools that facilitate this.

  8. Researcher in Talent Track

  In modelling and application of multimodal data for precision medicine and personalised health.

  9. Staff scientist (senior researcher)

  To work on the management and analysis of multimodal data

  10. Coordinator ERN registries for patients with rare diseases 

  To ensure, in collaboration with Information Management department, that it is possible to automatically compile research cohorts from source systems

  11. ICT developer FAIR data infrastructure 

  To ensure, in collaboration with ICT developers and data stewards, that existing and future dataset/cohorts are FAIR available and patient registrations are filled automatically from source systems such as EPIC and LIMS.

Disease mechanisms and new therapies background information

Therapy development for rare diseases

Increase your impact on healthcare and accelerate the development of rare disease therapies by filling the gap between preclinical and clinical science. You can be part of an enthusiastic team with the ambition to develop Radboudumc as a center for rare diseases and innovative drug therapies.

Below you can read more on background information, our ambitions and our positions. You can also go directly to the overview of available vacancies for this theme.

• Background

  Radboudumc has a strong track record in curiosity-driven research with translational impact. Academic patient care is integrated with innovative research and education with a person-centered focus. A prototypic example of personalized medicine within the care domain involves the strong development and positioning of Radboudumc Centers of Expertise for rare diseases. The highly specialized and complex care of rare disease patients is an essential and intrinsic part of our university medical center given our central position in society and the care landscape. Given the fact that ~6% of the population is suffering from a rare disease, the vast majority of which lacks causative treatment options, the development and implementation of novel therapies is an important academic responsibility as well. Innovations in genomic technologies have drastically increased the number of diagnosed patients with rare genetic diseases, allowing the rational design of novel treatments based on the underlying molecular mechanisms. Moreover, improved patient stratification offers novel possibilities for targeted and individualized treatments, for example by use of cell-based therapies in rare hemato-oncological diseases.

• Ambitions

  Radboudumc will commit to developing targeted and personalized therapies for rare diseases with a focus on disease groups in our expertise centers. The expertise in these centers ranges from rare neurological, neurometabolic and kidney disorders to rare infectious diseases and cancer. Based on the widespread knowledge in our center on disease mechanisms, we focus on gene- and cell-based therapies and drug repurposing.  

  To this end, Radboudumc will:

  • Invest in and further develop the necessary infrastructure, including
  • GMP facilities such as clean rooms 
  • Disease models (towards human research models, organoids)
  • Clinical trial facilities including outcome measures and support 
  • Develop methods to investigate the implementation of person-centered therapies. These include statistics in small groups or n=1 trials as well as the selection of appropriate therapeutic approaches.
  • Promote later stage development (TRLs 5-7) of drug candidates by strengthening valorization and establishing Public Private Partnership ecosystems, combined with an in-depth knowledge network on academic drug development. This also involves value-based decision making via therapy development paths.
  • Build capacity to train professionals who can connect the worlds of research, drug development and valorization. A new specialization in Therapy Development within the Master of Biomedical Sciences will be developed. Furthermore, entrepreneurship and drug development will be prioritized in educational programs for researchers and professionals.

• Allocation of positions

  The Sectorplan provides funding for 13 structural positions to support these ambitions. Details about the current vacancies for these positions can be found here. Positions that are not yet on the vacancy list will become available within one month. The positions are centered around four main activities:

  1. Improving preclinical infrastructure to accelerate therapy development for rare diseases

  • Development and standardization of therapy testing in human organ-on-chip models
  • Development of RNA and genetic therapies beyond the preclinical stage
  • Development of Advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) including cell-based therapies
    • Team:
      • 1 associate professor
      • 1 assistant professor education
      • 2 staff scientists (assistant professor level)
      • 2 research technicians

  2. Improving clinical infrastructure to accelerate therapy development for rare diseases

  • Design of “Therapy development pathways” for drug-repurposing, gene/RNA-based and cell-based therapies and facilitating their access
  • Development of methods to investigate the effects and implementation of person-centered therapies, so-called n=1 trials
  • Support to start-up and implementation of investigator-initiated treatment strategies and trials for rare disorders
    • Team:
      • 1 associate professor
      • 1 assistant professor education
      • 1 project manager
      • 2 part time hospital pharmacists/researchers
      • 1 trial coordinator/research nurse

  3. Developing a knowledge network on academic drug development for rare diseases

  • Development of a knowledge network both internally in the Radboudumc and by realizing a Public Private Partnership ecosystem with external partners. This will strengthen the development of late stage TRLs (5-7)
    • Team:
      • 1 project developer public private partnerships
      • 1 community manager

  4. Building capacity to train professionals who can connect research, drug development and valorization

  • Establishment of a new track on Therapy Development within the Master of Biomedical Sciences
  • Integration of entrepreneurship and knowledge on drug development in the educational programs for researchers and other professionals
    • Team:
      • 2 assistant professors education (also linked to teams 1 and 2)
      • 1 coordinator of the track on therapy development in the Master program
        The researchers indicated above will also be involved in teaching in these programs