Postdoc: How intra-genomic conflicts in spermatogenesis shape the genetic basis of autism

If you would like to investigate how and why the X chromosome contributes to autism and its sex-differences, then we invite you to make this project yours.

Despite recent reports suggesting an outsize influence of the X chromosome on autism and its sex differences, we still know very little about its genetic basis. Recent research from our group has revealed uniquely strong natural selection on the human X chromosome, best explained by selfish X-genes promoting their natural selection in spermatogenesis by killing sperm cells that carry the Y chromosome. Such selfish advantage in spermatogenesis easily trumps modest deleterious effects such gene variants may have on brain development. A pilot study of the X chromosome reveals that neuron genes also expressed in spermatogenesis indeed are enriched for association with autism and that gene classes with sex-specific brain expression associate with autism sex bias. We invite applicants to shape and carry out this postdoc project.

Expected start date and duration of employment

This is a two-year postdoc position beginning July 1, 2024, or as soon as possible.

Job description

The project includes a GWAS on the X chromosome based on the iPSYCH autism cohorts and analyses partitioning heritability by sex and candidate gene classes but will otherwise be led and shaped by the successful applicant.

Your profile

We are looking for an open-minded researcher with a collaborative spirit.

The applicant should hold a Ph.D. in bioinformatics, computational biology, population genetics, or similar.

Any experience with GWAS, heritability analysis, polygenic risk scores, statistics, or population genetic modelling is highly relevant.

Who we are

You will collaborate with world-leading researchers on autism (Jakob Grove), genetic association (Doug Speed), and evolutionary genomics of sex chromosomes (Kasper Munch, PI). Please refer to

munch-group.org

and

birc.au.dk

for further information about us and the Bioinformatics Research Centre,  and

mbg.au.dk

for information about the department.

The city of Aarhus

In Aarhus you have easy access to beautiful nature, an exciting culture and city life as well as a safe environment for children - a great place for the whole family. The city of Aarhus has everything you need within a surprisingly small area: exciting national and international jobs, delightful residential areas, a rich cultural life, and beautiful surrounding landscape of woods and coastline that make Aarhus a wonderful place to live and work. See

life in Denmark

and

Aarhus and surroundings

for further details on the city and the university.

What we offer

The Bioinformatics Research Centre provides:

• The opportunity to shape a ground-breaking research project providing new perspectives on the sex differences in autism.
• Access to computational infrastructure (14,000 cores), and the large Danish iPSYCH autism cohorts.
• An international, interdisciplinary, and open-minded research environment where ideas float freely.
• A uniquely Danish workplace characterized by equality, openness, trust, and a healthy work-life relationship.
• A highly competitive salary.

Place of work and area of employment

Bioinformatics Research Centre, Dept. of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Universitetsbyen 81, 8000 Aarhus.

Contact information

For further information, please feel free to contact: Associate professor, Kasper Munch, +45 3013 8342, [email protected]

Deadline

Applications must be received no later than April 1, 2024

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.