Postdoc in Organelle Quality Control by Autophagy

The Department of Biomedicine at the Faculty of Health at Aarhus University invites applications for a position as postdoctoral fellow within the research area as of Organelle Quality Control by Autophagy per 1st August 2024 or as soon as possible thereafter. The position is a fixed-term, full-time position for 4 years.

The Department of Biomedicine prioritizes diversity and a good work environment, as this is a prerequisite for groundbreaking research. In a dynamic and international research environment, dedicated employees are looking to generate new knowledge within biomedical research areas such as infection and inflammation, membranes, neuroscience and personalized medicine. The Department of Biomedicine provides research-based teaching of the highest quality and is responsible for a large part of the medical degree programme. Academic staff contribute to the teaching. English is the preferred language in the laboratory, at meetings and at seminars. The department employs approx. 500 people from all over the world, and they make use of the department's modern laboratory-, core- and animal facilities. The Department of Biomedicine focuses on innovation, entrepreneurship and collaboration with business and industry, and numerous researchers from the department have established companies to develop new medicinal treatments founded in strong scientific basic research. You can read more about the department here and about the faculty here.

About the research project

Autophagy is a catabolic process highly conserved among eukaryotes, which is involved in the degradation of long-lived proteins, aberrant complexes and aggregates, dysfunctional and superfluous organelles, and intracellular pathogens. Structures targeted to destruction, including intracellular organelles, are sequestered by double-membrane vesicles called autophagosomes and delivered to lysosomes for turnover. The central players of autophagy are the autophagy-related (ATG) proteins. Autophagy can be highly selective and target specific unwanted structures using the so-called selective autophagy receptors (SARs) and various adaptor proteins.

The overall aim of the project is to understand the relevance of autophagy, ATG proteins and SARs in the quality control of intracellular organelles such as the endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria and peroxisomes. The overall idea is to identify how these players sense and then mediate the turnover of local dysfunctions in these organelles.

Your job responsibilities

As Postdoc in cell biology/biochemistry, your position is primarily research-based but may also involve teaching assignments. You will contribute to the development of the department through research of high international quality. In your daily work, you will work closely with colleagues on related projects, but not only.

Your main tasks will consist of:

• Independent research of high international quality, including publications.
• Work in close collaboration with the other member of the laboratory.
• Participation and presentations at national and international conferences.
• Active participation to the group and departmental activities.
• Co-supervise at least one PhD student in the lab.

You will report to Prof. Fulvio Reggiori.

Your competences

You have an academic qualification at the PhD level, preferably within one or more of the following areas: cell biology and/or biochemistry. The applicant must have experience in cell culture (including transfection, siRNA-based knockdown…). A plus will be familiarity with CRISPR/Cas9 knockout and knock-in technologies.

Moreover, the applicant has to be familiar with live-cell fluorescence microscopy and immunofluorescence, but also have training in molecular biology (PCR, RT-PCR, cloning, DNA gel electrophoresis…) and biochemical techniques (SDS-PAGE, western blot, immunoprecipitations…). Previous experience in the field of autophagy and/or protein/organelle quality control will be an advantage.

As a person, you are ambitious, take ownership of the project and possess good communication and interpersonal skills. We expect you to be fluent in oral and written English.

In order to be assessed as qualified for a Postdoc position, you must meet these academic criteria.

Shortlisting will be used.

Questions about the position

If you have any questions about the position, please contact Prof. Fulvio Reggiori tel.: (+45) 8715 9527.

Your place of work will be the Department of Biomedicine, Ole Worms Alle 4, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.

We expect to conduct interviews from June 15th 2023.


Terms of employment

• Appointment as a postdoc requires academic qualifications at PhD level.
• Further information on the appointment procedure can be found in the Ministerial Order on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Universities.
• The appointment is in accordance with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (Akademikerne).
• Remuneration is in accordance with the above, and the Salary agreement catalogue for staff at Health.
• The yearly base salary for a fulltime postdoc is between DKK 484.214,84 and DKK 538.720,20 depending on the years of working experience after achieved MSc degree. The base salary includes a position related supplement and pension (17.1 %). Additional supplement(s) for special qualifications can be negotiated. Authorisation supplemement(s) will be granted, if relevant for the position. Your local eligible trade union representative at Aarhus University negotiates your salary on your behalf.
• Researchers recruited from abroad are offered a special researcher tax scheme with a lower tax rate.
• Further information on qualification requirements and job description can be found in the Ministerial Order on Job Structure for Academic Staff

Application

Your application must include the following:

• Motivated application
• Curriculum Vitae
• Diploma
• Template for applicant - postdoc
• A list of publications
• A teaching portfolio. We refer to Guideline on the use of teaching portfolios
• A maximum of five of the publications of greatest relevance to the job may be submitted (optional)
• Research plan can be uploaded (optional)
• Coauthor statement(s) can be uploaded (optional)
• References/recommendations can be uploaded separately in the e-recruitment system (optional)

We refer to the faculty’s Guidelines for applicants.

Aarhus University’s ambition is to be an attractive and inspiring workplace for all and to foster a culture in which each individual has opportunities to thrive, achieve and develop. We view equality and diversity as assets, and we welcome all applicants.

Letter of reference

If you want a referee to upload a letter of reference on your behalf, please state the referee’s contact information when you submit your application. We strongly recommend that you make an agreement with the person in question before you enter the referee’s contact information, and that you ensure that the referee has enough time to write the letter of reference before the application deadline.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to ensure that letters of reference received after the application deadline will be taken into consideration.


International applicant?

Aarhus University offers a broad variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including assistance with relocation and career counselling to expat partners. Please find more information about the International Staff Office and the range of services here. Aarhus University also has a Junior Researcher Association and offers career development support. You can read more about these resources here.

The application must be submitted via Aarhus University’s recruitment system, which can be accessed under the job advertisement on Aarhus University's website.


Aarhus University

Aarhus University is an academically diverse and research-intensive university with a strong commitment to high-quality research and education and the development of society nationally and globally. The university offers an inspiring research and teaching environment to its 38,000 students (FTEs) and 8,300 employees, and has an annual revenues of EUR 935 million. Learn more at www.international.au.dk/