Postdoc in skeletal muscle excitability and Myotonic Dystrophy Full-time NEW

Postdoc in Skeletal Muscle Excitability and Myotonic Dystrophy

The Department of Biomedicine at Faculty of Health at Aarhus University, Denmark invites applications for a position as Postdoc in the field of neuromuscular research and molecular muscle biology as per 1 April 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter. The position is a fixed-term full-time position for 36 months.

Research at The Department of Biomedicine aims to expand knowledge in diverse areas of biomedicine including infection and inflammation, membranes, neuroscience and personalized medicine. Neuromuscular physiology and neuromuscular diseases are some of the research areas at The Department and the current position is anchored in a laboratory lead by Associate Professor Thomas Holm Pedersen. The focus of the laboratory is neuromuscular disease and underlying disease mechanism. In particular, the work in the Pedersen lab focusses on ion channels and their role in several neuromuscular diseases characterized by abnormal muscle excitability. Experimentally, the work involves electrophysiology, imaging, muscle contractions, and molecular studies of ion channels and cellular signaling using a combination of in vitro and in vivo assays.

About the research project: This research project will explore the role of hyperexcitability and myotonia for muscle wasting in myotonic dystrophy 1 (DM1). It has recently been suggested that skeletal muscle action potentials (APs) not only trigger muscle contraction but also regulate gene expression programs responsible for muscle adaptation through excitation-transcription (ET) coupling. In DM1, uncoordinated AP firing likely distorts ET coupling, disturbing gene expression, inducing excitotoxic Ca2+ signalling and promoting muscle atrophy. This reframes hyperexcitability from a symptom to a driver of disease progression and highlights new treatment opportunities. This project will test how abnormal AP firing disrupts ET coupling and whether pharmacological correction of excitability can restore healthy ET coupling and reverse muscle wasting.

Your job responsibilities: As Postdoc in neuromuscular research and molecular muscle 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
• Transcriptomics and molecular analysis of skeletal muscle
• Analysis of signaling pathways linking muscle excitability to gene regulation
• Electrophysiological characterization of muscle fiber excitability (in collaboration with the research group)
• In vivo studies using animal models of neuromuscular disease
• Integration of molecular and transcriptomic data with functional muscle phenotypes
• Investigation of pharmacological modulation of muscle excitability and downstream molecular responses

You will report to Associate Professor Thomas Holm Pedersen. Your competences: You have academic qualifications at PhD level, for example within one or more of the following areas: Neuromuscular research, molecular muscle biology, transcriptomics or gene regulation. Further, experience with electrophysiological techniques both ex vivo and in vivo will be preferred. 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.

Questions about the position: If you have any questions about the position, please contact Associate Professor Thomas Holm Pedersen tel.: (+45) 30739514. Your place of work will be the Department of Biomedicine, Neuromuscular Physiology Aarhus, Palle Juul-Jensens Boulevard 82, DK-8200 Aarhus N, Denmark. We expect to conduct interviews during March 2026.