Call for postdoctoral fellows in Molecular Medicine, Nordic EMBL Partnership for Molecular Medicine

NORPOD is the new the collaborative postdoctoral program of the Nordic EMBL Partnership for Molecular Medicine. The partnership is a network of four national research centers across the Nordics and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), with complementary research expertise at the forefront of molecular medicine research. With the NORPOD program, the Nordic EMBL Partnership aims to foster the next generation of researchers in molecular medicine by expanding their expert knowledge, skills and research excellence.

More information about the Nordic EMBL Partnership can be found here.

Nordic EMBL Partner Institutes:

• DANDRITE - The Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience at Aarhus University performs basic and translational research in the brain and the nervous system.
• FIMM - The Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland at the University of Helsinki is a translational research institute focusing on human genomics and precision medicine.
• MIMS - The Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine at Umeå University performs basic and translational research in molecular infection medicine and is the home of the CRISPR-Cas9 discovery.
• NCMM - The Centre for Molecular Medicine Norway at the University of Oslo is an international biomedical research centre, with the overall objective of translating basic medical research into clinical practice.

The Nordic EMBL Partnership is seeking postdoctoral fellows for collaborative projects in molecular medicine through the first NORPOD call. 

Description

We invite applications for seven NORPOD postdoctoral fellowship projects. The projects are offered as collaborations between two Nordic EMBL supervisors (PIs) across the four nodes of the Nordic EMBL Partnership. Each project has a main supervisor, who will host the NORPOD Fellow at his/her node’s host university, while collaborating with a co-supervisor from a different Nordic EMBL node. 

As a NORPOD Fellow, you will develop a collaborative project under the supervision of two Nordic EMBL PIs at two different sites. You will obtain a 30-month-full time postdoctoral employment at the host institution of the main project supervisor.

As a NORPOD Fellow you will travel for short or long-term stays to the collaborating supervisor's lab to promote collaboration and carry out parts of the research project. You will gain access to state-of-the-art core facilities and platforms available in the wider network of the Nordic EMBL Partnership. You also participate and contribute to strengthening your personal and professional development. You will advance the goals of the Nordic EMBL Partnership by fostering synergies and research excellence. 

List of NORPOD projects open for application

1) Gilles Vanwalleghem (DANDRITE) and Björn Schröder (MIMS):

Comparative study of the gut epithelium dynamics during inflammation

 Comparing the effect of inflammation on gut permeability in both zebrafish and mice models, using methods ranging from in vivo imaging across the whole organism, to cutting-edge mucus measurements, and RNAseq. This project aims to identify conserved pathways involved in inflammation and how microbially produced short chain fatty acids can protect the gut. 

Host institution and employment: DANDRITE, Aarhus University, Denmark

Collaborating site: MIMS, Umeå University, Sweden

Find all information and apply here.

2)  Esa Pitkänen (FIMM) and Biswajyoti Sahu (NCMM):

Novel insights into the cancer genome and epigenome using long-read sequencing and machine learning

Gaining novel insights into the cancer genome and epigenome. This project will generate and analyse nanopore long-read sequencing data to investigate gene regulatory logic in cancer cells and understand the impact of DNA adducts to methylation, expression, and gene regulation. 

Host institution and employment: FIMM, University of Helsinki, Finland

Collaborating site: NCMM, University of Oslo, Norway

Find all information and apply here.

3) Ellen Bushell (MIMS) and Emma Haapaniemi (NCMM): 

Pushing the boundaries of CRISPR screens in malaria parasites 

Focusing on developing new and improved CRISPR methodologies to enable full genome screens in the rodent malaria parasite Plasmodium berghei. This project will combine expertise in CRISPR and genetic manipulation of malaria parasites.

Host institution and employment: MIMS, Umeå University, Sweden

Collaborating site: FIMM, University of Helsinki, Finland

Find all information and apply here. 

4)  Chao Sun (DANDRITE) and Charlotte Boccara (NCMM): 

Synaptic ubiquitin signaling for protein clearance during sleep 

Investigating the regulation of protein clearance during sleep by an important cellular signal for protein homeostasis. By integrating sleep behaviour experiments, subcellular biochemistry and proteomics, this project aims to unveil how synapses use ubiquitin to rebalance molecular homeostasis during sleep. 

Host institution and employment: DANDRITE, Aarhus University, Denmark

Collaborating site: NCMM, University of Oslo, Norway

Find all information and apply here.  

5) Lassi Paavolainen (FIMM) and Chao Sun (DANDRITE): 

The organelle landscape of single cortical neurons 

This project will study intracellular organelle landscape of single cortical neurons to increase knowledge of information flow through neurons in the cortex. To achieve this goal, we will use machine learning methods to reconstruct organelle landscape in large volume electron microscopy datasets to investigate functional properties of dendrites in cortical layers.

Host institution and employment: FIMM, University of Helsinki, Finland

Collaborating site: DANDRITE, Aarhus University, Denmark

Find all information and apply here.  

6)  Annina Färkkilä (FIMM) and Marieke Kuijjer (NCMM): 

Unveiling the spatial regulation of chemoresistance in ovarian cancer 

Identifying the spatial transcriptional regulation of tumor cell states that drive chemoresistance in ovarian cancer. This project will integrate multiplexed single-cell spatial proteomics, transcriptomics and chromatin states using unique novel spatial technologies and analytical methods.

Host institution and employment: FIMM, University of Helsinki, Finland

Collaborating site: NCMM, University of Oslo, Norway

Find all information and apply here.

7) Emma Haapaniemi (NCMM) and Helena Kilpinen (FIMM): 

Verifying CRISPR cures by RNA sequencing 

This position focuses on CRISPR-Cas9 -correcting white blood cells from patients with Inborn Errors of Immunity, and characterizing the cells with different sequencing techniques. The larger goal is to build a CRISPR-Cas9 based gene correction platform for diverse Inborn Errors of Immunity.

Host institution and employment: NCMM, University of Oslo, Norway

Collaborating site: FIMM, University of Helsinki, Finland

Find all information and apply here. 

Selection process

The PIs of the research project will shortlist top candidates based on all the submitted applications. For each project, the collaborating PIs may plan in-person/online lab visit and meeting with the top candidates. 

Top candidates will be invited for an online interview conducted by an independent NORPOD selection panel end of June or early July where they will also be given the opportunity to pitch their project plan. NORPOD Fellowships will be awarded based on the recommendation of the selection panel, and expected to start during autumn 2024.

Application

Application deadline for all NORPOD projects: May 31, 2024

To apply for one of the seven projects, select the project of interest and proceed by following the information and application link provided. This link will direct you to the specific research project and detail all necessary eligibility criteria, required skills, salary information, and more. 

For comprehensive information on the NORPOD program’s all projects, explore the NORPOD program description page.

We welcome your application!