Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research (CMBR) is looking for two highly motivated and dynamic researchers for two 3-year postdoc positions, which are to commence on 1 April 2019. The main focus of your work will be analyses of the host genome and the microbiome in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), alcoholic liver fibrosis (ALF) and liver cirrhosis. CBMR was established in 2010 to conduct fundamental research on metabolism. It is part of the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen. The Center has around 200 employees from all over the world.

Our group and research

The research group of Professor Torben Hansen investigates the human genome and the human global microbiome (bacteria, virus and fungi) to characterize the impact of these genomes on health and diseases and to identify interactions between the host and the microbiome. The findings can lead to potent translational strategies for prevention and treatment of metabolic diseases. In the molecular understanding of metabolic diseases, a major gap exists between basic genetic and microbiome discoveries and their impact on physiology and the potential for clinical translation.The Hansen Group aims to bridge this gap by bringing together genomics discovery and epidemiology, culminating in a physiological and clinical understanding of genomics in metabolism. One of our research areas is the role of the gut microbiota and microbial products in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), non- alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), alcoholic liver fibrosis (ALF) and liver cirrhosis. The research group is highly international and interdisciplinary including for instance medical doctors, bioinformaticians and molecular biologists.

Your job

• You will be centrally involved in the analyses of the host genome and the microbiome in two large scale projects addressing the role of saliva and gut microbiome (including the virome) and microbial products in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), alcoholic liver fibrosis (ALF) and liver cirrhosis.
• You will be responsible for analysing host genetics, microbiome and multi-omics data in the context of alcoholic / non-alcoholic liver disease.
• You are expected to participate in and lead existing projects, and are highly encouraged to initiate new cutting-edge research projects.
• You are expected to interact and collaborate with other medical researchers, biologists, and bioinformaticians in the center as well as in international project consortia.

Profile

We are looking for two highly motivated and enthusiastic scientists with the following competencies and experience :

Essential criteria

• PhD in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Physiology, Biochemistry or related field
• Experience in applying statistical and mathematical methods to biological problems
• Experience in R programming languages
• Experience in next generation sequencing data
• Demonstrated capacity for coordinating and supporting effective teamwork
• Proven track record showing continuous scientific productivity in peer reviewed journals
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English
• Independent thinking and analytical aptitude for devising innovative scientific or technical solutions

Desirable criteria

• Experience in collecting and processing large-scale scientific data including experience with the Linux / UNIX environment, command lines, shell scripting and high-performance computing
• Experience in experimental design, and planning of experiments
• Basic understanding of human disease biology and / or microbiology
• Experience in analysing human genetics data (NGS and / or GWAS) in relation to quantitative and / or disease traits
• Experience in analysing metagenomics datasets from human gut microbiota
• Experience in handling multi-omics data, including metabolomics and proteomics

Place of employment

The place of employment is at Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at University of Copenhagen. We offer creative and stimulating working conditions in a dynamic and international research environment. Our research facilities include modern laboratories.

Terms of employment

The employment as postdoc is a full time and fixed-term position for 3 years. Starting date is 1 April 2019 or after agreement. Salary, pension and terms of employment will be in accordance with the agreement between the Danish Ministry of Finance and AC (Danish Confederation of Professional Associations). The position is covered by the Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff at the Universities of June 28, 2013. 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.