Postdoctoral Position in Structural and Mechanistic Studies of Intraflagellar Transport, Denmark

We are looking for a highly skilled and motivated postdoctoral researcher to work on deciphering the molecular mechanisms of how eukaryotic cells construct cilia organelles through selective recognition and trafficking of cargo proteins. The project will utilize cutting-edge AI models for high-throughput in silico screening to identify novel ciliary cargoes of the intraflagellar transport machinery, followed by experimental validation and mechanistic characterization of promising candidates.
 

Expected start date and duration of employment

The position will begin in April 2025 or shortly thereafter, and is initially funded for 2 years.
 

Job description

The position leverages AI models for protein structure prediction and artificial protein design to make breakthrough discoveries in cilia biology, a well-established research direction in the laboratory of Professor Esben Lorentzen. The lab is fully equipped with molecular biology and biochemistry facilities, with access to structure determination methods (X-ray crystallography and single-particle cryo-EM) and a GPU computer cluster running AlphaFold, RFdiffusion, BindCRAFT, and other relevant AI models for molecular and structural biology.
 

Your profile

The successful candidate should have:

• A Ph.D. degree in a relevant field
• Strong background in structural biology, biochemistry/biophysics, bioinformatics, or related disciplines
• Demonstrated research excellence through publications and/or technical achievements
• Strong collaborative skills and the ability to take initiative and responsibility
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English

 

Who we are

The Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, part of the Faculty of Natural Sciences at Aarhus University, conducts research in Molecular Medicine, Systems Biology, Structural Biology, Plant Molecular Biology, and Quantitative Genetics. The department hosts 220 full-time scientific staff and 140 Ph.D. students.

Read more about the department on our webpage: https://mbg.au.dk/en/
 

What we offer

Aarhus offers an exceptional quality of life, combining:

• Rich cultural scene and vibrant city life and easy access to beautiful nature
• Safe, family-friendly environment
• Excellent work-life balance
• International atmosphere
• For more information about working at Aarhus University, visit http://talent.au.dk/working-at-aarhus-university/

Place of work and area of employment

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


Contact information

For further information, please contact: Professor, Esben Lorentzen, email: [email protected]. 

Deadline

Applications must be received no later than 16 February 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.

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/