Postdoctoral researcher in neuroimaging of neurodegenerative diseases (PA2021/1663)

Lund University was founded in 1666 and is repeatedly ranked among the world’s top 100 universities. The University has around 44 000 students and more than 8 000 staff based in Lund, Helsingborg and Malmö. We are united in our efforts to understand, explain and improve our world and the human condition.

The Faculty of Medicine is a part of Lund University, and is responsible for education and research within medicine and healthcare. Our academic programs are closely linked with the healthcare system and are firmly anchored in the faculty’s strong research tradition. Our research spans a broad field within experimental preclinical research, near-patient clinical research and health sciences research. The Faculty of Medicine, with its 1,800 employees and 2,700 students in Lund and Malmö, is a knowledge-intensive meeting place for students, teachers and researchers from all over the world.

The Department of Clinical Sciences, Malmö is one of the six departments at the Faculty of Medicine, Lund University. We have a strong focus on clinical and epidemiological research and also conduct an extensive preclinical laboratory research.

About the research group

The research group for Clinical Memory Research conducts research in dementia. Our research is focused on defining and understanding biological processes in Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases. We work both with cohorts of patients and cognitively unimpaired volunteers, who undergo extensive testing with neuroimaging, biomarker measurements and neuropsychological testing, and with animal- and cell biology experiments. Research has been at the forefront in this area for many years, including world-leading research in Alzheimer’s disease. More information can be found here . The research group is led by Professor Oskar Hansson. This position will be placed at BMC in Lund.

We aim to create a good work environment based on respect and consideration in our relation to each other. We strive to create an environment that promotes development and is stimulating to all employees.

We are now looking for a Postdoctoral fellow in neuroimaging of neurodegenerative diseases. The employment is a full-time, fixed-term position, limited to two years. Preliminary starting date is 1st of September or according to agreement.

Work duties

The postdoctoral fellow will join a growing multidisciplinary team of neuroscientists and clinical researchers, who are dedicated to increase the knowledge about neurodegenerative diseases. The long-term goal of our research is to contribute to the development of new treatments for neurodegenerative diseases where effective treatments are still lacking.

As a postdoctoral fellow, you will focus on neuroimaging and fluid biomarker data analysis aimed at developing diagnostic and prognostic tools, and improve our molecular understanding of Alzheimer’s disease. You will work with data acquired as part of the Swedish BioFINDER 2 study (www.biofinder.se ). In this study, 1,500 persons across the clinical spectrum of Alzheimer’s disease (i.e. from cognitively normal to dementia) will undergo advanced neuroimaging including tau PET and MRI with both structural and functional sequences. Other assignments within the research group may also occur.

Qualifications

Appointment to a post-doctoral position requires that the applicant has a PhD, or an international degree deemed equivalent to a PhD, within the subject of the position, completed no more than three years before the last date for applications. Under special circumstances, the doctoral degree can have been completed earlier. These circumstances refer to leave due to illness, parental leave, clinical work, positions of trust within trade union organizations or other similar circumstances.

For appointment to a post-doctoral position, the ability to develop and conduct high quality research and also teaching skills will be evaluated as part of the assessment criteria. The assessment of the applicants will primarily be based on their research qualifications and potential as researchers.

The following are also required for the position:

• Ph.D. in neuroscience, psychology, medicine, bioinformatics or a related discipline
• Ability to independently perform large-scale neuroimaging data analyses including PET and MRI
• Expertise in statistical modeling, scripting/programming and neuroimaging software
• Very high proficiency in English, in speech and writing

Special emphasis will be placed on certain personal qualities. We are looking for someone who is dedicated and passionate about the research area and who is capable of working both independently and in cooperation with others.

The following are considered to be a merit:

• Extensive experience in working with analyses of MR imaging
• Previous publications in high-impact scientific journals
• Experience in working in an international and multidisciplinary environment

Terms of employment

This is a full-time, fixed-term employment of a maximum of 2 years. The period of employment is determined in accordance with the agreement “Avtal om tidsbegränsad anställning som postdoktor” (“Agreement on fixed-term employment as a post-doctoral fellow”) between Lund University, SACO-S, OFR/S and SEKO, dated 4 September 2008.

Instructions for your application

The application must contain a personal letter describing how you fulfill the desired qualifications, a CV, diploma and contact information for three references.