The Institute of Biological and Medical Engineering (IIBM) and the School of Medicine at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile invite applications for a tenure track full-time faculty position in the area of Clinical and Biomedical Research Informatics and Data Science. The position will have a joint affiliation with the School of Medicine (1st affiliation) and IIBM. The objective of this call is to enhance the area of clinical research informatics in both units and the university and to collaborate with academics dedicated to the implementation of informatics tools to facilitate clinical research, designing workflows to improve the use of electronic health record (EHR), developing infrastructures for advanced data analytics, and balancing the need for data security and privacy.
About us: The Institute of Biological and Medical Engineering (IIBM UC) was founded in January 2016 as the first interdisciplinary academic unit of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and is dedicated to research, education, innovation and clinical translation, through an integrated approach by combining technology, health and science. It belongs to the faculties of Engineering, Medicine and Biological Sciences, and is formed by professors, researchers and students from different fields and academic backgrounds, including engineering, physics, biology, chemistry, biotechnology, and multiple specialties of medicine. The institute manages two academic undergraduate programs, the Major in Biomedical Engineering, and the Major in Biological Engineering; and has created two graduate programs, a Master and Ph.D. in Biological and Medical Engineering. Through those programmes, it provides a vibrant educational environment to its students with an interdisciplinary, collaborative spirit and a special emphasis on entrepreneurship. The School of Medicine, which was founded more than 90 years ago, has more than 800 faculty members organized in 38 academic departments that cover a wide range of research areas with more than 400 WoS publications per year in different fields of medical knowledge such as anesthesia and pain, cancer and hematology, cardiovascular diseases, surgery, infectious diseases, epidemiology and public health, gastroenterology and hepatology, images and pathology, metabolism and nutrition, internal and intensive care medicine, family medicine, neurosciences, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, rheumatology and autoimmune diseases. Our main clinical campus are: the Red de Salud UC-CHRISTUS2 one of the best and largest private health care network of the country, the public hospitals Sótero del Río and La Florida at the Servicio de Salud Metropolitana Sur Oriente, and the ANCORA family health network, which as a whole serve a population of over 1.5 million people.
Role description: The applicant should have an outstanding publication track record in Clinical Biomedical Informatics and Data Science, with the potential to obtain external research funds and develop high-quality teaching. Applicants should be proactive in pursuing independent research lines, able to work collaboratively and show evidence of interdisciplinary collaboration. Experience working in higher education and healthcare-related work environments.
Research areas of interest may include but are not limited to the development of data analysis and processing methods for complex clinical data to improve diagnosis and patient outcomes, support clinical decision-making, improve operational efficiencies, and drive medical research. Other research areas of research may include telemedicine, electronic health records (EHRs), natural language processing (NLP) and text mining techniques among others.
The position will be part of an interdisciplinary environment, where he/she will be able to interact with academics in diverse research areas from clinical and preclinical medicine, biotechnology, biomedical engineering, and imaging among others. The position will require undergraduate and/or graduate teaching both in the Faculty of Medicine and the Institute of Biological and Medical Engineering.
Key Responsibilities:
• Create and lead a research team in clinical/biomedical informatics and data science.
• Develop classes on clinical informatics, data science or deep learning for the teaching programmes in the Faculty of Medicine and IIBM.
• Work with data clinical scientists to develop predictive models for disease diagnosis, treatment, and patient risk stratification.
• Stay up to date with emerging trends and technologies in clinical biomedical informatics and data science.
Requirements:
• MD, with PhD or MSc in biomedical informatics, data science, computer science, or a related field; or PhD in biomedical informatics, data science, computer science, or a related field
• 2+ years of experience in clinical biomedical informatics and data science.
• Expertise in statistical analysis and machine learning algorithms.
• Proficiency in programming languages such as Matlab, Python, TensorFlow and SQL.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
Preferred Qualifications:
• Experience working with electronic health records (EHRs) and other clinical data sources.
• Familiarity with healthcare regulations in Chile and abroad (HIPAA and GDPR).
• Experience with natural language processing (NLP) and text mining techniques.
• Publication record in clinical biomedical informatics and data science journals.
Candidates do not need to speak Spanish at the time of applying but should be prepared to learn the language well enough to begin teaching in Spanish in the short term. Applicants must demonstrate potential for excellence and a strong vocation for all aspects of academic life, be highly motivated to continuously improve their teaching skills, have a genuine interest in getting involved with our graduate programs (specially the doctoral program) and be able to develop and maintain an active research agenda. The position also includes the need to create new undergraduate and graduate courses and to support teaching in related areas.
Application instructions:
Candidates should submit the following documents to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (with the subject “Application to Clinical Research Informatics position”) by 15.08.2023. Late applications may be considered until the positions are filled. Candidates to previous calls, please see note A.
1. Up-to-date curriculum vitae in English – see note B.
2. Copies of your five most important publications highlighting their contribution to science. Include a full list of articles you consider relevant in the context of your application.
3. Research statement (in English) indicating immediate and long term goals for your research plan. Detail potential collaboration networks with other researchers and plans for interactions with scientists in Chile and other countries.
4. Teaching statement (in English) indicating why you should be considered for the position and your plans for teaching. Be as specific as possible, e.g. giving examples of how you aim to transfer your knowledge to undergraduate and graduate students.
5. In addition, candidates should arrange for three letters of recommendation to be emailed directly by the signatories to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
The Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile is committed to equal opportunities, to the construction of an inclusive, diverse and fraternal community and to the promotion of the academic development of women and men.
A person of foreign nationality and who applies from abroad, in case of being selected for the position, will be required to have the corresponding visa, obtained from the consulate in the country of origin, in order to be incorporated into the academic staff of the University.
Once the complete set of application materials has been received, the applicant will be contacted within two months and informed whether or not his/her application has been accepted for further consideration. If this initial screening is successful, the candidate will be asked to give a lecture on his/her current research topics and hold interviews with the faculty members from the Selection Committee
This position is available immediately. Please include in your application the date in which you will be available.
Further information may be obtained by emailing the Director of the IIBM Institute, Dr. René Botnar (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) or the Research Director of the School of Medicine, Dra. María Elvira Balcells (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) or of the Research Director of Institute, Dr. Mario Vera (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).
Note A:
Candidates who had participated in a previous call must inform the Selection Committee, through This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., their intention to participate in this call. The applicant will have the option to update the documentation, or may be requested to do so.
Note B:
The CV must be organized along the following lines:
1. Personal background: name, address, contact telephone (with country and city codes), e-mail address, web page (if any)
2. Education: list of all degrees or professional titles obtained with granting institutions and dates.
3. Educational experience (university or institution, courses taught, years).
4. Professional experience (company, tasks, years)
5. Research
a. List of WoS journal publications including original work, editorials and review articles. Please avoid including other publications, such as non WoS journals, conference presentations and the like shown in 5.b. To see whether a journal is included in the Web of Science (WoS) catalogue, visit the following web site: www.webofscience.com
b. List of other publications such as non WoS Journals, reports, books or book chapters, attended conferences, patents etc.
c. List of research grants including name of principal investigator and amount awarded.
d. Other: prizes and awards, computing abilities, languages, other background information that you consider relevant.