The newly established Novo Nordisk Challenge Center for RNA Therapeutics Towards Metabolic Disease (RNA-META) at the interdisciplinary Nanoscience Centre, University of Aarhus, Denmark, invites applications for a post doctoral position in the group of Prof. Kurt Gothelf. The position is a two-year position starting on 1. August 2025

Nucleic acid-based therapy has recently been established as a new class of drugs with the capacity to both up- and downregulate gene expression. The programmable nature of RNA drugs provides them with almost unlimited potential for the treatment of human diseases. However, many hurdles must still be overcome before the full capacity of RNA drugs can flourish. The overall aim of RNA-META is to conduct innovative basic and preclinical research within the area of nucleic acid-based therapeutics and translate our most promising results into viable new therapies. At RNA-META we are focusing on solving some of the main challenges that remain before RNA therapeutics can be widely implemented in clinical programs.


Job description

The aim of this position is to develop new chemical methods for the modification of nucleic acids. This includes the design and synthesis of novel nucleic acid analogues and the introduction of new ligands for therapeutic oligonucleotides. The project also involves developing improved strategies for solid-phase oligonucleotide synthesis (SPOS), including new approaches to phosphorus modification during synthesis.
The work will be carried out in close collaboration with molecular biologists at RNA-META and clinicians at Aarhus University Hospital (AUH), where the newly developed therapeutic oligonucleotides will be tested in preclinical models.
Applicants must hold a PhD in chemistry and have documented experience in organic synthesis and nucleic acid chemistry.


Application procedure

Applications must be accompanied by a CV, diploma, and a list of publications. An assessment committee will be appointed for the evaluation of candidates.


The Centre

The place of work is the interdisciplinary Nanoscience Centre (iNANO), Gustav Wieds Vej 14, Aarhus, and the area of employment is Aarhus University with related departments. The iNANO centre is a collaboration between research groups at several departments at Aarhus University.

For further information, please contact Professor Kurt Gothelf +45 60 20 27 25 kvg@chem.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 appointment committee if necessary, – the head of department selects the candidates to be evaluated. All applicants will be notified 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 each applicant is given the opportunity to comment on the part of the assessment that concerns him/her self. 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.

If you wish to add a referee after you have submitted your application, you must send this person’s details (name, job title, place of work, and email address) as well as the name of the position you have applied for to: HR.Nattech@au.dk


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.

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.

Aarhus University also offers a Junior Researcher Development Programme targeted at career development for postdocs at AU. You can read more about it here.

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.

The application must be submitted via Aarhus University’s recruitment system, which can be accessed under the job advertisement on Aarhus University's website.
 


Aarhus University

Aarhus University is an academically diverse and research-intensive university with a strong commitment to high-quality research and education and the development of society nationally and globally. The university offers an inspiring research and teaching environment to its 38,000 students (FTEs) and 8,300 employees, and has an annual revenues of EUR 935 million. Learn more at www.international.au.dk/