Postdoc in HIV persistence and cure research

The Department of Clinical Medicine at Faculty of Health at Aarhus University invites applications for 1-3 positions as Postdoc in the field of HIV persistence and cure research per 1 March 2023 or as soon as possible thereafter. The position is a 3-year fixed-term full-time position.

Department of Clinical Medicine

As a postdoc at the Department of Clinical Medicine, you will be part of what is probably the largest health science research department in Denmark. Our clinical research covers all the medical specialties and takes place in close collaboration with the university hospital and the regional hospitals in the Central Denmark Region. We have approx. 30,000 square meters of modern research facilities for experimental surgery and medicine, animal facilities and also advanced scanners at our disposal. The department has overall responsibility for the Master's degree programs in medicine and in molecular medicine. At the department we are approx. 425 academic employees and the same number of PhD students cooperating across disciplines. As a postdoc, you will be working on Aarhus University Hospital based at the research lab at Department of Infectious Diseases. You can read more about the Department of Clinical Medicine here and about the faculty here.

About the research project

The advertised positions are associated with a larger research program focused on understanding mechanisms underlying HIV persistence on antiretroviral therapy and development of therapeutic strategies to target viral persistence as part of a future cure for HIV.

HIV persists in infected individuals despite highly effective antiretroviral therapy. This persistent HIV (e.g. transcriptionally silent or latent intact proviral DNA in memory CD4+ T cells) causes viral rebound if therapy is interrupted. We are actively pursuing novel strategies to eradicate persistent HIV or enable potent and sustained immune control of residual HIV to enable ART-free remission. To this end, we have conducted multiple clinical trials including investigations of latency-reversing agents, broadly neutralizing antibodies, therapeutic immunisation as well as immune surveillance reactivation (ISR) agents. We are also currently initiating a research program focused on therapeutic approaches to induce apoptosis in latently infected cells as a strategy to eliminate or reduce viral persistence.

Each successful candidate will work on independent research projects with opportunities across several project areas: Development of methods for the investigation of how apoptosis regulation is linked to elimination of latently infected cells during treatment with a pro-apoptotic compound. This work will likely include single cell technologies and will span over in vitro and ex vivo experiments but will also entail access to samples from clinical trials. There will also be opportunities for studying strategies to potentiate elimination of HIV-infected cells in the context of pro-apoptotic treatment. Finally, our group is also focused on identifying pathways linked to HIV persistence and biomarkers for post treatment control and cure, which could potentially be used for future drug development. These areas may also open opportunities for specific projects.

The daily activities will include aspects of project design and management, as well as independent student supervision. Both projects represent collaborative efforts by the Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, and Department of Infectious Diseases, Aarhus University Hospital.

Your job responsibilities

As Postdoc in HIV persistence and cure research your position is primarily research-based but may also involve teaching assignments. You will contribute to the development of the department through research of high international quality. In your daily work, you will work closely with colleagues on your project, where you will receive supervision and guidance.

Your main tasks will consist of:

• Independent research of high international quality, including publication.
• Participate in supervision and training of research assistants and a PhD student.

You will report to the Associate Professor Thomas A Rasmussen, Aarhus University and Department of Infectious Diseases, Aarhus University Hospital.

Your competences

You have academic qualifications at PhD level, preferably within virology, immunology, molecular biology or related fields.

Applicants are expected:

• To have published as first author in respected peer-reviewed journals
• To be experienced in biosafety class 2 lab work or have expertise in single-cell transcriptional profiling
• To have experience with phylogenetic analyses and/or advanced flow cytometry
• To have experience with standard methods in cellular and molecular biology
• To be eager to meet the challenge of developing new projects to the highest international scientific standards

As a person, you are ambitious, take ownership and possess good communication and interpersonal skills. We expect you to be fluent in oral and written English.

In order to be assessed as qualified for a Postdoc position, you must meet these academic criteria.

Shortlisting will be used.

Questions about the position

If you have any questions about the position, please contact Associate Professor, Thomas A Rasmussen, MD, PhD, tel.: (+45) 93 80 13 94.

Your place of work will be the Department of Infectious Diseases at Aarhus University Hospital, Palle Juul-Jensens Boulevard 99, DK-8200 Aarhus N, Denmark.

Application deadline: December 1st, 2022

We expect to conduct interviews early-mid January 2023 .

Terms of employment

• Appointment as a postdoc requires academic qualifications at PhD level.
• Further information on the appointment procedure can be found in the Ministerial Order on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Universities.
• The appointment is in accordance with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (Akademikerne).
• Remuneration is in accordance with the above, and the Salary agreement catalogue for staff at Health.
• The yearly base salary for a fulltime postdoc is between DKK 473.733,12 and DKK 527.059,29 depending on the years of working experience after achieved MSc degree. The base salary includes a position related supplement and pension (17.1 %). Additional supplement(s) for special qualifications can be negotiated. Authorisation supplemement(s) will be granted, if relevant for the position. Your local eligible trade union representative at Aarhus University negotiates your salary on your behalf.
• Researchers recruited from abroad are offered a special researcher tax scheme with a lower tax rate.
• Further information on qualification requirements and job description can be found in the Ministerial Order on Job Structure for Academic Staff

Application

Your application must include the following:

• Motivated application
• Curriculum Vitae
• Diploma
• Template for applicant - postdoc
• A list of publications
• A teaching portfolio. We refer to Guideline on the use of teaching portfolios
• A maximum of five of the publications of greatest relevance to the job may be submitted (optional)
• Strategic research plan can be uploaded (optional)
• Coauthor statement(s) can be uploaded (optional)
• References/recommendations can be uploaded separately in the e-recruitment system (optional)

We refer to the faculty’s Guidelines for applicants.

Deadline: 01 December 2022

The assessment committee may decide to include non-submitted material in its statement. In such cases, you will be informed and obliged to submit material, unless your application is withdrawn.

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.

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.

International applicant?

Aarhus University offers a broad variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including relocation service and career counselling to expat partners. Please find more information about entering and working in Denmark here. Aarhus University also has a Junior Researcher Development Programme. 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/