Postdoctoral position in population genomics of the palaeolithic

The research group of Mikkel Heide Schierup at the Bioinformatics Research Centre at the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, invites applications for a fulltime 2.5 year postdoctoral position in population genetics related to Palaeolithic gene-culture coevolution. The appointment begins on 1 March, 2025, or as soon as possible thereafter. 


Research context 

The position is funded by a Villum Foundation Synergy grant COEVOLVE that aims to combine population genomics and material culture analysis on human paleolithic material to study gene-culture coevolution in the European Late Upper Palaeolithic (~20.000-11.000 years BP).  

This data-driven project is led by two PIs – population geneticist Mikkel Schierup and archaeologist Felix Riede– and establishes interdisciplinary collaboration between archaeologists and bioinformaticians to create the first integrated workflow for reconstructing gene-culture coevolution using co-phylogenetic methods applied in parallel to material culture data and ancient DNA.  

The population genetics task is first to curate the genetic data for all the samples with an archaeological context and then infer demography, population history, inbreeding history, and, more broadly, the genealogical history of each sample from this genetic data.  

The successful applicant is expected to participate in project activities related to gene-culture co-eveolutionary theory, data collection and analysis, and will actively collaborate closely with the project’s other postdoc (read more here), the two PIs and our colleagues and collaborators. 
 

Expected start date and duration of employment

This is a 2.5–year position from 1 March, 2025, or as soon possible thereafter. 


Job description 

The position will include the following tasks: 

• Curation and imputation of publicly available sampåles with genomewide sequence or genotype data from the upper paleolithic (25,000-10,000 years before present)
• Methods development for inference on population history, inbreeding, and relatedness) from single genomes
• Methods development for joint quantitative analyses of material culture and population history using phylogenetic principles in close collaboration with archeological domain post doc.
• Development of cophylogenetic methods that link archaeological and palaeogenomic data in a single workflow 
• Closely collaborate with COEVOLVE project members at AU  
• Attend and actively participate in in-person project meetings, including project travel.
• Contribute to the organisation of research workshops and international conferences.

Should you have any doubts or require further information, Prof. Mikkel Heide Schierup ([email protected]) is available for informal discussions regarding the potential fit for the position. 
 

Qualifications and the selection process 

Applicants for this position must hold a PhD degree (or equivalent level of education) in evolutionary genetics, population genetics, or a related field.  

Applicants are asked to submit the following documents:  

• a cover letter stating the relevant experience and projects and motivation for applying for the position [maximum two pages],  
• a cv and a list of publications, 
• a maximum of three relevant publications. 

International applicants 

International applicants are encouraged to check Family and work-life balance and Attractive working conditions for further information about the benefits of working at Aarhus University and in Denmark, including healthcare, paid holidays and, if relevant, maternity/paternity leave, childcare and schooling. Aarhus University offers a broad variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including a relocation service and career counselling for expat partners. For information about taxation, see Taxation aspects of international researchers’ employment by AU. 
 

The work environment 

This position will be based in the Bioinformatics Research Centre (BiRC), which is part of the Dept. of Molecular Biology and Genetics. BiRC employs about 30 staff, postdocs and PhD students working on various aspects of Bioinformatics, emphasising evolutionary genomics. BiRC hosts the genomeDK supercomputer, which will be available for the current project. BiRC is also responsible for the Masters in Bioinformatics education with around 30 students per year. BiRC thus offers a dynamic working environment with many young people, where the majority are international and the working language is English.

The research group of Mikkel H. Schierup currently employs six postdocs and six PhD students in a variety of projects in evolutionary genomics. The working environment is very collaborative and PhD students and postdocs are encouraged to develop they own independent projects. 
 

Place of work and area of employment

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


Contact information

For further information, please contact: Mikkel H. Schierup, email: [email protected], phone +4527782889. 
 

Deadline

Applications must be received no later than 15 January, 2025. 


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 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/