Postdoc in Functional Genomics

The University of Copenhagen is seeking a highly motivated and talented postdoctoral fellow to commence September 15 or after agreement, 2022, at the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, University of Copenhagen.

The postdoctoral fellowship is offered within the group of Associate Professor Tuomas O Kilpeläinen as part of the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research and the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Genomic Mechanisms of Disease .

About Us
The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for vision is to strengthen interdisciplinary research that transforms our basic understanding of the mechanisms that underlie metabolic health and disease, and to accelerate this knowledge toward new prevention and treatment strategies. We were established in 2010 and in 2017, we moved into new laboratories, offices and meeting rooms in the Maersk Tower www.maersktower.ku.dk . The Center has around 260 employees who work in an international, highly collaborative research environment across a range of biomedical disciplines. You can read more about us here: www.cbmr.ku.dk .

The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Genomic Mechanisms of Disease focuses on understanding gene regulatory programs underlying common complex disease. The new Center seeks to build comprehensive maps of gene regulation in the human genome as a resource for uncovering biological mechanisms on common genetic diseases, with an initial focus on cell types relevant to cardiometabolic diseases including obesity and type 2 diabetes. Being part of the Center, the Kilpeläinen Group aims to combine recent advances in genomics, molecular biology, single-cell analysis, and stem cell models with approaches in computational biology, to identify fundamental rules of gene regulation. You can read more about the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Genomic Mechanisms of Disease Center here: https://www.broadinstitute.org/nnfc .

Our Research

The Kilpeläinen Group uses genomic, molecular and health data to understand how genetic variants contribute to the risk of cardiometabolic disease. Through in-depth understanding of disease mechanisms, particularly in the adipose tissue, the group seeks to open avenues for new treatments. The group’s research strategy starts from human genetic association data, followed by bioinformatic prioritization of the causal variants, genes, and cell types. Subsequent experimental studies using cellular phenotyping assays and rodent models seek to validate the variants’ effects on their target genes and downstream cellular programs and characterize the physiological consequences. The Kilpeläinen group is international, gender-balanced and interdisciplinary, including both computationally and experimentally oriented scientists. The group collaborates actively with local and international collaborators and is well-networked within international genetics consortia. For more information about the Kilpeläinen group, please visit: https://cbmr.ku.dk/research/human-genomics-and-metagenomics-in-metabolism/kilpelainen-group/ .

Job Description

The main task will be to investigate how genetic risk variants of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes impact human adipocytes and mesenchymal stem cells. The postdoc will integrate data from human genome-wide association studies with transcriptomic and gene regulatory data, to assess the functional roles of the genetic variants. The findings will guide in vitro and in vivo gene perturbation studies, to verify and further understand the functions. The postdoc will closely collaborate with the other groups in the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Genomic Mechanisms of Disease and have the chance for recurring research visits at the Broad Institute (Cambridge, USA).

Profile

The fellowship is aimed at ambitious, self-motivated early career researchers with a keen interest towards understanding the biological mechanisms of disease.

Required qualifications:

• PhD in Functional Genomics, Genetics, Molecular Biology, Computational Biology, or related sciences
• Experience in working with human genetic association data
• Experience in working with transcriptomic or epigenetic data
• Experience in scripting languages in e.g. R or Python
• Excellent scientific track record in relation to career stage
• Excellent English communication skills, both written and oral

Terms of Employment

The employment as postdoc is a full-time position for 3 years. Starting date is September 15, 2022, or after agreement. Salary, pension, and terms of employment will be in accordance with the agreement between the Danish Ministry of Finance and AC (Danish Confederation of Professional Associations). Depending on qualifications, a supplement may be negotiated. Non-Danish and Danish applicants may be eligible for tax reductions, if they hold a PhD degree and have not lived in Denmark the last 10 years.

Questions

For further information about the position, please contact Associate Professor Tuomas O. Kilpeläinen at [email protected] . For questions regarding the recruitment procedure, please contact HR at [email protected] .

The University of Copenhagen International Staff Mobility office offers support and assistance to all international researchers on all issues related to moving to and settling in Denmark. Read more at www.ism.ku.dk .

Application Procedure

Your online application must be submitted in English via the ‘Apply now’ link below. Furthermore, your application must include the following documents/attachments – all in PDF format:

• Cover letter expressing the motivation and previous research experience of the applicant (max 1 page)
• Curriculum vitae
• Copy of the PhD degree certificate and the Master degree certificate. In case the PhD has not yet been completed, a written statement from the supervisor confirming it will be obtained before October 1, 2022, is acceptable.
• List of publications
• References (name and contact details of at least two references)

Application Deadline: 17 July 2022, 23.59pm CET

We reserve the right not to consider material received after the deadline, and not to consider applications that do not live up to the abovementioned requirements.

The Further Process
After the expiry of the deadline for applications, the authorized recruitment manager selects applicants for assessment on the advice of the hiring committee. All applicants are then immediately notified whether their application has been passed for assessment by an unbiased assessor. Once the assessment work has been completed, each applicant has the opportunity to comment on the part of the assessment that relates to the applicant him/herself.

You can read about the recruitment process at www.employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process .

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

The University of Copenhagen wishes to reflect the diversity of society and welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of their personal background.

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.