DDLS Steering Group

Nomination call to DDLS Steering group is now closed

Background

At the SciLifeLab Board meeting on October 26, 2020, the decision was taken to approve that SciLifeLab will take on the responsibility for coordinating the Data-driven Life Science program with the associated Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation funding.

The SciLifeLab Board also appointed Olli Kallioniemi as Director for the program for a three-year period. In addition, Olli Kallioniemi and Siv Andersson were assigned the task to take in suggestions for members of the DDLS steering group from relevant universities as well as from the life science community at large. 

Role of the DDLS steering group

The DDLS steering group shall play an active role in operating the DDLS program both in preparing and executing decisions by the SciLifeLab Board. Steering group members will be responsible for managing the program together with the program Director under the conditions defined in the donation letter from the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation as well as from decisions taken by the SciLifeLab Board. 

The DDLS steering group members are expected to take an active role in establishing and maintaining DDLS as a truly national program at the highest international and scientific level.

The term of office for the steering group members is three years. The specific percentage of assignment has not been defined by the SciLifeLab Board, but it is estimated that a nominated person should be able to devote 20% (one day per week) for this task in the beginning, while over the years this effort is likely to be less intensive. The specific responsibilities and mandates for the steering group and for the members will be decided by the SciLifeLab board, and by the DDLS steering group itself once it has been launched.

This is a research program steering group position, not a formal task at a university. Thus, at least for the steering group, the candidates should be willing to serve based on a deep interest for this important role (and without a specific level compensation), like in most similar positions of trust in academia.

We have been asked as to whether candidates to be nominated for the steering group will not be able to apply and receive funding or other support from the DDLS program.
We think that the DDLS steering group needs to have a sufficiently large number of highly qualified researchers who will not themselves seek funding from the initiative. 
It is therefore highly preferred that the nominated members of the steering group do not seek funding from the initiative, but it will not be a strict requirement.

There are four ways in which conflict of interests could be avoided:

1. Traditional academic ways to recuse conflicted members from a specific call, a meeting or a decision should always be a norm
2. The steering group is not a decision body (SciLifeLab board is), and hence the steering group member is not directly engaged in decisions
3. During the first 3 years (the mandate period), the freely available PhD and postdoc positions are not yet going to be available, and hence the likelihood of conflicts is smaller
4. The same suggested list of names will be used to consider members in the various working groups, where conflicts are likely to be less critical than in the steering group

Profile of members

Members of the DDLS steering group should be renowned scientists within data-driven research and at least one of the four strategic areas of the DDLS program. They should have experience in the organization of training programs and be familiar with graduate school requirements. Experience in national and international recruitment processes of group leaders is also valued. Established contacts with either infrastructures (e.g. Max-IV, WABI, SciLifeLab platforms, data center, SNIC), life science networks (e.g. WCMM) or data science (WASP) programs as well as different stakeholders within the life science ecosystem in Sweden is welcome.

Process and Decision

There have been two ways to solicit suggestions for members of the DDLS steering group, one that has been sent to the leadership of the universities, and another one that is open publicly for anyone to suggest candidates. Both routes will create lists of candidates, and the members will eventually be selected based on merits and expertise, not based on which university they represent or who has nominated them. Of course, there will be a need to also consider a number of factors, such as fields of study, career stage, university, gender and so on.

Additional details on the tasks of the steering group and the expected role of the steering group members may be posted on this web site after the next SciLifeLab board meeting on Nov 11.

A decision regarding the steering group members will be taken by the SciLifeLab Board at the end of November.

Contact

ddls@scilifelab.se