Postdoc in Protein Design of Photoactive Proteins

The Westberg Lab within the Department of Chemistry at Aarhus University is seeking a postdoctoral researcher with a strong interdisciplinary background. The position involves both computational and experimental work on protein design, with a particular emphasis on designing photoactive proteins.

The position is a fixed-term full-time position for 2 years, with the possibility of extension.
Starting date: June 1, 2025 or as soon as possible thereafter.
 

Tasks

As a Postdoc your position is primarily research-based.

Your main tasks will consist of:

• Computational protein design.
• Protein expression and purification.
• Biophysical, spectroscopic, and structural protein characterization.
• High-throughput protein screening.

You will report to Assistant Professor Michael Westberg.
 

Your profile

You are required to have:

• A proven track record in protein biochemistry, protein biophysics, or protein engineering.
• A PhD degree in biophysical chemistry, biophysics, biochemistry, chemical biology, molecular biology, bioengineering, biotechnology, nanoscience or related fields.
• An interdisciplinary drive.
• A strong experimental skillset, including protein purification and biophysical characterization.
• Demonstrated data analysis and basic programming skills within at least one major programming language (e.g., Python) and a desire to expand this skillset.
• Excellent English verbal and written skills.

Any of the following skills/experiences are a plus, but not a requirement.

Experimental skills:

• Advanced optical spectroscopy and microscopy.
• Structural biology techniques (protein crystallography or cryo-EM).
• Photoactive proteins handling.
• Mammalian cell culture.

Computational skills:

• De novo protein design.
• Training and fine-tuning of machine learning algorithms.
• Molecular docking.
• Molecular dynamics.

Finally, you have:

• Good interpersonal and collaboration skills and a team-oriented attitude.
• The ability to take responsibility and to work independently and proactively on your projects.
• Good project management skills and show attention to detail.
• Well-developed critical thinking and trouble shooting skills.
• A drive for performing your best possible research.
   

The Westberg Lab

The Westberg Lab is a recently established lab at the Department of Chemistry and iNANO at Aarhus University, Denmark, focusing on functional protein design.

We are building a multidisciplinary program that integrates computational and experimental methods to create, analyze, and utilize light- and ligand-controlled protein tools for studying biological processes. By designing non-natural proteins, we examine protein interactions with small molecule ligands and light, uncovering fundamental design principles. This knowledge enhances our capability to develop complex protein functions and innovative biotechnologies.

Our long-term mission is to establish an efficient pipeline for generating protein-based tools for investigating cell signaling dynamics, deciphering disease mechanisms in  neuroimmunology, validating drug targets, creating biomedical solutions, and sustainable biotechnologies.

By joining a new lab, you will receive attentive and firsthand mentoring. We strive to build a diverse team and a culture of team science - succeeding together is vital for the lab. Your learning is paramount, and our projects allow you to gain expertise in both experimental techniques and computational methods.

The lab is part of the Department of Chemistry and affiliated with iNANO at Aarhus University. We have access to state-of-the-art equipment and a strong local community through our facilities and collaborators on campus, that is centrally located in Aarhus. This provides a strong local community and networking opportunities. For example, we participate in the AU Structural Biology & Biophysics Initiative and cross-departmental interest groups.
 

The Department of Chemistry

The Department of Chemistry at Aarhus University (www.chem.au.dk) is one of the leading European chemistry departments with a broad research program. It has a permanent staff of ~30 full and associate professors, a support-staff of ~30 people, ~150 PhD-students and postdocs and around 400 students.
 

Place of work and area of employment 

The place of work is Langelandsgade 140, 8000 Aarhus C, and the area of employment is Aarhus University with related departments. 
 

Work and life in Aarhus

All interested candidates are encouraged to apply, regardless of their personal background. It is a priority that the successful candidate has a personality supporting positive teamwork. Working in Denmark offers opportunities for a good work-life balance. English is widely spoken, though Danish is the main language of campus. English is the working language.

Aarhus is Denmark’s second largest city, and forms the center of the western parts of the country on the Jutland peninsula. Recently, Aarhus has attracted international attention as a travel destination due to its unique combination of a thriving food-scene, high-quality museums, a surrounding beautiful nature, a very lively city due to the “young population”, many cultural events including music festivals etc. See e.g. the recent recommendation by CNN (https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/aarhus-denmark-things-to-do/index.html
). Aarhus is easily reached through local international airports in Jutland within 1 hour of Aarhus, or through either Copenhagen or Hamburg Airports, both situated about a 3-hour train-journey from Aarhus.

Aarhus University is consistently ranked as a top-100 university in the World and it houses both an engineering and a medical school, as well as the traditional sciences, social sciences, environmental and agricultural sciences and arts. 
 

Deadline for applications

April 1, 2025.
 

Contact information

For further information please contact: Michael Westberg, [email protected]
 


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.

If you wish to add a referee after you have submitted your application, you must send this person’s details (name, job title, place of work, and email address) as well as the name of the position you have applied for to: [email protected]


Formalities and salary range

Natural Sciences refers to the Ministerial Order on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Danish Universities under the Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation.

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 here.

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 Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Danish Universities.

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 here. Please find more information about entering and working in Denmark here.

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

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 our website, 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.
 


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/