Call for Applications for Co-director Positions at "Academy of Immunology and Microbiology (AIM)" of the Institute for Basic Science (IBS)

The Institute for Basic Science (IBS) is a Korean government-funded research institute established in November 2011 with the purpose of driving forward the development of basic science in Korea through large-scale, long-term, group research. IBS consists of autonomous research centers (Centers) in all fields of basic sciences and has so far established 28 Centers: Please visit http://www.ibs.re.kr/eng.do. We are pleased to announce that our call for applications for the Co-director position and the Junior Principal Investigator position at Academy of Immunology and Microbiology (AIM) of the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) is now open as detailed below. We look forward to your applications.

■ Introduction of the research center and Research Areas

Academy of Immunology and Microbiology (AIM) is one of the first research centers established by Institute for Basic Science (IBS). The center is directed by Prof. Charles D. Surh and located at Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH). AIM's goals are to discover novel mechanisms on how commensal microbes and food antigens contribute to the development of host immune system and to the establishment and maintenance of immune homeostasis, to define novel mechanisms on how the immune system develops, establishes and maintains tolerance to self-antigens and harmless antigens, and to develop novel immunotherapy for treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases, including autoimmune diseases, allergies and cancer.

- For more information
http://aim.ibs.re.kr/html/aim_en/
https://www.ibs.re.kr/en/research/microbiology/microbiology.jsp

■ Information of the Co-director Position

1. Job description

• - Co-director will conduct independent research programs that are compatible with the overall goals of the research center, will also collaborate with other investigators, and serve as an acting Director when the Managing Director is not available. The specific research areas expected for the Co-director are in the following areas: (i) The role of innate and/or adaptive immune system in regulation of immune homeostasis to self-antigens and to commensal microbiota and/or dietary components, (ii) The role of key transcription factors and effector molecules in development, homeostasis, regulation and function of the immune system, especially in the context of immune tolerance to self antigens and intestinal homeostasis, (iii) Molecular cellular mechanisms involved in development, homeostasis, regulation and function of the innate and adaptive immune system, (iv) Molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in dysregulation of the immune system that lead to chronic inflammatory diseases, and (v) Mechanisms involve in interactions between host immune system and pathogenic microbes.
• - The successful applicant will have access to all the infrastructure of the Research Center, including the mouse facility that house germ-free, antigen-free and SPF mice and all the other modern facilities, including the flow cytometry, Fluidigm + C1 single cell analysis, Mi-Seq DNA sequencer, and confocal microscopy facilities.
• - Candidates should have an outstanding record of scholarly achievement recognized at an international level, an excellent record of securing external funding, and evidence of strong leadership skills.
• - Candidates must have demonstrated an ability to manage and inspire a group of staff to perform a relatively large and robust research program in an academic setting and be able to articulate a strong vision to advance the research and outreach programs in the Research Center.
• - The successful applicant needs to acquire a full professor position at POSTECH in a separate independent process at POSTECH.

2. Requirements

• - Candidates must have an exceptional track record of research.
• - Candidates must possess proven experiences in managing and directing a large-scale scientific research program.
• - Candidates must be committed to conducting research and operating their research center groups at IBS for the long term.
• - Candidate must be able to work closely with the Principal Investigators at the Research Center and to conduct collaborative projects.
• - Candidates must be fluent enough with the relevant scientific and policy issues to be a highly credible representative of the Research Center to audiences ranging from the general public to the uppermost levels of scientists and policymakers. The position calls for vision, breadth, and good judgment; proven intellectual leadership skills; a keen sense of public policy, as well as competence in financial and staff management skills.

3. Research Budget

• - Proposed amount of research budget on the application form will be reviewed when selecting directors and once the selection of directors is finalized, it may be adjusted and confirmed by the Research Review Committee.
• - Start-up expenses for the initial establishment of the Center research group, including costs for purchasing large-scale facilities and equipment should be requested separately on the application form and will be determined by the Research Review Committee.

4. Details of the Co-director Position

• - Co-directors are required to work full time in their Center research groups and their labor costs will be negotiated with the IBS president and will become effective upon the signing of the contract.
• - Co-directors are not allowed to apply for other Korean government-funded research projects.
• - Co-directors will be given autonomy in organizing their research groups including personnel, research plan and budget distribution.
• - An evaluation of Centers and research groups will take place every three years and will determine whether to provide continued support. If it is decided that a Center or a Center research group should close down based on the evaluation results, a one-year transition period will be given.

5. Application Details

• - Complete the application form (http://bit.ly/2srd5VM) in English and save it as a pdf file.
• - Submit your application via our website.
  (http://www.ibs.re.kr/prog/leaderPl/eng/sub04_02_04/checkForm.do)
• - Application Deadline: July 31st, 2017 18:00 KST
  (The deadline can be extended until the position is filled)
• - Candidates for in-depth evaluation will be notified individually.
• - FAQ: http://bit.ly/2qJBG73

6. Inquiries

Selection and evaluations of IBS co-director / application submission:
KO Youngwook
Research Evaluation Team
Tel:+82-42-878-8142
Email: young@ibs.re.kr

￭ Information for a Junior Principal Investigator Position

Job Location: Academy of Immunology and Microbiology (AIM), Institute for Basic Science (IBS) Campus Center, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH)

A new center of excellence in Immunology, Academy of Immunology and Microbiology (AIM), is seeking an outstanding immunologist for a junior principal investigator position. AIM was recently established with generously funding from the Korean government through IBS. The junior principal investigators at AIM will receive ample funding for the next several years from the Korean government to conduct their work. Please see description of AIM at
https://www.ibs.re.kr/en/research/microbiology/microbiology.jsp or http://aim.ibs.re.kr/html/aim_en/

AIM is located inside Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH; http://www.postech.ac.kr/), an elite private university situation at the seaport city of Pohang, Korea. AIM is one of several centers belonging to the IBS, the latest South Korean government's sizable endeavor to boost the scope of basic research in Korea. Please see description of IBS at https://www.ibs.re.kr/en/.

The main goal of AIM is to discover novel fundamental mechanisms in immunology that regulate host interactions with self, diet, commensal microbiota and/or pathogens. To this end, AIM is seeking outstanding individuals to lead his/her own independent group to make novel impactful discoveries in the areas of T cell biology, mucosal immunology, autoimmunity, host/pathogen interactions, microbiology, and/or inflammatory diseases. AIM has established several key core facilities, including antigen-free and germ-free mouse, flow cytometry, somatic cells nuclear transfer, genomics, single cell analysis, and imaging.

Interested individuals should send their questions and/or CV, together with a brief description of their future research goals and up to five reprints of published works, to:

Charles D. Surh. Ph.D.
Director
Academy of Immunology and Microbiology (AIM), Institute for Basic Science (IBS),
at Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), 77, Cheongamro, Namgu, Pohang, Gyeongbuk, 790-784, Korea
Tel: +82-54-279-0650
E-mail: csurh@ibs.re.kr / csurh@postech.ac.kr