Responsabilities
Context
The University of Namur's mission is to educate students and researchers to become responsible members of society. It encourages them to engage in extracurricular projects with social, civic, and humanistic purposes, enabling them to contribute to the development of a democratic, pluralistic, and supportive society (). Located in the heart of Namur’s historic city center, the University benefits from excellent amenities, including housing, shops, leisure facilities, and public transportation. It actively contributes to the vibrancy, development, and prominence of the city, the capital of Wallonia. Namur has more than 110,000 inhabitants and offers a pleasant living environment at the confluence of the Meuse and Sambre rivers, dominated by a vast citadel redesigned in the 17th century by the renowned military architect Vauban.
In pursuing its research mission, the University of Namur prioritizes themes that combine academic excellence with societal relevance. It places particular emphasis on interdisciplinarity and carefully considers the human and social implications of science and technology. NARILIS () is one of UNamur's eleven research institutes and brings together more than 150 researchers active across various fields of the life sciences. Its mission is to stimulate and support interdisciplinary collaborations, particularly between hospitals and universities (CHU UCL Namur and the University of Namur).
The Faculty of Medicine is one of the University’s seven faculties and provides education to more than 2,000 students in medicine, pharmacy, and biomedical sciences. Teaching is primarily delivered by members of the Departments of Medicine, Pharmacy, Biomedical Sciences, and Psychology. Research activities are supported by the NARILIS research institute and are conducted within the Departments and the Faculty's research units.
Artificial intelligence (AI) and analytical technologies in the field of health represent a revolution in both clinical practice and biomedical and pharmaceutical research. The integration of AI and big data technologies into the healthcare sector is not only a globaltrend, but also a necessity to address contemporary challenges in healthcare delivery, biomedical research, and the education of health professionals.
The Faculty of Medicine at UNamur aims to progressively integrate these disciplines in order to respond to the growing demand for skills in these areas, enabling students to master analytical tools and the fundamental concepts of AI so that they can contribute to innovation in diagnosis, personalized treatment, medical data management, and scientific research.
For more information: (brochure; available in French and English)
The successful candidate will be responsible for the following tasks
• Teaching
o Courses in the various programs of the Faculty, notably in the Master’s in Biomedical Sciences in data management (e.g., Introduction to Bioinformatics, Algorithmic Foundations, Data Analysis, Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare).
o Teaching will be delivered in English and French, possibly in multiinstructor courses.
o The selected candidate will ensure that the course content and teaching methods are adapted to the different study programs.
o The course portfolio is likely to evolve over the course of the candidate's career.
o The successful candidate will coordinate the teaching of analytics and IA tools across the Faculty's various programs
• Research
• The successful candidate will develop research projects specifically focused on data analysis and AI in the field of health at the NARILIS research institute.
• Supervision of doctoral and master's students
o The selected candidate will be responsible for supervising doctoral theses, master's theses, and/or end-of-cycle projects in line with their expertise.
• Service within UNamur
o The selected candidate will be actively involved in the bodies of the Faculty of Medicine and the University and will contribute to service activities.
Profile
Degree, training, and experience:
1. You hold a master’s degree in Pharmaceutical, Biomedical, Medical, or Public Health Sciences) or in the Life Sciences (Biology, Bioengineering)
AND
2. You hold a doctoral degree with a thesis in the field of Life Sciences related to the disciplines taught in the Faculty of Medicine (Medicine, Biomedical Sciences, Pharmaceutical Sciences).
AND
3. You have experience in one or more of the following areas (non-exhaustive):
o Participation in projects on the use of telemedicine and AI tools to optimize primary care management, the development of predictive solutions for populationlevel disease management, or the development of artificial intelligence models capable of interpreting large amounts of (bio)medical data more comprehensively and accurately (e.g., “OMICS” data).
o Proficiency in data quality management and data engineering (ETL).
o Academic research in biostatistics, computational epidemiology, modeling, or quantitative methods applied to health.
Skills (knowledge, technical and interpersonal skills:
4. You have sufficient experience to deliver high-quality teaching in higher education.
5. Your excellence is recognized through high-level scientific research and publications, as well as through an established network of collaborations.
6. You have the ability to lead an academic team. - You have the ability to initiate, integrate, and develop collaborative projects in teaching and research.
Applications received must meet the following criteria:
Primary selection criteria:
7. The qualifications and knowledge/skills listed above;
8. Recognized expertise in the field of human health; - The quality of the teaching project submitted as part of the application file;
9. The articulation and development potential of the research project in alignment with the activities and strategic priorities of the Faculty of Medicine.
10. A willingness to contribute to one or more of the Faculty's priority projects (including the development of cross-disciplinary research in primary care, clinical research, and public health; and the integration of teaching and research into a sustainable development approach);
11. A postdoctoral stay at a university other than the one where the doctorate was obtained(with a cumulative duration of at least one year), or equivalent professional experience. - The quality of the lecture and materials presented during the interview with the Recruitment Committee;
12. The quality of the research project submitted as part of the application file;
13. Significant publications in high-quality journals;
14. Fluency in French and English.
The following may be considered assets:
15. Pedagogical innovation and its suitability for the target audience ;
16. Past or current success in securing external research funding;
Candidates should list any degrees (theses, specializations, or complementary master's degrees, etc.) that support their application.