Research assistant – Protein purification

Applications are invited for a one-year research assistant position in the field of protein science at the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics (MBG), Aarhus University, Denmark. This is a fixed-term position to end on December 31st 2023.

Expected start date and duration of employment
This is a 1–year position from February 1st 2023 or as soon possible thereafter. Regardless of the start date, the appointment will stop on December 31st 2023, where the specific funding stops.

Job description

• The position will focus on the expression, purification and crystallization of proteins involved in synapse formation for the purpose of elucidating their three-dimensional structures.

Your profile
Applicants should hold a master’s degree in Molecular Biology or similar.
Experience in expression of human synaptic proteins in bacterial systems as well as protein purification using ion-exchange, size-exclusion, and affinity chromatography is required.
Experience in protein expression in mammalian cells or insect cells will be considered advantageous.
Furthermore, setting up crystallization trials and doing measurements (XRD, SAXS, EXAFS) at synchrotron radiation sources will also be considered advantageous.

Who we are
The Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics is part of the Faculty of Natural Sciences at Aarhus University and comprises research within the areas of Plant Molecular Biology, Neurobiology, RNA Biology, and Innovation, Protein Science, Cellular Health, Intervention, and Nutrition. There are currently 75 full-time scientific staff and 95 Ph.D. students. The department is responsible for two educations: Molecular Biology and Molecular Medicine, with a yearly uptake of 160 students in total. Please refer to https://mbg.au.dk/ for further information about The Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics and to https://nat.au.dk/ and https://www.au.dk/ for information on the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Aarhus University, respectively

What we offer
The department offers:

• a well-developed research infrastructure, laboratories and access to shared equipment
• an exciting interdisciplinary environment with many national, international and industrial collaborators
• a research climate encouraging lively, open and critical discussion within and across different fields of research
• a work environment with close working relationships, networking and social activities
• a workplace characterised by professionalism, equality and a healthy work-life balance.

Place of work and area of employment
The place of work is Universitetsbyen 81, 8000 Aarhus C, and the area of employment is Aarhus University with related departments.

Contact information
For further information, please contact: Associate Sørens Skou Thirup, +4520585981, [email protected]

Deadline
Applications must be received no later than December 27th 2022.

Application procedure
Short-listing is used. This means that after the deadline for applications – and with the assistance from the assessment committee chairman, and the assessment committee if necessary, – the head of department selects the candidates to be evaluated. The selection is made on the basis of an assessment of who of the candidates are most relevant considering the requirements of the advertisement. All applicants will be notified within 6 weeks 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 will receive his/her assessment. 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.

The application must be submitted via Aarhus University’s recruitment system, which can be accessed under the job advertisement on Aarhus University’s website.