162124 Associate Professor of Neuroscience (Fixed-Term, 3 Years)

Translational Neurobiology Group, Department of Neuroscience
Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences
University of Copenhagen

The University seeks to appoint an associate professor to the Translational Neurobiology Group at the Department of Neuroscience to commence as soon as possible.

Information on the Department can be found at: https://sund.ku.dk/ .

Job description
Immunotherapies based on antibodies that scavenge amyloid-beta are, so far, the only viable options for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, the transport mechanisms across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and pharmacokinetics (PK) of therapeutic antibodies are incompletely understood. Consequently, their brain uptake is predictably limited, and the dosage increase required to mitigate low brain uptake results in off-site effects in patients in the periphery and the central nervous system. The scientist taking this position will provide crucial novel insights to PK and BBB transport of therapeutic antibodies used for the treatment of AD and provide results that can be used to optimize the engineering of therapeutic compounds to effectively treat AD.

The associate professor’s responsibilities will primarily consist of:

• Research, including publication/academic dissemination
• Research-based teaching, including associated examination
• Research leadership, including guidance and supervision of researchers
• Obligation to share knowledge with the rest of society, including participation in public debate
• Academic assessments

Required qualifications
Six overall criteria apply for associate professor appointments at the University of Copenhagen. The six criteria (research, teaching, societal impact, organisational contribution, external funding and leadership) are considered a framework for the overall assessment of candidates. Find information about each criterion here: https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/criteria-for-recognising-merit .

Specific qualifications for position:

• PhD or equivalent degree in natural or medical science
• Advanced skills and experience in 2-photon microscopy imaging in live mice
• Prior published work on drug delivery, brain transport mechanisms and vascular function
• Relevant professional experience in ImageJ and computational image analysis
• High technical skills in real time data acquisition and instrumentation control
• Enthusiasm, motivation, flexibility. and confidence.

Furthermore, each applicant must be able to document:

• Research qualifications at the level that can be achieved by satisfactorily completing a period of employment as an assistant professor/postdoc, but may also be obtained in other ways
• Teaching qualifications and pedagogical competencies
• Research-based teaching

The associate professor is also required to possess good interpersonal and communicative skills.

Terms of employment
The position is a fixed-term position limited to a period of 3 years.

The average weekly working hours are 37 hours per week.

Salary and other terms and conditions of appointment are set in accordance with the Agreement between the Ministry of Taxation and AC (Danish Confederation of Professional Associations) or other relevant professional organisations.

The position is covered by the Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities 2020.

Questions
For further information, please contact Head of Department Professor Ulrik Gether on tel. (+45) 28757548,or [email protected] or group leader Professor Martin Lauritzen, (+45) 24841840 [email protected] .

Foreign applicants may find this link useful: https://www.ism.ku.dk/ (International Staff Mobility).

Application
The application must be submitted in English and must include the following documents:

• Application, including motivations for applying for the position (Maximum 2 pages)
• Curriculum vitae, including information about external funding
• Diplomas (Master’s, PhD, and other relevant certificates)
• A complete list of publications
• Research plan (3‐5 pages)
• Uploads of maximum 5 publications to be considered in the assessment
• Teaching plan
• Teaching portfolio (Guidelines: https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/job-application-portfolio )

Application procedure
After the expiry of the deadline for applications, the authorized recruitment manager selects applicants for assessment on the advice of the Appointments Committee.  All applicants are then immediately notified whether their application has been passed for assessment. The Dean then appoints an expert assessment committee to assess the selected applicants for the specific post. Selected applicants are notified of the composition of the committee and each applicant can comment on the part of the assessment that relates to the applicant him/herself. You can read about the recruitment process at https://jobportal.ku.dk/ .

Please note that the applicant will be contacted if the assessment committee requires further documentation.

The applicant will be assessed according to the Ministerial Order no. 242 of 13 March 2012 on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Universities.

The University of Copenhagen encourages all interested applicants to apply for this position.

Please submit the application with the required attachments. The closing date for applications is CEST 23.59 p.m.,  28 July 2024 .

Part of the International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU), and among Europe’s top-ranking universities, the University of Copenhagen promotes research and teaching of the highest international standard. Rich in tradition and modern in outlook, the University gives students and staff the opportunity to cultivate their talent in an ambitious and informal environment. An effective organisation – with good working conditions and a collaborative work culture – creates the ideal framework for a successful academic career.