Assistant Professor in “Immunology of privileged and mucosal sites”

BEMÆRK: Ansøgningsfristen er overskredet

We are looking for a highly motivated and dynamic assistant professor who has an interest in studying immune responses in immune privileged and mucosal sites for a 4-year position to commence on 1 October 2023.

We are looking for a person with documented knowledge within immunology of infectious diseases (primarily viral infections), who has worked with small animal models to study the host/virus interaction during infection, as well as performed specific studies of infections in organs normally considered immune privileged sites.

Information on the department can be found at: https://isim.ku.dk/, and our research group at: https://isim.ku.dk/research/individual-research-groups/infectious_immunology/



Our research
We have an interest in studying how the immune system works at mucosal surfaces and how we can affect immunity at this site by vaccination. For more than 10 years, our research has been focused on the development of vaccines and vaccine strategies that ensure solid T cell-based immunity, particularly towards influenza in the lungs and the upper respiratory tract. We have received a large grant to focus on developing these principles further to include a pan influenza specific vaccine; this is done in collaboration with colleagues within the department as well as collaborators in a biotech company.

Our group is also trying to understand how the immune system monitors so-called immune privileged sites like the brain and retina. We are interested in understanding how acute and chronic infections affect these organs. This is important since vaccination does not always prevent infection, so we wish to understand the importance of preventing the spreading of virus to these organs.

Much of our research is carried out in collaboration with national and international partners where each member’s expertise is important.



Your job

We are looking for a person that can enter as an active independent member of our group. Your task will be focused on two main projects: 1) development and testing of a pan influenza specific vaccine and 2) investigating the immune response in the retina and brain following vaccination and/or infection. All work is focused on mouse models.

1. This project is focused on developing new vaccine candidates in collaboration with our partners. You will take part in choosing the best candidate for development and production on a small scale. Each vaccine candidate needs to be tested for immunogenicity and the capacity to protect broadly against influenza infections. We have already developed some of the tests needed for the project, but we strive to find a candidate that can develop new tests of immunogenicity, like ELISA, single cell sequencing etc. Since this project is in collaboration with partners in clinical development, you need to have experience working in that field, preferably from the industry.
2. The goal of this project is to investigate and understand the immunological mechanisms that occur in the retina and brain during acute and chronic virus infections. Your work with this project will be to develop assays and experimental settings that can clarify the biological processes when these organs are exposed to chronic infections; we assume the acute infection can serve as control/normal situation. Once the vaccine development project results in candidates, it is our plan that you test the vaccines’ influence on the immunological homeostasis in the retina and brain, based on the models you have developed, to investigate if the vaccines induce changes or worsens the homeostasis once the animal becomes infected. Since this is a new research field to us, you are required to work independently and have knowledge and expertise in this field.

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 focusing on viral infections and vaccines
• You are highly experienced in working with small animal models and clinical data
• You have an active interest in investigating the immune response in immune privileged sites and on mucosal surfaces
• You have pre- and postgraduate teaching experience within immunology and microbiology
• Proficient communication skills and ability to work in teams
• Excellent English skills written and spoken. Experience with writing your own papers and authorships within our research fields

Desirable experience and skills:

• Experience/knowledge of ophthalmology or neuroinflammation
• Experience in methods of molecular biology such as setting up, running and interpreting Q-PCR reactions or chip based transcriptomics
• Experience or knowledge in protein chemistry such as SDS-Page and ELISA
• Experience in virology (plaque assay and end titration)
• Experience in flow cytometry analysis using state-of-the-art multicolour analysis
• Experience in bioinformatics: Sequence analysis and alignment
• Experience in histology and microscopy
• Experience with supervision of bachelor-, master- and PhD students

Place of employment

The place of employment is Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Panum Institute, University of Copenhagen. We offer creative and stimulating working conditions in a dynamic and international research environment. Our research facilities include modern laboratories and access to state-of-the-art facilities in flow cytometry, single cell sequencing, and in vivo imaging facilities. The faculty houses several core facilities that can benefit your research. Our animal and laboratory facilities include opportunities to work with BSL and GMO2 agents.



Terms of employment

The average weekly working hours are 37 hours per week.

The position is a fixed-term position limited to a period of 4 years. The start date is 1 October 2023 or after agreement.

Salary, pension and other conditions of employment are set in accordance with the Agreement between the Ministry of Taxation and AC (Danish Confederation of Professional Associations) or other relevant organisation. Currently, the monthly salary starts at 35,000 DKK/approx. 4,700 EUR (October 2021 level). Depending on qualifications, a supplement may be negotiated. The employer will pay an additional 17.1 % to your pension fund.



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.



The position is covered by the Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities 2020.



Questions
For further information please contact Professor Jan P. Christensen, jpc@sund.ku.dk

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:

1. Motivated letter of application (Max. one page)
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
5. Teaching portfolio (If applicable)

Deadline for applications: 28 June 2023, 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 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 wish to reflect the diversity of society and encourage all qualified candidates to apply regardless of personal background.

INFORMATIONER OM STILLINGEN:

- Arbejdspladsen ligger i:

Gladsaxe Kommune

-Virksomheden tilbyder:

-Arbejdsgiver:

KU - SUND - PANUM KBH N, Blegdamsvej 3B, 2200 København N

-Ansøgning:

Ansøgningsfrist: 28-06-2023; - ansøgningsfristen er overskredet

Ved skriftlig henvendelse: https://candidate.hr-manager.net/ApplicationInit.aspx?cid=1307&ProjectId=159511&DepartmentId=19210&MediaId=4632&SkipAdvertisement=true

Se mere her: https://job.jobnet.dk/CV/FindWork/Details/5854070