CORUS Group Head

Institution
ALBA, the Spanish synchrotron light source, is a large research infrastructure operating ten beamlines, complementary facilities, and an Electron Microscopy Center partnership. The facility is currently growing by constructing multiple more beamlines, expanding the Electron Microscopy Center, and integrating advanced data analytics, to sum up a wide range of infrastructures geared toward finding solutions to societal challenges.

The facility, located in Cerdanyola del Vallès (Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain), is funded by the Spanish and Catalan Governments. Thousands of researchers per year are using the synchrotron light from the 3 GeV electron beam to analyse and understand the structure and function of matter. Enabled research and innovation is spanning a wide variety of fields, such as health, environment, food security, energy production/storage, catalysis, communication technologies and cultural heritage.

Our highly motivated staff works in a multidisciplinary work environment with an atmosphere formed by lived diversity, inclusion and respect for our colleagues. One of the goals of our gender equality plan is to reach parity within the Consortium’s different divisions and offices, and several actions have been taken to encourage applications from women mostly in scientific, engineer and technical job positions.

ALBA is located close to Barcelona in a natural park, well connected by car and public transportation, with excellent connections to the world and an employer who understands the importance of life-work balance.

ALBA is now geared to its upgrade to a 4th generation facility,  ALBA II (https://www.cells.es/en/about/alba-ii), and is on schedule to see the new beam, offering a dramatic increase and coherent flux, on a sample on 2031. This is an exceptional time for the facility,  ALBA is in a phase of growth and dynamics. Being a part of the ALBA team will promote your career and will give you the opportunities to explore new territories.

The new cryo-nano-bioimaging beamline (CORUS) fully optimized for life science applications is one of the two featured new long beamlines of ALBA II. This ~250m long beamline will offer new imaging capabilities at nanoscale level and in close-to-native conditions; its target is to understand complex biological systems, diseases and environmental challenges by providing an efficient cryogenic and room temperature nanoprobe to gain structural, chemical and elemental knowledge of up to mm-sized sample volumes. The proposed CORUS beamline will host two end-stations offering nanometric sized X-ray beams for high spatial resolution mapping and imaging of biological samples.

The combination of an imaging station reaching 20nm resolution called NanoMag with a cryo-nano-spectroscopy instrument called NanoSpec with 50nm resolution will combine 2D and 3D imaging with chemical state of relevant elements. Specifically, NanoMag will focus on imaging and quantification of trace endogenous or exogenous elements, such as drugs or contaminants, at very high sensitivity (parts per million level) in whole prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells or tissue sections, whereas NanoSpec will elucidate the chemical state of relevant elements within the cell.

In summary, this flagship project for ALBA II is to be one of the first nanoimaging beamline with a built-in cryogenic system, and aims at new frontiers of integrative structural biology such as ultrastructure of biological soft tissues in large volumes, study of neuronal circuits at the nanoscale, biomineralization, performance and degradation of engineered metal-based drugs or nanoparticle delivery vehicles, biochemical functions maintaining cellular homeostasis regulated by the oxidation state of trace-level metals, toxicology of metals and micro-/nano-materials, and bioremediation, among others.

You can find more about the history of the ALBA synchrotron light facility here:

 

Tasks
As group leader of CORUS, you will use your capabilities as true leader to build, motivate and guide your group to develop the scientific program of CORUS, maintain and foster existing and potential user communities, identify research needs for Europe and develop the corresponding opportunities for the CORUS program, and communicate and coordinate with peers and collaborators within ALBA and your network. As an experienced beamline scientist, you will forecast the needs of the future scientific community of CORUS to guide the design, construction and commissioning of the beamline. Your proven scientific, organization, coordination and communication abilities will be the bases for operational excellence and high productivity of CORUS when in operation.

The following tasks summarize this in a nut shell:

Management

• Managing the CORUS group .
• Coordinating the CORUS program within the Life Sciences section and ALBA and related instruments.
• Reporting to ALBA management and responding to ALBA management requests.
• Build a broad Spanish and European research and innovation network.

Project management during construction

• Defining functional specifications.
• Lining out the project management by creating the Project Initiation Document (PID)
• Guiding and monitoring the engineering and scientific team to achieve a design capable of fulfilling the specifications.
• Managing and providing the tender documents.
• Monitoring/supervising the construction, installation, and commissioning of the instrument.

