SciLifeLab seeks the next Campus Solna Director (Föreståndare)
SciLifeLab was founded in 2010 through a visionary partnership between Karolinska Institutet (KI), KTH Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Stockholm University (SU), and Uppsala University. In 2014, it was designated the Swedish National Research Infrastructure for Molecular Life Sciences—an acknowledgment of its unique ability to enable scientific achievements far beyond the reach of any individual researcher, university, or discipline. Today, SciLifeLab stands as a nationwide powerhouse, coordinating world-leading analytical technologies and expertise across all major Swedish universities. By driving excellence in biology-, technology-, and data-driven research, SciLifeLab fuels innovation across health care, environmental sustainability, industry, and society, thereby ensuring that Sweden remains positioned as a global frontrunner in life science.
At the center of this ecosystem is Campus Solna (CS), SciLifeLab’s flagship research and infrastructure hub, responsible for more than 50 percent of the national infrastructure output. CS brings together the collective strength of the University Alliance Stockholm Trio—KI, KTH, and SU—creating a unique interdisciplinary environment where biomedicine, biomolecular technology, and biodiversity converge working synchronously under one roof. With one of the highest concentrations of bioinformaticians and computational biologists in Europe, Campus Solna is one of the world’s most advanced and comprehensive life science research infrastructures.
Campus Solna thrives as a vibrant, ambitious research community driving large-scale, data-intensive exploration of fundamental biological processes, including the recently inaugurated groundbreaking initiative Alpha Cell. The site hosts 110 research groups spanning molecular cell biology, biomedicine, biomolecular technology, biodiversity, drug development, and bioinformatics. A remarkable number of these groups are led by outstanding early-career scientists, including 21 SciLifeLab Fellows, 12 DDLS Fellows, three ERC Starting Grant recipients, and one KAW Academy Fellow. In total, around 1,300 researchers, technologists, and innovators contribute to the dynamic environment at Campus Solna.
Breakthrough technologies developed at CS—most recently in situ sequencing—have redefined how the scientific community understands gene expression in individual cells within their tissue context. Campus Solna hosts the Human Protein Atlas (HPA), one of the world’s largest and most influential biological databases, widely used by academic researchers and the pharmaceutical industry alike. The clear commitment to technological innovation is a defining hallmark of Campus Solna, reinforcing SciLifeLab’s global reputation as a leader at the forefront of molecular bioscience, spanning biomedicine, infection biology, molecular cell biology, and biodiversity.
We now seek the next Campus Solna Director (Föreståndare). The Director has the overall responsibility for Campus Solna and its research environment, providing support for intellectual research interactions as well as being responsible for local infrastructure. Under the CS Committee, the Director leads the activities at CS with a strategic and visionary focus, enhances the strong development of research and technology at the highest international standard, and facilitates collaborations across the host universities. He/she coordinates the overall financing of Campus Solna, leads the personnel in charge of the building, supervises space allocation, safety and IT in close collaboration with the SciLIfeLab management and board.
Who are we looking for?
We seek a professor with a strong senior research profile and demonstrated leadership and management experience in the Swedish academic environment. He/she should be highly motivated to lead the international research center of Campus Solna with its research and technology at the international forefront of life science. The candidate must have an excellent ability to collaborate locally at CS as well as in the wider environment of the three host universities and SciLifeLab nationally. The candidate should preferably hold a permanent employment at one of the Stockholm Trio universities and will keep her/his office at Campus Solna during the appointment.
The 3-year appointment, with possibility of a 3-year prolongation, entails a commitment of 60-80% (to be negotiated with the successful candidate) to the duties of the CS directorship. While there is room for own research, it is important that the CS Director is fully committed to CS and SciLifeLab, representing all the three host universities and the national infrastructure. The recruitment committee will review potential conflicts of interests related to other role(s) the candidates have in the SciLifeLab organization or at the host universities.
How to nominate candidates?
The call will be a two-step process that begins with an informal nomination period. Self-nominations as well as nomination of others are welcome. Nominations of candidates/expressions of interest should be sent no later than January 31, 2026 to: CSdir-nominations@scilifelab.se. Please include name, affiliation and contact details of the suggested candidate, and a few sentences about why the nominated/interested person should be considered as a candidate for this appointment. The nomination period will be followed by a formal application period.
For further information and questions, please contact the chair of the Campus Solna Committee and Recruitment Committee, Catarina Rydin: catarina.rydin@su.se
Campus Solna Committee and Recruitment Committee:
Catarina Rydin (Chair, SU, Integration Director), Urban Lendahl (KI, Integration Director), Amelie Eriksson Karlström (KTH, Integration Director), Carsten Daub (KI, Scientific Director) Hjalmar Brismar (KTH, Scientific Director), Christos Samakovlis (SU, Scientific Director), Annika Jenmalm Jensen (SciLifeLab, Infrastructure Director).