Postdoc in prostate cancer biology Full-time

Postdoc in Prostate Cancer Biology

The Department of Biomedicine at Faculty of Health at Aarhus University invites applications for a position as Postdoc in the field of spatial biology as per 1 October 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter. The position is a fixed-term full-time position for 36 months/ 3 years.

The department of Biomedicine prioritises diversity and a good work environment, as this is a prerequisite for groundbreaking research. In a diverse and international research environment, dedicated employees are looking to generate new knowledge within biomedical research areas such as infection and inflammation, membranes, neuroscience and personalised medicine. The Department of Biomedicine provides research-based teaching of the highest quality and is responsible for a large part of the medical degree programme. Academic staff contribute to the teaching. English is the preferred language in the laboratory, at meetings and at seminars. The department employs approx. 500 people from all over the world, and they make use of the department's modern laboratory-, core- and animal facilities. The Department of Biomedicine focuses on innovation, entrepreneurship and collaboration with business and industry, and numerous researchers from the department have established companies to develop new medicinal treatments founded in professional scientific basic research.

About the Research Project

Prostate cancer is high-incidence male cancer which progresses to incurable metastatic disease in approximately 20-30% of diagnosed cases. The dual translational challenge posed by this cancer are therefore to limit overtreatment and to improve outcomes through the early detection of disease that has a propensity to progress. There is good evidence that androgen signalling, ageing and the tissue microenvironment contribute to metabolic reprogramming in the early stages of prostate cancer and that this leads to an oxidative switch enhancing the turnover of lipids. The primary goal of this research project is to provide a more complete spatial and mechanistic understanding of how this metabolic change predisposes prostate cancer metastatic progression and the secondary goal is to understand how this change can be affected by the use of molecularly targeted metabolic, epigenetic and hormonal interventions. Achieving these goals requires a multi-disciplinary approach utilising well-annotated clinical sample collections and pre-clinical models that more comprehensively capture the cellular and molecular heterogeneity of this multi-focal cancer.

Your Job Responsibilities

As Postdoc in prostate cancer biology 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.
• Establishing pre-clinical models of prostate cancer including in vivo (in conjunction with the Thomsen group), cell-line co-culture and organoid models.
• Sectioning tissue samples obtained from in vivo cancer models (in conjunction with the Thomsen group and Histocore) and establishing explant/tissue slice cultures.
• Engineering cell lines and in vivo models using CRISPR and related genome editing approaches to disrupt biological processes that support prostate cancer progression with a focus on metabolism, hormonal and stress response signaling.
• Preparing samples for downstream sequencing and imaging.
• Performing MALDI mass spectrometry and spatial transcriptomics to characterize biological niches within mouse and human tissue samples.
• Performing quantitative imaging (confocal, electron microscopy and spatial omics) on samples.
• Using Seahorse and related assays to assess the impact of genome editing and drug treatment on the metabolic activity of pre-clinical models.
• Analysing sequencing and imaging data generated from pre-clinical experiments but also from tissue samples and publicly available datasets.
• Collaborating with the Bioinformatics Core Facility, CellX and Associate Professor Martin Thomsen's group on data analysis and model development.

You will report to Professor Ian Mills/Associate Professor Emma Evergren.

Your Competences

You have academic qualifications at PhD level, for example within the following areas. You have a background in pre-clinical cell biology ideally with some experience of cancer research and evidence of genome editing and working with complex pre-clinical in vitro and in vivo models. Programming expertise in Python and R is desirable.

As a person, you have good interpersonal skills, are inclusive and team-oriented and able to contribute to a good work environment. 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.

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 493.394,35 and DKK 585.322,48 depending on the years of working experience after achieved MSc degree. The base salary includes a position related supplement and pension (18.07 %). Additional supplement(s) for special qualifications can be negotiated. Authorisation supplement(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)
• 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. 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.

International Applicant?

Aarhus University offers a broad variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including assistance with relocation and career counselling to expat partners. Please find more information about the International Staff Office and the range of services here. Aarhus University also has a Junior Researcher Association and offers career development support. You can read more about these resources 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.