Group management, operation manager and scientific program

• Building the CORUS team.
• Building the CORUS community and communicating the beamlines capabilities as well as requesting the user needs.
• Managing and organizing the beamline to highest operational excellence.
• Identifying research needs and develop opportunities for CORUS, ALBA and its community.
• Develop  an own research program which fully benefits from CORUS’s capabilities and its ecosystem for creating workflows, communities and services which are unique in Europe and the world.
• Integrate CORUS within ALBA’s multimodal portfolio
• Create a safe and productive environment by carrying out the functions and tasks as a Controller in accordance with the provisions of the occupational risk prevention plan (HS-PdP-16 SPP).​

Requirements
The requirements for participation must be met on the date of the deadline for the submission of applications and will be accredited by means of the CV attached to it, without prejudice to the power of the selection body to require the contribution of the originals of the certifications accrediting the qualifications, training and work experience invoked in the CV.

Applications that do not present the aforementioned or required documentation during the selection procedure will not be accepted.

The successful candidate must:

• hold a PhD (or equivalent) in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Nano/biotechnology or a closely related discipline.
• a minimum work experience at Synchrotron Light Sources of three years in a position as scientist or higher, or a sound record of utilization of X-ray nano-fluorescence, nano-spectroscopy or phase-contrast bioimaging techniques for a minimum of eight years.

Everyone who meets the requirements will be admitted for the selective process. This position is reserved for those candidates having the legal status of person with disabilities, with a degree of disability equal or greater than 33%. In case of one or more admitted applicants with this status of disability, these candidates will be evaluated at first. In the event that no candidate with the status of disability is finally selected for the position, the selection process shall continue and the rest of the applicants will be evaluated.

Selection Process Development
The selection will be carried out through the competition-opposition system.

As a first phase, an analysis of the curriculum will be carried out (assessment of previous experience and / or scientific history, degree, training and other professional information relevant to the position). Career breaks or variations in the chronological order of CVs will be regarded as an evolution of a career, and consequently, as a contribution to the professional development.

The assessment of the CV in the competition phase will be scored up to 40 points, which will consider the following aspects:

• Publication record of research on volume ultrastructure of biological soft tissues, organoids and cells using phase-contrast X-ray imaging techniques, cryo-electron tomography, volumetric serial cryo-imaging, cryo-nano-fluorescence, cryo-nano-spectroscopy and super-resolution techniques, including basic and applied science and computational methods. (20 points)
• Grant applications and successful execution of granted projects. (10 points)
• Experience in supervision and/or mentoring.  (5 points)
• Impact of the published research. (5 points)

The best rated candidates, at least two if possible, will be invited to an interview where the technical competence, knowledge, skills and professional experience linked to the position will be assessed, with a total score of 60 points. A minimum of 30 points must be obtained out of a total of 60 points to be eligible.

Provided they meet the minimum requirements and have ranked among the top five after the assessment of the CV phase, at least one person from the underrepresented gender in the division/office will be interviewed.

The interview will include at least:

• Knowledge and publication record on advanced, scientific instrumentation, specially mechatronics and optomechanics, under cryogenic and vacuum conditions (15 points)
• Knowledge and publication record of X-ray optical instrumentation and microscopy. (5 points)
• Knowledge of sample preparation methods for X-ray or electron cryo-bioimaging techniques (5 points)
• Proficiency on control systems, data acquisition, data analysis, computing and programming (especially Python). (10 points)
• Project management skills, including budget and personnel. (10 points)
• Auto-assessment of soft skills. (5 points)
• Vision of the job position. (5 points)
• Motivation for applying. (5 points)

The merits will be accredited by means of the CV attached to the application. The selection board may require accreditation by additional documentation, originals or certified copies confirming the experience invoked in the CV.

In case of a tied final score, the position will be awarded to the person who belongs to the most underrepresented gender in the corresponding Division and subsidiarily to the overall company.

If necessary, alternates of the members of the selection board will be appointed by the president of the selection process, and the change will be published in the announcement.

The resolution of the selection procedure will be carried out within a maximum period of six months from the deadline for submitting applications for participation.

The selection process may be declared vacant if the selection board considers not to have found eligible candidates for the position although they might meet the requirements to participate in the selection process specified in the offer.

Other information
Permanent contract.

The Selection Board is composed by the following members: Klaus Attenkofer, Francois Fauth, Judith Juanhuix Gibert, Josep Nicolas Roman, Montserrat Pont Montaner