Working environment
The Center for Human Movement Sciences (CHMS) fully joined the University Medical Center in 2010, following its 25th anniversary in 2009 at the University of Groningen (RUG). The University of Groningen is currently in or around the top 100 in several influential ranking lists. The CHMS offers a 3-year Bachelor program Human Movement Sciences and two, 2-year master’s in Human Movement Sciences and Sports Sciences to over 600 students. These programs are ranked among the best Dutch programs in their field over the past 5 years (NSE). The Center is 29th on the Shanghai ranking for ‘human movement and sport sciences’ among ~300 universities, offering similar programs. Education and research are intensely connected in the Center, where PhD, master and bachelor students work in an academic learning community and inspiring environment, playing a pivotal role in our research success.
The Center is founder of the research program SMARTmovements as part of the research school SHARE of the UMCG. SMARTmovements adopts an interdisciplinary approach to the scientific study of human movement and its effects on performance, functioning, health, societal participation and quality of life. There are 24 scientific staff, 8 support staff and over 40 PhD candidates. As of 2014, the Center runs a competitive master-PhD program providing opportunities for talented master students to complete a PhD (currently 4 PhD places per year). The Center is penholder of the Sports Sciences Institute Groningen, and the Sports Sciences Innovation Center and plays a strong role in the national research agenda’s. Research output in the form of Q1 publications, grant awards received, and PhD promotions is substantial.
The Center strives to provide high levels of academic training and research to: 1) develop fundamental theory and knowledge in human movement science, 2) provide a high quality teaching programme committed to the education and training of the next generation of human movement and sport scientists and professionals, 3) apply this knowledge to developing novel interventions, treatments, and innovations and improve human motor function in different settings, and 4) contribute to society by disseminating new knowledge, implementing new methods, and by innovating health care, labour, educational and sports practice, and industry.
At least as important as a pleasant working environment is a comfortable living milieu. Groningen is the 6th largest city in the Netherlands. With one in four residents being a student, Groningen is a historical university town in the North with a thriving art and music life, relatively inexpensive housing, peace and space. Residents complete nearly 60% of travel each day by bicycle, a figure high even by the standards of this bike-friendly country. The UMCG provides a career advisory service for partners of new staff moving to Groningen. We also provide assistance in finding housing, childcare and schools.
Job description
Assistant professor Sport Sciences
The program of the Center for Human Movement Sciences combines insights from the medical sciences, behavioral sciences and the neurosciences in order to develop an integrated approach that delivers not only basic knowledge on motor control, behaviour and learning but that is also able to deliver answers to important motor problems and issues concerning health, aging and sports. At the CHMS movement is not seen as a motor proces per se, but as the result of a continuous interaction between motor, sensory and cognitive mechanisms. Studies are performed to unravel the dynamic nature of this interaction in order to learn more about how a human being is able to adapt to the continuously changing environment. There are three main lines of research: 1) movement and healthy ageing, 2) motor recovery and rehabilitation and 3) sports, learning and performance.
Research task
The position is intended to stimulate research in the field of sports, learning and performance with specific reference to performance optimization in talented and elite athletes in (team) sports. Topics of interest are load and recovery, training adapatations, match analysis and talent development with a special focus on the role of data science in these areas. The CHMS features a wide variety of field equipment and advanced laboratories for exercise physiology and movement analysis. Reaearch takes about 40% of the available time.
Teaching task
The teaching task comprises 50% of the available time, including a specific course in data science in (team) sports and a generic course in methodology/ statistics/ mathematics. Furthermore, the applicant is expected to supervise students at the bachelor’s and masters’s level.
Involvement in management and policy making is also expected aan will take up 10% of available time.
What do we need
- Required education/skills: University Graduate.
- The applicant should hold a PhD-degree in sports sciences, human movement sciences or data sciences in relation to a sport-related topic for at least 3-5 years.
- The applicant has demonstrated research capability (conference presentations, publications in high-ranked peer-reviewed journals in the field of sports sciences or data sciences in relation to sport-related topics, international network), also in the years after the PhD-degree (post-doc etc.).
- The applicant is an enthusiastic and qualified university teacher and is able to develop courses and supervise students in the field of sport and data sciences.
- The applicant is a teamplayer with good communicative skills.
- The applicant has the willingness to learn the Dutch language on a basic level within a time frame of one year.
The UMCG has a preventive Hepatitis B policy. You may be required to build up sufficient protection against Hepatitis B before you can be appointed. Vaccination is provided by the UMCG if necessary.
What do we offer
Your salary will be a maximum of € 4.890,- gross per month (scale 11), depending on your qualifications and relevant experience, based on a full-time appointment. In addition, the UMCG will offer you 8% holiday pay, an 8.3% end-of-year bonus and a development budget. The terms of employment comply with the Collective Labour Agreement for Medical Centers (CAO-UMC).
Additional information
Additional information about the vacancy can be obtained from:
Prof. dr. Koen A.P.M. Lemmink, head of the CHMS
Telephone number: +31-(0)6-25646586
E-mail address: k.a.p.m.lemmink@umcg.nl (please do not use for applications)