Two postdoc positions in the Pig-Paradigm project

Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Aarhus University, invites highly qualified applicants for two postdoc positions within the Pig-Paradigm project from 1 March 2023 or soon thereafter; one dealing with the interaction between dietary fibre and gut mucosa, and susceptibility to postweaning enteric disorders in piglets, and the other on prebiotics compared to non-digestible carbohydrates for improved piglet gut health. The positions are fixed-term positions for 3 years.

You can read more about Pig-Paradigm here:
https://novonordiskfonden.dk/en/news/researchers-mobilise-to-combat-antimicrobial-resistance/ .

The successful candidates will become essential members of a multidisciplinary team of scientists from Aarhus University, University of Copenhagen, Aalborg University, Wageningen University, and University of California-Davis. The overall research aim of the Pig-Paradigm project is to prevent infection in the gut of developing piglets, thereby reducing the use of antibiotics, and thus reducing the spread of antimicrobial resistance – by disentangling the interface of diet, the host, and the gastrointestinal microbiome.

1. The post doc candidate on the Interaction between dietary fibre and the gut mucosa, and susceptibility to postweaning enteric disorders is expected to be involved in in vitro and in vivo studies with piglets fed diets varying in type and level of dietary fibre without and with supplementation of exogenous enzymes to influence the interaction between dietary fibre and the gut mucosa, and as a mean to obtain small carbohydrate fragments that potentially can interfere with and have impact on the microbiota and the host immune system.

2. The post doc candidate on Prebiotics compared to non-digestible carbohydrates for improved piglet gut health is expected to be involved in in vitro and in vivo studies with piglets provided different types of prebiotics and non-digestible carbohydrates. The candidate will be involved in in vitro fermentation studies and in vivo ETEC challenge studies with piglets, be responsible for the analyses of oligo- and polymers and related structural changes caused by microbial fermentation and for the analyses of microbial fermentation products.

Qualifications within several of the following key areas

• Academic qualifications at PhD level in biological-, animal- or chemical sciences .
• Research experience in analytical methods for the characterization of carbohydrates with gas and liquid chromatography, and microbial fermentation metabolites
• Research experience in controlled intervention studies with pigs.
• Research experience in in vitro studies
• Knowledge on microscopy techniques
• Knowledge on molecular techniques to characterize the microbiota, and analyze biomarkers for gut epithelium health
• Significant skills in data analyses of experimental- and bioinformatic data
• Significant skills in scientific communication of research results

Together, these two projects will contribute to mitigate the use of antibiotics in the weaning of piglets. The candidates will contribute to attract external funding within this area of research and will participate in knowledge exchange with society and industry as well as in teaching and supervision at Bachelor, Master and PhD levels.

Further information on the positions may be obtained from Head of research unit (Gut and host health ), professor Knud Erik Bach Knudsen ph. +45 2064 7598, email: [email protected]

Place of employment and place of work
The place of employment is Aarhus University (AU), and the place of work is AU Viborg, Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Blichers Allé 20, DK-8830 Tjele.

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
Technical 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.

Deadline: 02 January 2023

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 .

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

Aarhus University
Aarhus University is an academically diverse and research-intensive university with a strong commitment to high-quality research and education and the development of society nationally and globally. The university offers an inspiring research and teaching environment to its 38,000 students (FTEs) and 8,000 employees, and has an annual revenues of EUR 885 million. Learn more at www.international.au.dk/