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Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research
Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences
University of Copenhagen



We are looking to hire up to three highly motivated and dynamic researchers with a PhD or equivalent doctorate to join the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Candidates should have a strong background in (genetic) epidemiology, bioinformatics, statistical genetics, data science, machine learning, or a closely related discipline, and have experience with research in obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and/or life-course epidemiology. The positions are 3-year positions starting September 1, 2024, or after agreement. Two of the candidates will work closely with the Loos Lab (with Professor Ruth Loos and Assistant Professor Roelof Smit), and one candidate will work across the Loos and Merino Labs (with Professor Ruth Loos and Associate Professor Jordi Merino).

Background
The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research’s vision is to pioneer groundbreaking research towards better cardiometabolic health. We wish to lead collaborative interdisciplinary research from single-cell genomics to whole-body systems, transforming the basic understanding of cardiometabolic health, and accelerating its translation into prevention and treatment strategies. We were established in 2010, and in 2017, we moved into new laboratories, offices, and meeting rooms in the Maersk Tower.

The Center has around 260 employees who work in an international, highly collaborative research environment across a range of biomedical disciplines. You can read more about us here: www.cbmr.ku.dk.

Our group and research
The Loos Group aims to identify the genetic and non-genetic determinants of body weight regulation to gain insight into the deeper layers of biology that underlie obesity and metabolism. Additionally, the group aims to improve prediction, prevention, and treatment through the implementation of precision health strategies. You can read more about the Loos Group here. The Merino Group investigates how molecular and environmental factors modulate variable metabolic responses to therapeutic interventions and shape food choice behavior. The group aims to generate actionable knowledge to inform more effective obesity and diabetes prevention and treatment strategies. You can read more about the Merino Group here.

Your job
The successful candidates will have the opportunity to take a leading role in research projects aimed at understanding the molecular basis of cardiometabolic disease and to leverage molecular determinants for the prediction, prevention, and treatment of individuals at risk. They will contribute to one (or more) of the following projects.

In the first project, we aim to gain insight into the deeper layers of biology that underlie body weight regulation, fat distribution, and its comorbidities through genetic studies and use this information to prevent, predict, or treat obesity. Expertise in any of the following fields will be required; implementation of gene-discovery approaches for refined phenotypes beyond BMI and WHR, developing and implementing polygenic risk scores, applying causal inference approaches to elucidate causality between correlated traits, and/or using genetic and non-genetic information to stratify a heterogenous population into homogenous subtypes relevant for precision medicine in obesity. For this, we will leverage a wide range of (inter)national large-scale biobanks (e.g., UK Biobank, All Of Us, Mount Sinai BioMe biobank, project 10K). [Loos Lab]

In the second project, we aim to identify genetic variants and protein biomarkers that contribute to growth and maturation during childhood and adolescence, and maternal health during pregnancy. For this, we will leverage novel proteogenomic resources from the Puberty Cohort of the Danish National Birth Cohort (DNBC), with linkage to Danish national health registers, and other large-scale biobanks. Such questions may encompass identifying quantitative trait loci, trajectory analysis, phenotypic and genetic subtyping, multi-omics prediction, and causal inference (e.g., Mendelian randomization, genomic SEM). [Loos Lab]

In the third project, we focus on the molecular response to diet and exercise, assessed using OGTTs and continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices. We aim to identify the genetic, molecular, environmental, clinical, and phenotypic signatures that contribute to the heterogeneity in response, to stratify the population into more homogenous subtypes. We are interested in studying the etiology of these subtypes and their role in the prevention, prediction and treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity. This project will require experience in epidemiology (general, molecular, and genetic) and machine learning. [Loos and Merino Labs]

You can apply for more than one position (i.e., project). Please indicate in your cover letter which project(s) you are interested in.

Skills and qualifications
We are looking for highly motivated and enthusiastic researchers who, in addition to the desired expertise stated above, have the following skills and qualifications:

  • a PhD in (genetic) epidemiology, statistical genetics, computational biology, machine learning or a related field.
  • a strong computation background and expertise in dealing with large datasets, including human genetics, and ideally proteomics and/or single-cell omics.
  • experience in (batch) HPC and/or cloud computing environments.
  • strong skills in R, Stata, and/or Python.
  • experience in working with Danish registers is an asset.
  • an interest in conceiving and designing new projects, in line with the groups’ research focuses.
  • a proven track record showing scientific productivity in peer-reviewed journals.
  • excellent English communication skills, both written and spoken, and ability to work in multi-disciplinary teams.
Place of employment
The place of employment is at the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Maersk Tower, Panum Institute, University of Copenhagen. We offer creative and stimulating working conditions in a dynamic and international research environment.

Terms of employment
The employment as postdoc is a full time and fixed-term position for 3 years. Starting date is September 1, 2024, or after agreement.

Salary, pension and terms of employment will be in accordance with the agreement between the Ministry of Taxation and AC (Danish Confederation of Professional Associations). Depending on qualifications, a supplement may be negotiated.

Non-Danish 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.

The position is covered by the “Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff at the Universities” 2020.

Questions
For further information, please contact Professor Ruth Loos at ruth.loos@sund.ku.dk. For questions regarding the recruitment procedure, please contact SUND HR CBMR at SUND-HR-CBMR@sund.ku.dk.

International applicants may find these links useful www.ism.ku.dk (International Staff Mobility) and https://www.workindenmark.dk/ .

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

1. Motivated letter of application (max. one page). Please include which of the three position(s) you are applying for.

2. CV incl. education, work/research experience, language skills and other skills relevant for the position

3. A certified/signed copy of a) PhD certificate and b) Master of Science certificate. If the PhD is not completed, a written statement from the supervisor will do.

4. List of publications (optional)

Application deadline: Monday June 10, 2024, 23:59 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 http://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 wishes to reflect the diversity of society and welcome applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background.

Please note in your application that you found the job at Jobindex

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