Preclinical NMR/MRI engineer at the level of a postdoc to the 9.4T NMR Rodent Imaging Core Facility

Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences
University of Copenhagen

The 9.4T NMR Rodent Imaging Core facility at the University of Copenhagen has one opening for an engineer with focus on small animal research at the Panum NMR Core Facility. The NMR Core facilitates neuroscientific and metabolic research, including ongoing and planned research into the role of CSF/ISF in the clearance of metabolites and macromolecules from the brain, metabolomics of stroke, cerebral blood flow and metabolism in combination with optogenetics, and glia progenitor cells a treatment for demyelinating diseases. 

The Panum NMR Core Facility is run by Center for Translational Neuromedicine, and is responsible for the running of a Bruker 9.4T USR 94/30 small animal magnet controlled by ParaVision software, and includes a large array of coils, including 1H- and 31P-CryoProbes. The NMR Core supports research from faculty across many fields at the University of Copenhagen as well as external collaborators, involved in many exciting and cutting edge scientific projects. 

The successful candidate will be part of Division of Glial Therapeutics within Center for Translational Neuromedicine (CTN). CTN currently has 50 employees and students, divided into two labs. CTN is part of the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, and is located at Panum. The Center comprises modern laboratories and excellent facilities within neuroscience. 

For more information about the NMR Core: http://nmr.ku.dk , and CTN https://ctn.ku.dk/ . 

Your responsibilities

• NMR/MRI related electrical prototype development and construction
• Maintenance of Bruker hardware, troubleshooting, and implementation of quality check protocols
• MRI protocol optimization with practical knowledge of translational protocols in clinical settings, Bruker sequence programming, data acquisition and data processing

Qualifications
We are looking for a highly motivated engineer eager to push boundaries in ultra-high field MRI and contribute to the scientific mission of the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences. The successful candidate must hold a PhD degree in an electrical engineering discipline, applied physics/mathematics, or related field; strong knowledge of MRI physics, advanced MR sequences, expertise in MR images and biomedical data analysis, as well as basic physiology or radiology. Experience with small animal NMR, MRI sequence optimization, and pulse-sequence development are required. Strong background in computer-based skills (image-processing know-how a must – MATLAB, R, Fiji, python, etc.) is an advantage. Experience in pulse sequence development for Bruker’s platform (ParaVision) is preferred, as well as proficiency in scripting and/or programming. Besides 1H imaging, X-nuclei acquisition/analysis experiences (13C, 19F, 23Na, 31P, etc) would be a bonus.
The projects are highly collaborative and interdisciplinary. The successful candidate will also possess excellent collaboration skills to support the NMR users’ need, preferably having previous academic/industrial practice in such area. Excellent communications skills are needed for planning and execution of the NMR user experiments that span over many diverse projects. Experience in working in a multidisciplinary research environment is preferred. 

Terms of employment
The position is at the level of a postdoc. It is a 2-year full-time position. Employment will commence 1 February 2022. Salary and other terms and conditions of appointment are set in accordance with the agreement between the Ministry of Finance and AC (Danish Confederation of Professional Associations) or other relevant professional organizations. The position is covered by the Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities 2013.

Work place
You will be part of the NMR Core Facility located at Blegdamsvej 3B, DK-2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark. Your primary work place will be at the 9.4T NMR Core which is governed by CTN.

Contact persons: Core Director Yuki Mori, [email protected] , or Center Administrator Ann Christensen, [email protected] . 

Application deadline
Application deadline is 14 October 2021. 

Applications – in English – must include:

• Cover letter with a brief statement of research interests and career goals
• Curriculum vitae
• Publication list
• Reference list
• Relevant academic transcripts

More about the recruitment process at the University of Copenhagen: http://employment.ku.dk

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.