Postdoc in Preclinical Neuroimaging in Depression

The Department of Clinical Medicine at Faculty of Health at Aarhus University invites applications for a position as Postdoc in the field of Preclinical Neuroimaging in Depression as per 1 April 2025 or as soon as possible thereafter. The position is a fixed-term full-time position for 3 years.

Department of Clinical Medicine
As a Postdoc at the Department of Clinical Medicine, you will be part of what is probably the largest health science research department in Denmark. Our clinical research covers all the medical specialities and takes place in close collaboration with the university hospital and the regional hospitals in the Central Denmark Region. We have approx. 30,000 square metres of modern research facilities for experimental surgery and medicine, animal facilities and also advanced scanners at our disposal. The department has overall responsibility for the Master's degree programs in medicine and in molecular medicine. At the department we are approx. 670 academic employees, 500 PhD students and 160 technical/administrative employees who are cooperating across disciplines. As a Postdoc, you will be working at Aarhus University Hospital or another hospital in the Central Denmark Region. You can read more about the department here and about the faculty here.
About the research project
The Preclinical Neuroimaging section at TNU primarily performs in vivo molecular PET imaging and postmortem autoradiography in translationally relevant rodent and minipig models of Parkinson’s disease and depression to study the mechanisms of novel therapeutic approaches. We are also involved in the development and validation of novel imaging radioligands.

The current project is centered around exploring the role of G protein-coupled receptor 6 (GPR6) in developing new therapeutics for depression. This project was recently supported by the Lundbeck Foundation, and we are seeking a postdoc for the first three years of the project. During these years, the candidate will perform behavioural analyses, microPET imaging, functional and structural MRI and autoradiography studies in mouse models at our department. The candidate will also be expected to collaborate with a team of interdisciplinary researchers (in Denmark and UK) and incorporate novel techniques such as fiber photometry, RNAScope and Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell cultures into the project.

Your job responsibilities
As a Postdoc in Preclinical Neuroimaging in Depression your position is primarily research-based but may also involve teaching assignments. You will contribute to the development of the department through research of high international quality. In your daily work, you will work closely with colleagues on your project, where you will receive supervision and guidance.

Your main tasks will consist of:

• Independent research of high international quality, including publication
• Training students and contributing to teaching activities
• Assessment of radioligand binding in preclinical studies (autoradiography and microPET imaging)
• Data analysis with PMOD, Beamage and SPM
• Behavioral assays in a mouse model of stress/depression
• Collaborations with Danish and international research groups
• Contributing to ongoing collaborations with academia and industry
• Presentation of research findings at local and international meetings

You will report to Associate Professor Anne M Landau, Translational Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University.

Your competences
To be considered qualified for this position, the candidate must have a strong background in in vivo neuroimaging studies in animal models of neurodegenerative diseases or psychiatric disorders. Specifically, the preferred candidate should have a PhD in neuroimaging and experience in the design of PET studies, the analysis of PET data in preclinical animal models (mice, rats and minipig), and experience in modeling PET data obtained with ligands of synaptic density, neuroinflammation and the dopamine system.

The applicant must have high-level skills in using PMOD software. The candidate must also have experience with autoradiography techniques, preferably using the aI4R Beaquant real-time autoradiography system and behavioural analyses. It is expected that the candidate has published at least 4 first-authored manuscripts and has experience in contributing to grant applications.

The candidate should have already passed the advanced animal course to work with mice, rats and pigs.

As a person, the candidate should have good interpersonal skills, be inclusive and team-oriented and able to contribute to a good work environment. The candidate should have experience conducting research in an international environment. We expect the candidate to be fluent in oral and written English.

In order to be assessed as qualified for a Postdoc position, you must meet these academic criteria.

Questions about the position
If you have any questions about the position, please contact Associate Professor Anne M Landau tel.: (+45) 50209250.

Your place of work will be the Department of Clinical Medicine, TNU, Palle Juul-Jensens Boulevard 11, Building A, 6-7th floor, 8200 Aarhus N, Denmark.

Terms of employment

• Appointment as a postdoc requires academic qualifications at PhD level.
• Further information on the appointment procedure can be found in the Ministerial Order on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Universities.
• The appointment is in accordance with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (Akademikerne).
• Remuneration is in accordance with the above, and the Salary agreement catalogue for staff at Health.
• The yearly base salary for a fulltime postdoc is between DKK 484.214,84 and DKK 538.720,20 depending on the years of working experience after achieved MSc degree. The base salary includes a position related supplement and pension (17.1 %). Additional supplement(s) for special qualifications can be negotiated. Authorisation supplemement(s) will be granted, if relevant for the position. Your local eligible trade union representative at Aarhus University negotiates your salary on your behalf.
• Researchers recruited from abroad are offered a special researcher tax scheme with a lower tax rate.
• Further information on qualification requirements and job description can be found in the Ministerial Order on Job Structure for Academic Staff

Application
Your application must include the following:

• Motivated application
• Curriculum Vitae
• Diploma
• Template for applicant - postdoc
• A list of publications
• A teaching portfolio. We refer to Guideline on the use of teaching portfolios
• A maximum of five of the publications of greatest relevance to the job may be submitted (optional)
• Research plan can be uploaded (optional)
• Coauthor statement(s) can be uploaded (optional)
• References/recommendations can be uploaded separately in the e-recruitment system (optional)

We refer to the faculty’s Guidelines for applicants.

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.

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.

International applicant?
Aarhus University offers a broad variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including assistance with relocation and career counselling to expat partners. Please find more information about the International Staff Office and the range of services here. Aarhus University also has a Junior Researcher Association and offers career development support. You can read more about these resources here.

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/

Department: Translational Neuropsychiatry Unit/Translational Neuropsychiatry Unit

Deadline: 05 January 2025

Location: Aarhus N Palle Juul-Jensens Boulevard 11