Postdoc in crystallography at Department of Pharmacy

Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen

We are looking for a highly motivated and dynamic researcher for a 2-year position to start as soon as possible. This position will be part of the Research Project “A deep learning approach to crystal structure determination using electron diffraction” financed by the Danish foundation to independent research to Associate Professor Anders Østergaard Madsen.

The Department of Pharmacy at the University of Copenhagen is devoted to research and research-based teaching in drug formulation and manufacturing, drug-related analytical and physical chemistry, drug metabolism, chemical toxicology and medicines use. The Department plays a key role in advancing the pharmaceutical sciences in Denmark and internationally. The scientific and teaching objectives of the Department encompass the areas of Pharmaceutical Technology and Engineering; Advanced Drug Analysis; Pharmaceutical Design and Drug Delivery; Biologics; and Clinical and Social Pharmacy. Read more about Department of Pharmacy at http://pharmacy.ku.dk/.

Our research

Our research group Pharmaceuticals, Products and Processes (3P) is focusing on innovative pharmaceutical product design, as well as defined aspects of materials science (solid state structure and rheology). The 3P group has a highly international profile with approximately 20 members and an average annual scientific productivity at around 40 international scientific peer-reviewed papers. This research area has also attracted several industrial co-operation projects and we actively co-operate with several Danish and international fine chemical companies.

Your job

In the last years, the 3D electron diffraction technique has made it possible to determine structures from crystals that are orders of magnitudes smaller than necessary for X-ray techniques.

Method development and application of 3D ED techniques.

We have recently demonstrated that deep-learning techniques can be extremely effective in solving the crystallographic phase problem, thus providing structures from low-resolution data that were previously impossible using ab-initio phasing techniques.

We wish to develop such techniques to 3D electron diffraction data, not only for structure determination but also refinement and validation.

Your job will be to contribute to this development, in terms of development and in particular in testing and application of such new approaches on pharmaceutical systems.

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

Essential experience and skills:

• You have a PhD in chemistry, physics, materials science or related areas.
• You have experience in the determination and refinement of crystal structures based on diffraction experiments.
• You are an experienced user of python or similar programming languages.
• Proficient communication skills and ability to work in teams.
• Excellent English skills written and spoken.

Desirable experience and skills:

• Experience in the use of computational methods, such as molecular dynamics, crystal structure prediction or similar.
• Experience in writing and publishing scientific papers.
• Knowledge of experimental methods within solid state characterization.

Place of employment

The place of employment is at the Department of Pharmacy, University of Copenhagen. We offer creative and stimulating working conditions in dynamic and international research environment. Our research facilities include modern laboratories, including single-crystal and powder diffractometers and a high-performance computing environment.

Terms of employment
The employment as postdoc is a full time and fixed-term position for 2 years. Starting date is as soon as possible.

Salary, pension and terms of employment will be in accordance with the agreement between the Danish Ministry of Finance and AC (Danish Confederation of Professional Associations). Currently, the monthly salary starts at 38,575 DKK/ approx. 5,195 Euro (April 2024-level). Depending on qualifications, a supplement may be negotiated. The employer will pay an additional 17.1 % to your pension fund.

Non-Danish 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 “Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff at the Universities” of June 28, 2013.

Questions
For further information please contact Anders Østergaard Madsen; e-mail [email protected]; www.sund.ku.dk

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:

1. Motivated letter of application (max. one page).

2. CV incl. education, work/research experience, language skills and other skills relevant for the position.

3. 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.

4. List of publications.

Application deadline: 16 October 2024, 23.59pm CET

We reserve the right not to consider material received after the deadline.

Please note that we might ask you to obtain an assessment of your education performed by the Ministry of Higher Education and Science.

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 http://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.

Interviews are expected to be held in week 45-46

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