Recruiting a new Head of Department at NEURO
On this page you will find updated information regarding the recruitment of a new Head of the Department of Neuroscience. Our aim is to set a transparent process and should there be any questions along the way, do not hesitate to contact our head of administration or anyone else in recruitment group.
Hearing with final candidate on 26 September 2025
We have entered the next phase in the process of recruiting a new Head of Department. All employees at the Department of Neuroscience have been invited to a hearing where the final candidate, Marie Carlén, will introduce herself and answer questions. The hearing will be held on 26 September 2025, between 14:00 and 16:00, in the lecture hall Eva & Georg Klein in Biomedicum.
The hearing aims to provide everyone with a chance to become acquainted with the candidate and pose questions directly. Both the candidate’s presentation and the audience’s feedback will be taken into account during the ongoing assessment of the candidate. Following the hearing, the recruitment group will gather the results about the candidate and submit them to the Faculty Group Dean, who will then, in consultation with KI’s rector/president, make the final decision on the new Head of Department beginning 1 January 2026.
Hearing format
By 23 September, a summary CV of the candidate will be shared with all employees via the Outlook calendar invite. During the hearing, the candidate will introduce herself, explain her motivation for applying, and outline her plans for the department, including priorities and leadership ideas.
Afterward, there will be a Q&A session with both pre-submitted and live questions from the audience. Pre-submitted questions help structure the session and can be anonymous, while live questions allow for follow-up discussion. Staff are encouraged to submit questions individually or as groups by 23 September to any recruitment group member.
Questions will not be shared with the candidate beforehand.
The presentation will be in English, but questions may be asked and answered in Swedish.
Before the hearing ends, there will be time to discuss and give feedback with the recruitment group without the candidate. Attendees include department staff, the recruitment group, the Dean of Solna Campus, an HR specialist from KI, the Medical Students’ Association Chair, and union representatives.
The process
The process to recruit a new Head for the Department of Neuroscience has been initiated as our current chair, Gilberto Fisone, will complete his two terms totalling eight years on December 31, 2025. Gilberto has declared that he is not available for a prolongation of the assignment.
A recruitment group has been established in accordance with KI's general guidelines for the recruitment of heads of department.
KI's general guidelines for the recruitment of heads of department (in Swedish only)
Recruitment group
- Klas Kärre, Professor emeritus (MTC) – Chair
- Björn Meister, Professor
- Emanuela Santini, Senior researcher
- Henrik Ehrsson, Professor
- Sandra Ceccatelli, Professor
- Sigge Berglann, Head of administration
- Zabih Aurfan, Doctoral student (adjunct in the initial phase when the requirement profile and nomination process are established)
Dean for KI Solna department group – Adjunct member
- Sten Linnarsson, Professor
Open nomination
As an employee at the Department of Neuroscience, you are welcome to contact the recruitment group to nominate candidates for the Head of department assignment and/or to share general thoughts and questions during the period 5–26 June 2025. You may reach out to individual members, several members, or the entire recruitment group via email or in person (meeting or phone call), but please contact the member via email first.
Candidates do not need to be consulted before being nominated, and no additional information beyond their name needs to be provided in the nomination. Candidates from other KI departments and other universities may also be nominated. All feedback and nominations will be handled discreetly. It is possible to nominate multiple candidates, and self-nominations are also allowed.
Interviews
The recruitment group will contact all nominees and initiate reviews and discussions. A shortlist of candidates, based on evaluation according to the profile requirements, will be selected, and interviews will then be conducted in August and September.
Open hearing
One or more strong candidates will be invited to present themselves and their visions and answer questions during a hearing, to which all NEURO staff and affiliates are welcome. The hearing will be held on 26 September 2025 at 14:00, in Eva & Georg Klein lecture hall in Biomedicum.
Appointment
The process then continues with the aim of enabling the dean to appoint a new Head of department to take up the post on 1 January 2026.
Profile requirements
The recruitment group has established a competency profile for head of department position, which supplements the competence requirements specified in KI's guidelines.
Competence requirements for the candidate (KI standard)
- Scientific and pedagogical competence to develop the operations.
- Strong connection to the scientific community and networks within academia.
- Ability and motivation to lead a department based on its unique characteristics.
- Vision for the future development of the department.
- Ability to set goals, make decisions, and implement changes.
- Good communication skills that motivate and engage.
- Ability to create a creative and healthy environment with delegated responsibility.
- Ability and motivation to successfully collaborate with internal and external partners and stakeholders.
- Develop innovation within the department and the university.
- Develop a living foundation for ethics and quality within the department and the university.
- Ability to lead a research-intensive academic operation within a government agency.
- Manage a complex organization with different operational cultures and conflicting demands.
- Additionally, meet the criteria in the "Leadership and employship at KI", "Policy for leadership and employeeship at KI", and “KI Strategy 2030”.
The department's supplementary and in-depths requirements
The Head of department is expected to:
- Have very good scientific competence, deep within the candidate´s own research area, and broad general knowledge in neuroscience, as well as a high understanding of the field's development, potential, and challenges.
- Have good pedagogical competence, preferably corresponding to SUHF's recommendations (appendix 3), as well as the ability to inspire and promote the department's educational activities.
- Have good ability to formulate and anchor visions, make well-founded decisions, and lead work processes with clear delegation and follow-up.
- Have experience and competence in personnel matters, good ability to ensure an open and safe work environment and contribute to consensus among different parties.
- Ensure an organization based on diversity, equality, and inclusion.
- Have good ability to operate within collegial structures and represent the department in various contexts.
- Have good administrative and financial competence, experience with budget responsibility, and ability to collaborate with the department's administrative support in an inclusive and responsive manner.
- Have a good ability to effectively lead an organization with over 30 directly reporting research groups and centers, and within this framework, analyze and allocate tasks and resources to promote the department's development.