Assistant Professor in Immunotechnology with focus on Cancer Immunotherapy Full-time

Assistant Professor in Immunotechnology with Focus on Cancer Immunotherapy

Lund University, Faculty of Engineering, Immunotechnology

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.

The Department of Immunotechnology at Lund University, Faculty of Engineering (LTH), is looking for an up-and-coming researcher, who wants to conduct pioneering research, to take up a position as assistant professor in Immunotechnology with focus on Cancer Immunotherapy.

What we offer the successful candidate Do you want to become a future research leader through groundbreaking projects and research ideas? If so, you have the opportunity to start as an Assistant Professor within the framework of the Lund University Programme for Global Excellence.

The past two decades have witnessed a profound transformation in medical research driven by advances in our understanding of the immune system, particularly in oncology and the treatment of autoimmune and inflammatory disorders. Despite this progress, major challenges remain in improving the efficacy and precision of immunotherapies. Overcoming these challenges will require a deeper mechanistic insight to enable the development of rational, next-generation therapeutic strategies. To remain at the forefront of immunotherapy research, Lund University, its Medical and Technical Faculties, and Skåne University Hospital are undertaking a major strategic investment in this area. We invite applications from emerging research leaders with an exceptional track record to conduct ground-breaking research within the field.

As an Assistant Professor you will develop your qualifications over a period of 6 years, after which you may be promoted to a tenured position as a senior lecturer, with opportunities for further career advancement.

You will receive five weeks of training in teaching and learning in higher education and get the opportunity to learn Swedish through the University's Swedish language courses for new international staff. As you prepare to move to Sweden, we offer you support through our relocation service, and if you're bringing your family, they'll receive support and make new connections through Lund's International Citizen Hub who provides a gateway to Swedish society and your new community.

At the turn of the year 2026/2027, Sweden's largest scientific funder, the Swedish Research Council, will announce attractive funding for Assistant Professors with an international background. Our ambition is that all appointments within the framework of the Lund University Programme for Global Excellence will be nominated for this funding. Read more about the Swedish Research Council here.

Ready to shape the future of research? Learn more about why Lund University might be the right choice for you here, and more about working in Sweden here. These films will also give you more information about Working in Lund, Moving to Lund and Living in Lund.

Read more about the University joint announcement: https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/lund-university-programme-global-excellence

Duties We want you to thrive and get the most out of your time at the Department of Immunotechnology. As an Assistant Professor, you will therefore have the opportunity to focus long-term on the research you are passionate about. The holder of this position will be able to dedicate the majority of their time to their own research, in collaboration with strong research environments, research infrastructures, and international platforms.

In addition to conducting research, during your time as an Assistant Professor you will also develop your pedagogical skills, your capacity for collaboration and external communication, as well as your proficiency in the Swedish language. Throughout your employment, you will be an active member of your department and participate in its varied activities.

One of your first tasks, we hope, will be to lead an innovative research project funded by the Swedish Research Council.

As described above, the field of cancer immunotherapy is rapidly advancing. The opportunities to develop conceptually new cancer therapies are endless with the help of antibody technology, such as bispecific or multispecific antibody formats, antibody-drug conjugates, and cell-based therapies, including CAR T-cell therapy, NK-cell therapy, and other forms of adoptive cell therapy, as well as related strategies for mobilising the immune system against cancer. The field holds great potential for improving the treatment of many cancer patients.

Specifically, the position will be part of the L2CancerBridge programme, coordinated by CREATE Health. CREATE Health is a strategic centre for translational cancer research at Lund University. Here, researchers, clinicians, and technologists come together around a shared vision: to advance cancer research using cutting-edge technical, biological, biomedical, and analytical tools, and to ensure that new findings reach clinical reality. The centre's work is conducted primarily within the framework of L2CancerBridge, a five-year research programme funded by the single largest donation in the modern history of Lund University. L2CancerBridge aims to bridge the gap between biological discoveries and clinical implementation, with a focus on next-generation antibody modalities and cellular therapies.

The programme offers a genuinely unique research environment, where scientific freedom meets translational focus and clinical grounding, for researchers who want their science to make a real difference.

You can find more information about the department, CREATE Health and the L2CancerBridge programme, as well as the national antibody network, and LUCC on their respective websites.

Responsibilities:

• Research in immunotechnology with a focus on cancer immunotherapy
• Teaching at undergraduate, masters, and doctoral level
• Supervision of degree projects and doctoral students
• Actively seeking external research funding
• Collaboration with industry and the wider community
• Administrative tasks related to the responsibilities listed above

Qualification requirements for employment as Assistant Professor You must hold a doctoral degree or have equivalent scientific expertise in areas relevant to the subject, which is Immunotechnology with a focus on cancer immunotherapy. We will primarily prioritise those applicants who have been obtained a doctoral degree within the last 7 years from the closing date for applications for the position. If you have official documentation proving that there are special circumstances— such as parental leave, military service or illness, after graduating – that have prevented you from working as a researcher, the doctoral degree in the subject can in such cases have been awarded earlier. In this case, you must include this documentation with your application.

Requirements – what you must bring to be considered for the position To be able to be appointed as an Assistant Professor within the framework of Lund University Programme for Global Excellence, the applicant must have:

• Has a strong ability to initiate, develop and conduct high-quality research within the defined subject
• Has strong pedagogical skills
• Relevant experience from doctoral training and/or postdoctoral research at a university or institute outside Sweden, or relevant experience from industry or the public sector
• Has not received a salary or grant from Sweden since December 31st, 2022
• Has relevant experience to be able to define and develop a plan that describes an innovative project within the research field of Immunotechnology with a focus on cancer immunotherapy. The plan should describe how the applicant's research can complement and strengthen the research at the Department of Immunotechnology and the strategic research environment CREATE Health. Furthermore, the research plan should outline tentative relevant and realistic potential collaborations with existing research groups at LU, and the existing antibody development activities at the department. The research plan will carry significant weight in the assessment of the application and should be able to serve as a basis for applying for external research funding. The research plan should be 1,000–1,500 words.
• Has strong communication skills
• Has excellent proficiency inf English, both spoken and written
• Demonstrates motivation and ability to learn Swedish
• Has documented strong leadership qualities, for example through positions of trust, leadership training and assessed leadership ability
• Has strong collaborative skills, initiative, and the ability to work independently

Additional qualifications – other credentials that we consider desirable: We want you to thrive at Lund University and be able to make the best of your time at the department, and for that reason we consider it preferable if you can demonstrate that you:

• Documented research experience in the design of antibody modalities
• Documented experience from cancer-related research
• Documented research experience in AI/machine learning/deep learning
• Documented experience in the development of therapies for oncology applications
• A current international position within the research field
• Experience of applying for and securing competitive funding from funders outside Sweden
• Contribute positively to the working environment

The extent to which the applicant, through their experience and skills, may complement and strengthen ongoing research, undergraduate education, departmental innovation, and how they can contribute to the future development of the department will also