Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research
Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences
University of Copenhagen

The University seeks to appoint up to three Group Leaders at Associate Professor or Professor level in Cardiometabolic Health and Disease to the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research (CBMR) commencing October 2026, or after agreement. The applicants must align with the Center’s overarching research strategy. Preference is given to applicants with a background in human genomics, molecular epidemiology, precision‑medicine approaches to type 2 diabetes and cardiometabolic diseases, and/or fundamental molecular mechanistic research on cardiometabolic health and diseases.


Groundbreaking research towards better cardiometabolic health
CBMR’s mission is to transform the basic understanding of cardiometabolic health, and accelerate its translation into prevention and treatment strategies, through interdisciplinary research spanning from single-cell genomics to whole-body systems. The Center’s research has resulted in seminal discoveries as to how genes, hormones, and environmental factors influence cardiometabolic health and disease throughout life.

The Center received its third round of strategic funding from the Novo Nordisk Foundation in 2024, worth up to DKK 1BN over five years. This generous external financing allows the Center’s 23 Research Groups to receive core funding to support their research activities.

Collaborative and interdisciplinary fundamental cardiometabolic research

CBMR's primary research objective is to understand the fundamental mechanisms underlying cardiometabolic health and disease. The Center's 23 research groups each take a unique approach through the study of energy homeostasis, appetite, adipose tissue biology, genetics, insulin sensitivity/resistance, muscular function, and organ crosstalk.

CBMR scientists work synergistically across the Center in a collaborative and interdisciplinary research environment. To support collaboration among closely aligned researchers, research groups are clustered into four thematic Research Programs that represent promising areas of scientific investigation, which reflect the Center's scientific strengths:

• Human Variation and Functional Genomics
• Metabolic Dynamics and Organ Crosstalk
• Physiological Control of Energy Homeostasis
• Cardiometabolic Research in Society and Culture

Read more about the Center’s research strategy here.

Cutting-edge Enabling Biology and Technology platforms
To advance the Center’s basic research question, six enabling biology and technology platforms have been established to empower the scientists and accelerate their discovery and innovation.

• Metabolomics
• Rodent Metabolic Phenotyping
• Single-Cell Omics
• Data Analytics
• Genetic Perturbation
• Computational Chemistry

Read more about the Center’s Enabling Biology and Technology Platforms here.

From Discovery to Therapy
The Center is committed to translating its discoveries to accelerate the prediction, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cardiometabolic disease. While the Center already has a proven track record of successful patent applications and in developing spinout companies, additional initiatives are being implemented to foster a stronger innovative culture and translational mindset across CBMR.

Read more about the Center’s translation strategy here.

Outreach and Engagement
CBMR is committed to enabling more nuanced discussions about cardiometabolic health and disease and to building trust and curiosity through engagement that acknowledges the complexity of metabolism in an approachable, relatable way. Our outreach activities are largely driven by Research Program 4, Cardiometabolic Research in Society and Culture, at the Medical Museion.

Read more about outreach and engagement at CBMR here.

Strong Technical and Administrative Support in an International Work Environment
CBMR is a rich and dynamic international research environment with around 170 academic staff and 90 technical and administrative staff. More than half are international, drawn from 39 countries worldwide. The gender distribution among all scientific staff is close to 50 percent.

The Center staff receives comprehensive research support from a team of in-house experts, including secretarial services, HR, finance, communications, research coordination, management, and leadership support.

Copenhagen, Denmark - High quality of life and rich research ecosystem
CBMR is embedded in the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Copenhagen, providing direct access to top research talent in the region across a range of disciplines. The Center is also highly integrated into the regional research ecosystem, which includes clinical partners such as Rigshospitalet and Gentofte Hospital, as well as the pharma and biotech industry located in Medicon Valley. The Center’s translational efforts benefit from rich Danish registers with longitudinal health information, and the biological samples available from the Danish Biobanks.

