Assistant Professor in pediatric neurology with a focus on motion analysis and motor disorders

Do you want to contribute to better health for all? 

Research group 
The position is available at the Division of Paediatric Neurology, Department of Women’s and Children’s health, led by Professor. Eva Broström. Our research in paediatric diseases such with focus on paediatric neurology aims to develop instruments that aim to assess and contribute to increased knowledge of underlying factors influencing motor function, mobility and gait quality in children and adolescents with movements disorders especially in children with cerebral palsy. A combination of a clinical database and innovative methods and technologies allow to explore new areas in the intertwinement between longitudinal gait development and interventions. The position aims to create an inter-sectional research line between clinical and technical data, combining both retrospective and prospective data from three-dimensional gait analysis to answer clinical questions focusing on the efficacy of interventions in children with cerebral palsy. Research is conducted in close collaboration with the Neuro Orthopaedic Department at the Karolinska University Hospital. Self-reported data, physical assessments, three-dimensional motion analysis and muscle structure measurements are combined to get a broad understanding of an individual during movement.

Your mission 

The research project

The overall research goal of this position is to increase the understanding of motor function, gait and intervention effects with special emphasis on innovative methods to assess gait quality and the efficacy of interventions in specific groups of children with cerebral palsy. Moreover, the project aims to use innovative, predictive machine learning methods to investigate the importance of pre-intervention characteristics on the efficacy of interventions. The close connection between the research outcomes and the clinical data they are based on will facilitate transfer of the research findings into clinical practice.

The employment as Assistant Professor is time limited for 4 years with the right to apply for promotion to Senior Lecturer. 

Eligibility requirements 

Those eligible for employment as an Assistant Professor are individuals who have been awarded a PhD or attained equivalent research competence. Preference should be given to those who were awarded a PhD or attained equivalent research competence no more than seven years, normally, prior to the expiry of the application period for the position as assistant professor. 

Those who have been awarded a PhD or attained equivalent research competence earlier may however be considered if special grounds exist.  

Special grounds refer to: 

• parental leave, 
• positions of trust in trade union organizations 
• mandatory service in the total defense forces 
• long-term illness 

Ground, dates and extent must be clearly specified in the application and verified with relevant documentation. 

Appointment to the position of Assistant Professor requires good scientific skills and good pedagogical skills. 

It is a requirement that you have completed three weeks of courses on teaching in higher education as indicated in the recommendations of the Association of Swedish Higher Education Institution. If you lack such education at the time of employment, you must undergo such education during the first two years of employment. 

Bases of assessment 

For employment as Assistant Professor at Karolinska Institutet, the eligibility requirements and assessment criteria stated in the Instructions regarding the Appointment Procedure are applied in relation to established profile of employment. 

It is particularly meritorious that you have demonstrated 

• The position as Assistant Professor in Paediatric Neurology is directed to research. The preferred candidate is a kinesiologist or physiotherapist holding a PhD, specialized in motion analysis data and programming to process data from children and adolescents with movements disorders such as cerebral palsy. 
• Knowledge of three-dimensional motion analysis, instrumented spasticity assessments, programming in Matlab or Python and developing assessment tools is essential as well as wearable sensors and markerless motion tracking.
• A robust background (academic degree and/or published papers) in three-dimensional motion analysis and gait analysis using innovative methods is required as this in an ongoing focus in the research unit. 
• Participation in national and international projects as principal and co-investigator in the field of motion analysis and childhood disabilities is valued. 
• Experience in clinical assessment of movement disorders such as spasticity and dyskinesia is an additional value.
• Publications in peer-reviewed journals in the area of motion analysis and paediatric disease with focus on paedatric neurology, preferably in the area of cerebral palsy, is expected from the candidate. 

It is meritorious that you have demonstrated 

• Past participation in teaching of undergraduate/postgraduate courses, as well as experience in supervision of undergraduate, Master and PhD students is preferred.

After an overall assessment of the expertise and merits of the applicants in relation to the subject area, Karolinska Institutet will determine which of them has the best potential to contribute to a positive development of the activities at KI. 

What do we offer? 

A creative, international and inspiring environment with wide-ranging expertise and interests. Karolinska Institutet is one of the world's leading medical universities. Here, we conduct successful medical research and hold the largest range of medical education in Sweden. At KI, you get to meet researchers working with a wide range of specialisms and methods, giving you ample opportunity to exchange knowledge and experience with the various scientific fields within medicine and health. It is the crossover collaborations, which have pushed KI to where it is today, at the forefront of global research. Several of the people you meet in healthcare are educated at KI. A close relationship with the health care providers is important for creating groundbreaking top quality education and research. Karolinska Institutet is also a state university, which entitles you to several good benefits through our collective agreement.  

Location: Solna

https://ki.se/en/research/research-areas-centres-and-networks/research-groups/movement-activity-and-health-eva-brostroms-research-group

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Application

We prefer that Your application is written in English, but You can also apply in Swedish. An application must contain the following documents: Resumé, qualifications and description of planned research, presented in accordance with Karolinska Institutet’s qualifications portfolio.

Welcome to apply at the latest XX-XX-XX

The application is to be submitted through the Varbi recruitment system

Permanent position is initiated by a six months trial period.

Particular assessment for promotion to Senior Lecturer

An Assistant Professor employed in accordance with the Higher Education Ordinance Chapter 4 Section 12a shall be promoted to Senior Lecturer if he or she is eligible for an employment as Senior Lecturer in accordance with the Instructions regarding the Appointment Procedure for Teachers at Karolinska Institutet and is assessed to be suitable for such employment in accordance with the assessment criteria that KI has decided should be applied when being promoted to Senior Lecturer. The assessment criteria stated in the Instructions regarding the Appointment Procedure for Teachers at Karolinska Institutet that was valid at the time of appointment as Assistant Professor will be applied when applying for promotion to Senior Lecturer.  Current assessment criteria is found here. Such promotion results in a permanent position as Senior Lecturer. 

Want to make a difference? Join us and contribute to better health for all!