Assistant Professor (non tenure track) for investigation of Z-DNA in bacterial biofilms

Applications are invited for a non tenure track assistant professor position for a period of 20 months in the research group of Professor Rikke Louise Meyer.

The position is available from 1 March 2025 or as soon as possible thereafter. 

Job description/research project/research area

The position is funded by a recently awarded grant from the Villum Foundation entitled “Z-DNA: The alter ego of DNA in the extracellular space.”
New research shows that eDNA in biofilms is comprised of the canonical right-handed B-DNA helix as well as the left-handed Z-DNA. Z-DNA is interesting because it is stronger, resistant to enzymatic degradation, and is not sticky like B-DNA. In this interdisciplinary project, we will bring knowledge and methods from DNA chemistry and biophysics into microbiology to address how bacteria twist DNA and control the transition between the B and Z forms in the extracellular space.
If we understand how bacteria toggle eDNA between the B and Z forms, we can manipulate its structure to our advantage, e.g. to design resilient Z-DNA-rich biofilms for industrial applications, or to weaken biofilms for fouling control by switching from Z to B.
The scope for using this knowledge also reaches beyond microbiology, as DNA has many applications in biotechnology, and eDNA is implicated in many human disease states.

Your profile

You should hold a PhD in molecular biology, microbiology, nanoscience, chemistry, or similar, and have a passion for interdisciplinary research. You have several years of research experience as a postdoctoral researcher and have a proven track record of publishing in high-impact peer-reviewed journals. You have experience with supervision of students and leading your own research project(s).

You will be growing bacterial biofilms and visualize matrix components by confocal laser scanning microscopy and super-resolution microscopy. You will collaborate with research groups from chemistry and nanoscience, and you will use a suite of biophysical techniques to characterize biofilms and matrix components. You will also establish new experimental models to study DNA superstructures consisting of genomic DNA in a cell-free environment.

The Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center and the research group

The place of work is iNANO, the Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (www.inano.au.dk), which was established in 2002 and at present is a major research and education center based at Aarhus University hosting 60 senior scientists, ~100 Postdocs and ~100 PhD students.
The center combines expertise and faculty from Physics, Chemistry, Molecular biology and Medicine to carry out world class interdisciplinary research in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology.
The center gives access to a broad range of infrastructure, tools and expertise including clean-room facilities. With a 5 year undergraduate nanotechnology program and nanoscience graduate program (www.inanoschool.au.dk) the center provides a full educational environment. In addition to the large base of basic research, the center has a large number of ongoing industrial projects and partnerships.

Rikke Louise Meyer’s research group works on interdisciplinary projects centered around bacterial biofilms: How they form and gain tolerance to antibiotics, and how they can be prevented or treated in industrial or clinical settings.

Place of work and area of employment

The place of work is Gustav Wieds Vej 14, 8000 Aarhus C and the area of employment is Aarhus University with related departments. 

Contact information

For further information, please contact Professor Rikke Louise Meyer
Phone: +4560202794
E-mail: rikke.meyer@inano.au.dk
 

Application procedure

Shortlisting is used. This means that after the deadline for applications – and with the assistance from the assessment committee chairman, and the assessment committee if necessary, – the head of department selects the candidates to be evaluated. The selection is made on the basis of an assessment of who of the candidates are most relevant considering the requirements of the advertisement. All applicants will be notified within 6 weeks whether or not their applications have been sent to an expert assessment committee for evaluation. The selected applicants will be informed about the composition of the committee and will receive his/her assessment. Once the recruitment process is completed a final letter of rejection is sent to the deselected 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.

Formalities and salary range

Natural Sciences refers to the Ministerial Order on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Danish Universities under the Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation.

The application must be in English and include a curriculum vitae, degree certificate, a complete list of publications, a statement of future research plans and information about research activities, teaching portfolio and verified information on previous teaching experience (if any). Guidelines for applicants can be found here.

Appointment shall be in accordance with the collective labour agreement between the Danish Ministry of Taxation and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. Further information on qualification requirements and job content may be found in the Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Danish Universities.

Salary depends on seniority as agreed between the Danish Ministry of Taxation and the Confederation of Professional Associations.

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.

At the Faculty of Natural Science at Aarhus University, we strive to support our scientific staff in their career development. We focus on competency development and career clarification and want to make your opportunities transparent. On our website, you can find information on all types of scientific positions, as well as the entry criteria we use when assessing candidates. You can also read more about how we can assist you in your career planning and development.


Research activities will be evaluated in relation to actual research time. Thus, we encourage applicants to specify periods of leave without research activities, in order to be able to subtract these periods from the span of the scientific career during the evaluation of scientific productivity.

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