Copenhagen, Denmark, placed 2nd in the 2023 Global Liveability Ranking published by the Economist Intelligence Unit, based on assessments of stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure. The Center is located across three floors of the Maersk Tower at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences in the Copenhagen district Nørrebro. It can be reached in less than 10 minutes by public transportation from one of the city’s central transportation hubs, Nørreport Station. Most staff choose to cycle to work, and park in the dedicated bicycle parking basement beneath the Maersk Tower.

Job description
The applicant shall be heading an independent research group and will be expected to conduct research aligned with the CBMR strategy. Preference is given to applicants with a background in human genomics, molecular epidemiology, precision‑medicine approaches to type 2 diabetes and cardiometabolic diseases, and/or fundamental molecular mechanistic research on cardiometabolic health and diseases.


The Associate Professor’s or Professor’s responsibilities will primarily consist of:

• Research, including publication/academic dissemination, in close collaboration with other research groups within CBMR.
• Research-based teaching, including associated examination
• Research leadership, including guidance and supervision of researchers
• Obligation to share knowledge with the rest of society, including participation in public debate
• Academic assessments

The Center’s 23 Research Groups receive core funding to support their research activities. Group Leaders are also expected to secure their own external financing. Many CBMR Group Leaders have secured prestigious grants from the European Research Council, National Institutes of Health, and the Independent Research Fund Denmark, amongst others.


Required qualifications
Qualification for an Associate Professor or Professor position is assessed according to the University of Copenhagen’s six criteria for recognising merit: Research, teaching, societal impact, organisational contribution, external funding, and leadership. Find information about each criterion.

Furthermore, each applicant must be able to document:

• Research qualifications at the level that can be achieved by satisfactorily completing a period of employment as an assistant professor/postdoc, but may also be obtained in other ways
• Teaching qualifications and pedagogical competencies
• Research-based teaching

Associate Professors and Professors must also possess good interpersonal and communication skills.

In considering applications for the Associate Professorship or Professorship, the main emphasis will be on the applicant’s ability to document an outstanding research and publication record, and the ability to attract research funding. The Center offers a supportive and vibrant scientific community, and the candidate should possess the ability to work collaboratively with other scientists and the scholarly qualities required for supervising graduate students.

Terms of employment
The position is a fixed-term position for a period of 5 years, with the potential for contract renewal.

Salary and other terms and conditions of appointment are set in accordance with the Agreement between the Ministry of Taxation and AC (Danish Confederation of Professional Associations) or other relevant professional organisations.

The position is covered by the Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities 2020.

Questions
For further information, please contact Executive Director Professor Juleen Zierath, e-mail: juleen.zierath@sund.ku.dk. For questions regarding the recruitment procedure, please contact SUND HR CBMR at SUND-HR-CBMR@sund.ku.dk.

International applicants may find these links useful www.ism.ku.dk (International Staff Mobility) and https://www.workindenmark.dk/ .


Application
The application must be submitted in English and must include the following documents:

• Application (Including motivation for applying for this position (Maximum 2 pages))
• Curriculum vitae (Including information about external funding)
• Diplomas (Master’s, PhD and other relevant certificates)
• A complete list of publications
• Research plan (3‐5 pages)
• Uploads of maximum 5 (associate professor) or 10 publications (professor) to be considered in the assessment
• Teaching plan
• Teaching portfolio (Guidelines)

Please note the level of appointment sought.

Please note that selected applicants who have applied for either both positions or the professor position will be assessed for the associate professor position if they are found not qualified for the professor position.

Application procedure
After the expiry of the deadline for applications, the authorized recruitment manager selects applicants for assessment on the advice of the Appointments Committee. All applicants are then immediately notified whether their application has been passed for assessment. The Dean then appoints an expert assessment committee in order to make an assessment of the selected applicants for the specific post. Selected applicants are notified of the composition of the committee and 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 university's Job Portal.

Please note that the applicant will be contacted if the assessment committee requires further documentation.

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 encourages all interested applicants to apply for this position.

Please submit the application with the required attachments. Only online applications will be accepted. The closing date for applications is 23.59 p.m. CET, 19 April, 2026

Interviews for this position are likely to be held on 10. August 2026.