Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences University of Copenhagen We are looking for a highly motivated and dynamic assistant professor who will contribute to high-quality research, mentoring and teaching and actively engage in interdisciplinary collaborations assessing the complex interactions between brain fluid dynamics, glymphatic function, and neurodegenerative diseases for a 4-year position to commence 15 June 2026 or after agreement.
Our research Center for Translational Neuromedicine focuses on developing new approaches for examining and treating neurological diseases, primarily using the tools of physiology and imaging coupled with cell and gene therapy. Our emphasis is on using these technologies to enable neural and glial cell replacement in the adult brain and spinal cord, as a means of both disease modeling and therapeutic repair.
Information on the department can be found
here.
Our center Center for Translational Neuromedicine currently has 55 employees and students and is divided into five labs. CTN is characterized by a highly ambitious research environment. The Center is highly interdisciplinary and has many international collaborators. The assistant professor will be part of the Nedergaard lab, Division of Glial Disease and Therapeutics. Being part of the Nedergaard lab offers an opportunity to work in an innovative environment with access to cutting-edge neuroscience techniques and equipment. The lab integrates in vivo imaging, advanced ex vivo tissue analysis and pharmacological experimental designs to modulate glymphatic function and evaluate its long-term impact on healthy aging and neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease.
CTN is part of the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, and is located at Panum. The Center comprises modern laboratories and excellent facilities within neuroscience.
Your job We are seeking an assistant professor to lead an independent research project focused on brain-fluid interfaces, centered in understanding the dynamics of CSF flow and its effects on the glymphatic function. Your role would be to investigate the impairment of the glymphatic system in aging and neurodegenerative processes with a focus on Alzheimer’s disease. Your tasks would include experimental planning and implementation, MSc and PhD student mentoring and project development. We strive for a deep conceptual understanding of the glymphatic system and CSF physiology. We aim for candidates with strong publication record in high-impact journals and a clear potential to secure competitive grants. The candidate should be creative and demonstrate well-developed critical thinking, being able to interpret complex and large datasets. We require an animal experimentation license (or eligibility to obtain one in Denmark) with extensive experience in survival brain surgery.
The assistant professor’s responsibilities will primarily consist of:
- research, including publication/academic dissemination duties
- research-based teaching
- sharing knowledge with society
- participation in formal pedagogical training programme for assistant professors
Profile Six overall criteria apply for assistant professor appointments at the University of Copenhagen. The six criteria (research, teaching, societal impact, organisational contribution, external funding, and leadership) are considered a framework for the overall assessment of candidates. Find information about each criterion here: https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/criteria-for-recognising-merit.
Furthermore, we are looking for a highly motivated and enthusiastic scientist with the following skills and experience:
Essential experience and skills:
- You have a PhD in Biomedicine or Neuroscience
- You are highly experienced in advanced imaging techniques, survival rodent neurosurgery, tissue clearing/optical transparency techniques, quantitative image analysis, experimental design and complex data interpretation, multiplexing immunohistochemistry (heterogeneous tissue and whole mounts), supervising and mentoring MSc and PhD students, team leadership in a collaborative research environment
- You have an active interest in acquiring a deep understanding of the glymphatic system, CSF physiology, brain border regions and fluid–tissue interfaces and how they participate in the development of cognitive decline
- You have pre- and postgraduate teaching experience with neurobiology students, including practical and theoretical lessons
- Proficient communication skills and ability to work in teams
- Excellent English skills written and spoken
Desirable experience and skills:
- Experience/knowledge in/of survival rodent neurosurgery: cranial window and/or intraparenchymal cannula implantation, viral vector delivery, lateral ventricle and cisterna magna injections
- Experience/knowledge in/of advanced imaging techniques: 2-photon, complex confocal 3D image stitching, tissue whole mount, and in vivo mesoscopic recording
- Experience/knowledge in/of mouse tissue extraction: dural meninges, nerve and lymph node fine dissection, biological fluid collection (urine, blood, CSF), eye dissection
- Experience/knowledge in/of tissue analysis: vibratome and cryosectioning, fluorescence and brightfield immunohistochemistry and microscopy in sections and whole mounts, tissue preservation
- Experience/knowledge in/of advanced image and data analysis software: ImageJ, Imaris, Graphpad, Anymaze
- Experience/knowledge in/of behavioral tests in mouse: open field, novel object recognition, Barnes maze, fear conditioning
- Experience/knowledge in/of teaching and mentoring students from different levels, with a proven ability to lead research teams
Place of employment The place of employment is at Center for Translational Neuromedicine, Panum Institute, University of Copenhagen. We offer creative and stimulating working conditions in dynamic and international research environment. Our research facilities include modern laboratories and state-of-the art equipment.
Terms of employment The average weekly working hours are 37 hours per week.
The position is a fixed-term position limited to a period of 4 years years. The start date is 15 June 2026 or after agreement.
Salary, pension and other conditions of employment are set in accordance with the Agreement between the Ministry of Taxation and AC (Danish Confederation of Professional Associations) or other relevant organisation. Currently, the monthly salary starts at 41,300 DKK/approx. 5,527 EUR (November 2025 level). Depending on qualifications, a supplement may be negotiated. The employer will pay an additional 18.07 % to your pension fund.
Foreign 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.
The position is covered by the Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities 2025.
Questions For further information please contact Professor Maiken Nedergaard,
nedergaard@sund.ku.dk.
Applicants from abroad may find this link useful:
www.ism.ku.dk (International Staff Mobility).
Application procedure Your application must be submitted in English by clicking ‘Apply now’ below. Furthermore, your application must include the following documents/attachments – all in PDF format:
- Motivated letter of application (Max. one page)
- CV incl. education, work/research experience, language skills and other skills relevant for the position
- A certified/signed copy of a) PhD certificate and b) Master of Science certificate. If the PhD is not completed, a written statement from the supervisor will do
- List of publications
- Teaching portfolio (If applicable)
Deadline for applications: [XXday/ Month 202x], 23.59pm CET We reserve the right not to consider material received after the deadline, and not to consider applications that do not live up to the abovementioned requirements.
The further process After the expiry of the deadline for applications, the authorized recruitment manager selects applicants for assessment on the advice of the hiring committee. All applicants are then immediately notified whether their application has been passed for assessment by an unbiased assessor. Once the assessment work has been completed each applicant has the opportunity to comment on the part of the assessment that relates to the applicant him/herself.
You can read about the recruitment process at
http://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/ The applicant will be assessed according to the Ministerial Order no. 242 of 13 March 2012 on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Universities.
The University of Copenhagen wish to reflect the diversity of society and encourage all qualified candidates to apply regardless of personal background.