Postdoc in Therapeutic strategies for Parkinson’s disease

The Department of Biomedicine at Faculty of Health at Aarhus University invites applications for a position as Postdoc in the field of Therapeutic strategies for Parkinson’s disease as per 1 August 2024 or as soon as possible thereafter. The position is a fixed-term full-time position for 1 to 2 years.

The Department of Biomedicine prioritises diversity and a good work environment, as this is a prerequisite for groundbreaking research. In a diverse and international research environment, dedicated employees are looking to generate new knowledge within biomedical research areas such as infection and inflammation, membranes, neuroscience and personalised 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 professional scientific basic research. You can read more about the department here and about the faculty here.


About the research project

You will be part of a research group investigating the neurodegenerative process in Parkinson’s disease. You will use different rodent model of the disease to modify factors involved in the alpha-synuclein induced neurodegeneration and test their neuroprotective potential. The studies will be complementary to cellular and animal studies performed in parallel by other members of the team. Close interaction and constant scientific exchange will be essential for the advance of the project.


Your job responsibilities

As Postdoc in Biomedicine 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 your project, where you will receive supervision and guidance.

Your main tasks will consist of:

• Independent research of high international quality, including publication.
• Conducting animal experiments and being responsible of the completion of the full project (in vivo and postmortem studies).
• Supervising undergraduate’s laboratory projects during your appointment in the lab.

You work independently and responsibly and are able to critically analyze data, prepare and communicate results, prepare manuscripts, and publish research findings in high quality journals. You are expected to keep updated regarding literature on the field.

You will report to Professor Marina Romero-Ramos.


Your competences

You have academic qualifications at PhD level within Parkinson’s disease with a deep understanding of the neurodegenerative and neuroinflammatory processes in the disease, and the role of alpha-synuclein in them.

You have proven experience with in vivo Parkinson’s disease modelling by intracerebral injections of viral vector overexpression sytems and preformed fibrils of alpha-synuclein, stereotaxic surgery, animal behavior, flow cytometry, histological techniques, and advance microscopy such as stereological techniques and confocal imaging. Prior experience with cell cultures of (primary or cell lines) will be a plus.

We expect you to show mobility in your CV, and to have a demonstrated scientific track record, including several publications in peer review scientific journal within the field of Parkinson's disease with at least one of those being a first author publication. Prior teaching experience is a plus.

As a person, you have good communication and interpersonal skills, are inclusive and team-oriented and able to contribute to a good work environment. You are ambitious, highly motivated, self-driven and take ownership. 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 Professor Marina Romero-Ramos, tel.: (+45) 6020 2749.

Your place of work will be the Department of Biomedicine, Skou Building, Høegh-Guldbergs Gade 10, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.

We expect to conduct interviews in June 2024.



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/