Postdoc in Daan van Aalten laboratory

Are you interested in protein O-GlcNAcylation in neuroscience and can you contribute to the development of modelling intellectual disability in Drosophila melanogaster? Then the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics invites you to apply for a fulltime two-year Postdoc position.

Expected start date and duration of employment 

This is a two–year position starting from 1 November 2024, or as soon as possible thereafter.

Job description

You will be part of an international and dynamic team to focus on modelling hypo-O-GlcNAcylation in Drosophila, searching for physiological conveyors of OGT, and dissecting the relative molecular mechanisms of the OGT-CDG disease in fruit flies.

You will be working closely with other postdoctoral researchers, guiding technician, maintaining the fly platform, and reporting to the professor. This project involves different methodology including genetic manipulation, genetic screen, drug screen, microdissection, WB, IHC, and RNA-seq.

Your profile

Applicants should hold a ’s degree in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology or similar, and have experience in protein O-GlcNAcylation modification field. Furthermore, research experience in fly disease model, fly work skills including stocks (both transgenic and CRISPR-Cas9 mutant stocks) generating and genetic manipulating is an advantage.

Requirements: Genetic screen and drug screen experience in fly disease model. Skills in fly CNS and muscle microdissection, immunofluorescence staining and confocal microscopy. Experience in fly electrophysiology for functional study. Experience in fly tissue transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is an advantage. Experience in fly genotyping, RNA extraction, and WB. Publication as the first author in a peer-reviewed journal. Candidates should have the following personal skills: Excellent interpersonal and collaborative skills. Excellent time management skills and ability to meet deadlines. Excellent attention to details and asks reasonable questions. Troubleshooting and problem-solving mindset. Ability to work independently, with limited direction, and within a team environment. Fluency in English, spoken and written.

Who we are 

The Postdoc will be affiliated to the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics.

The Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics is part of the Faculty of Natural Sciences, Aarhus University and comprises research within the areas of Plant Molecular Biology, Neurobiology, RNA Biology and Innovation, Protein Science, Cellular Health, Intervention and Nutrition. There are currently 75 full time scientific staff and 95 PhD students. The department is responsible for two educations: Molecular Biology and Molecular Medicine with a yearly uptake of 160 students in total.

Please refer to for further information about The Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics and to and for information on Faculty of Natural Sciences and Aarhus University, respectively.

What we offer 

The department/centre offers: A well-developed research infrastructure, laboratories and access to shared equipment An exciting interdisciplinary environment with many national, international and industrial collaborators A research climate encouraging lively, open and critical discussion within and across different fields of research A work environment with close working relationships, networking and social activities A workplace characterised by professionalism, equality and a healthy work-life balance.

Place of work and area of employment

The place of work is Universitetsbyen 81, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark, and the area of employment is Aarhus University with related departments.

Contact information

For further information, please contact: Professor, Daan van Aalten, email: .

Deadline

Applications must be received no later than 28 July 2024.

Application procedure

Shortlisting is used. This means that after the deadline for applications – and with the assistance from the assessment committee chairman, and the appointment committee if necessary, – the head of department selects the candidates to be evaluated. All applicants will be notified whether or not their applications have been sent to an expert assessment committee for evaluation. The selected applicants will be informed about the composition of the committee, and each applicant is given the opportunity to comment on the part of the assessment that concerns him/her self. Once the recruitment process is completed a final letter of rejection is sent to the deselected 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.

Formalities and salary range

Natural Sciences refers to the .

The application must be in English and include a curriculum vitae, degree certificate, a complete list of publications, a statement of future research plans and information about research activities, teaching portfolio and verified information on previous teaching experience (if any). Guidelines for applicants can be found

Appointment shall be in accordance with the collective labour agreement between the Danish Ministry of Taxation and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. Further information on qualification requirements and job content may be found in the .

Salary depends on seniority as agreed between the Danish Ministry of Taxation and the Confederation of Professional Associations.

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.

Research activities will be evaluated in relation to actual research time. Thus, we encourage applicants to specify periods of leave without research activities, in order to be able to subtract these periods from the span of the scientific career during the evaluation of scientific productivity.

Aarhus University offers a broad variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including relocation service and career counselling to expat partners. Read more . Please find more information about entering and working in Denmark .

Aarhus University also offers a Junior Researcher Development Programme targeted at career development for postdocs at AU. You can read more about it .

At the Faculty of Natural Science at Aarhus University, we strive to support our scientific staff in their career development. We focus on competency development and career clarification and want to make your opportunities transparent. On , you can find information on all types of scientific positions, as well as the entry criteria we use when assessing candidates. You can also read more about how we can assist you in your career planning and development.

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

---