Postdoc in Nutritional Immunology

We are looking for a highly motivated, independent, and dynamic postdoc for a 2-3 year position to commence January 1st. 2025.

In this postdoc posistion, you will be investigating the the role of bacterial translocation in MASH using novel expreimetnal models recapitulatin key features of human pathology.

Information on the Jensen Group can be found at here.

Our group and research
We are a multi-disciplinary out-of-the-box-thinking research team striving to dissect how diet components, gut microbial community structures and compartmentalized immunology synergizes to orchestrate host immunometabolism at both gastrointestinal and extra-intestinal origin. We develop and use experimental systems tailored to model human disease with unmet medical needs; first and foremost, to improve our molecular understanding of disease progression, and secondly to identify biological factors of therapeutic relevance. Our research spans from diet-induced liver complications over gastrointestinal dysfunction (including IBD, HDP secretion/function, and bacterial translocation), to respiratory complications. Human samples, supported by proof-of-concept experiments in relevant animal models enables clinical testing and/or confirmation in partnership with clinical collaborators.

Our group has a diverse composition with regards to internationalization, gender and age

Project description
Your main task will be to e elucidate if and how gut barrier dysfunction and bacterial translocation contribute to the transition from MASLD to MASH. Your approach should combine our novel translational diet-induced obese mouse model of MASH, powerful models of gut barrier dysfunction, collaborations with world-leading experts, and human samples to determine whether bacterial translocation plays a causal role in promoting liver inflammation, and to identify how and where microbes cross the gut barrier. By investigating the mechanisms behind gut-to-liver translocation, this project aims to uncover potential therapeutic targets for preventing or treating fatty liver diseases. The findings will provide crucial insights into the early stages of MASLD, offering opportunities to intervene before irreversible liver damage occurs.

Principal supervisor: Associate Professor, Benjamin A. H. Jensen, Department of Biomedical Sciences, [email protected], Direct phone: 61713977

Start: January 1st, 2025.

Duration: 2 or 3 years as a postdoc fellow

Profile
We are looking for a highly motivated and enthusiastic scientist with the following competencies and experience:

Essential experience and skills:

• You have (or will obtain) a PhD within Nutritional Immunology, Nutritional Medicine, or Molecular Biomedicine
• You are FELASA accredited with vast hands-on experience
• You have documented experience with in vivo experiments within diet-induced liver complications and/or inflammatory bowel disease
• You have proven an ability to envision, plan and execute a research project
• You have a documented track-record of teaching and/or dissemination activities
• You commit to devote a minimum of 100 UR per semester teaching and supervising different layers of the academic latter
• Good English skills, written and spoken
• Proficient communication skills and ability to work in teams
• Excellent English skills written and spoken

Desirable experience and skills

• Experience working with low abundance microbiome samples
• Experience in programming in either R or Python
• Collegial, optimistic, and helpful

Place of employment
The place of employment is at the Department of Biomedical Sciences, Panum Institute, University of Copenhagen. We offer creative and stimulating working conditions in dynamic and international research environment.

Terms of employment
The average weekly working hours are 37 hours per week.

The position is a fixed-term position limited to a period of either 2 or 3 years, dependening on whether you have obtained partial cofounding from other sources (minimum 1 year of salary) . The starting date is January 1st 2025 or after agreement.

Salary, pension and other conditions of employment are set in accordance with the Agreement between the Ministry of Taxation and AC (Danish Confederation of Professional Associations) or other relevant organisation. Currently, the monthly salary starts at 38,500 DKK/approx. 5,100 EUR (April 2024 level). Depending on qualifications, a supplement may be negotiated. The employer will pay an additional 17.1 % to your pension fund.

Foreign and Danish applicants may be eligible for tax reductions, if they hold a PhD degree and have not lived in Denmark the last 10 years.

The position is covered by the Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities 2020.

Questions
For specific information about the postdoc fellowship, please contact the principal supervisor.

Foreign applicants may find this link useful: www.ism.ku.dk (International Staff Mobility).

Application procedure
Your online application must be submitted in English by clicking ‘Apply now’ below. Furthermore, your application must include the following documents/attachments – all in PDF format:

• Motivated letter of application (max. one page) including suggested experimental approach (2-3 sentences) and information on potential co-funding (definition on whtehr the applicant applies for 2 or 3 years).
• Teaching portofolio
• CV incl. education, work/research experience, language skills and other skills relevant for the position.
• A certified/signed copy of a) PhD certificate and b) Master of Science certificate. If the PhD is not completed, a written statement from the supervisor will do.
• List of publications.

Deadline for applications: 13 October 2024, 23.59pm CET
We reserve the right not to consider material received after the deadline, and not to consider applications that do not live up to the abovementioned requirements.

The further process
After the expiry of the deadline for applications, the authorized recruitment manager selects applicants for assessment on the advice of the hiring committee. All applicants are then immediately notified whether their application has been passed for assessment by an unbiased assessor. Once the assessment work has been completed each applicant has the opportunity to comment on the part of the assessment that relates to the applicant him/herself.

You can read about the recruitment process at https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/

The applicant will be assessed according to the Ministerial Order no. 242 of 13 March 2012 on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Universities.

The University of Copenhagen wish to reflect the diversity of society and encourage all qualified candidates to apply regardless of personal background.

Københavns Universitet giver sine knap 10.000 medarbejdere muligheder for at udnytte deres talent fuldt ud i et ambitiøst, uformelt miljø. Vi sikrer traditionsrige og moderne rammer om uddannelser og fri forskning på højt internationalt niveau. Vi søger svar og løsninger på fælles problemer og gør ny viden tilgængelig og nyttig for andre.

Kontakt
Benjamin Anderschou Holbech Jensen
E-mail: [email protected]

Info
Ansøgningsfrist: 13-10-2024

Ansættelsesdato: 01-01-2025

Arbejdstid: Fuldtid

Afdeling/Sted: Department of Biomedical Sciences