Assistant Professor of Barrier Immunology at the Department of Immunology & Microbiology

We are looking for a highly motivated and dynamic assistant professor who would like to join the group of Barrier Immunology at the LEO Foundation Skin Immunology Research Center (SIC), Department of Immunology & Microbiology(ISIM) for a 4-year position to commence on April 26th, 2024.

As assistant professor, you would join and help shape our future research activities around understanding intestinal immune responses in humans during health and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). By using cutting edge experimental wet lab and in silico tools, you would contribute to drawing a multifaceted picture on human intestinal immunity.

Information on the department can be found at: isim.ku.dk and sic.ku.dk

Our research

We and our collaborating partners strive to generate fundamental insights into the cellular and molecular networks that regulate intestinal immune responses. As assistant professor, you would join a diverse team of international researchers within the newly established NovoNordisk Foundation challenge grant-funded ‘Center for Intestinal Immune Regulation (CIIR)’. CIIR comprises of 4 collaborating teams (Agace, University of Copenhagen; McCoy, Calgary (Canada); Bendtsen, Hvidovre hospital; Rønn-Larsen, Technical University of Denmark) whose combined expertise in mucosal immunology, gastroenterology, microbiota-host interactions, bioinformatics and state-of-the-art animal models aims to identify intestinal immune-stromal interactions important in intestinal homeostasis and IBD.  In joining, you will be part of a highly vibrant and cross-disciplinary team of researchers at the international forefront of mucosal barrier immunology research.

Your job

We are looking for a highly engaged candidate to drive our current research activities to decipher the molecular and cellular mechanisms that underlie IBD. You would also contribute to departmental activities such as teaching, science dissemination and acquisition of funding.

 Your tasks as assistant professor would include:

• A close collaboration with local hospitals to retrieve and process surgical resection material from the human intestine.
• The generation and analysis of complex and high-dimensional data, for example by applying (but not limited to) flow cytometry, cell sorting, histology and single-cell transcriptomics.
• Designing, writing and amending study protocols to pursue our scientific projects.
• Supervision of early-stage scientists.
• Organization of student courses within the department of Immunology and Microbiology.
• Help to acquire external funding for future research activities.
• Presentation and dissemination of research activities to scientific peers and the broader public.
• Contribution to departmental organisational activities, such as the organization of lecture series or the acquisition and integration of research infrastructure.

The assistant professor’s responsibilities will primarily consist of:

• research, including publication/academic dissemination duties.
• research-based teaching.
• sharing knowledge with society.
• participation in formal pedagogical training programme for assistant professors.

Profile
Six overall criteria apply for assistant professor appointments at the University of Copenhagen.

The six criteria (research, teaching, societal impact, organisational contribution, external funding, and leadership) are considered a framework for the overall assessment of candidates. Find information about each criterion here: https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/criteria-for-recognising-merit .

Furthermore, we are looking for a highly motivated and enthusiastic scientist with the following skills and experience:

Essential experience and skills:

• You have a PhD in immunology or a related field.
• You are highly experienced in conducting complex flow cytometry and confocal laser microscopy. experiments to study intestinal immune and stromal cells.
• You have a deep knowledge of fibroblast biology and fibroblast interactions with immune cells.
• You have an active interest in mucosal immunology and IBD.
• You have documented experience in writing scientific articles for publication.
• You have pre- and postgraduate teaching experience within relevant fields, such as immunology.

You should also have experience in the supervision of early-stage scientists.

• Proficient communication skills and ability to work in teams.
• You have experience in acquiring funding for research activities.
• Excellent English skills written and spoken.

Desirable experience and skills:

• Experience in spatial analysis of intestinal tissues, by both antibody or probe-based methods.
• A good understanding of the function and diversity of gut-associated lymphoid tissues in humans and mice.
• Interest in the development of novel experimental methods to study the intestinal immune system.
• Knowledge of the European Union GDPR rule framework, required to implement studies based on patient-derived biological specimens.
• Occasionally flexible working hours, required to process patient-derived biological specimens.

Place of employment

The place of employment is at the Department of Immunology & Microbiology (ISIM), LEO Foundation Skin Immunology Research Center, Panum Institute, University of Copenhagen. We offer creative and stimulating working conditions in dynamic and international research environment. Our research facilities include modern laboratories and state-of-the-art core facilities to fulfill the experimental project aims. As you would be part of highly collaborative scientific network, also the research infrastructure of collaborating partners may be used.

Terms of employment

The start date is April 26th, 2024, or after agreement.

Foreign 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.

2020.

Questions
For further information please contact Professor William Agace ([email protected] )

Foreign applicants may find this link useful: www.ism.ku.dk (International Staff Mobility).

Application procedure
Your application must be submitted in English by clicking ‘Apply now’ below. Furthermore, your application must include the following documents/attachments – all in PDF format:

 30 January 2024, 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 https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/

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

The University of Copenhagen wish to reflect the diversity of society and encourage all qualified candidates to apply regardless of 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.