Postdoc position in cryo-ET studies of mitochondrial membrane protein complexes

The Mitochondrial Inner Membrane Laboratory (MIM-Lab) at the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, is inviting applications for a fully-funded postdoc position for 2 years and 7 months to work on mitochondrial membrane protein complexes using structural biology methods, cryo-ET and STA.

Expected start date and duration of employment

The starting date is 1st February 2026, or as soon as possible hereafter.
 

Job description

This position will involve experimental planning, design, execution and analysis to elucidate the composition, structure and spatial organization of mitochondrial membrane protein complexes in disease mitochondria. The main focus for this position will be on human mitochondria with Barth syndrome. The MIM-Lab officially started in autumn 2023, so you will be joining a young group and you will have ample opportunities to develop the projects and your own research career goals.  

The position entails:

• Culture human cells and isolate mitochondria
• Cryo-ET and STA for structure determination
• Ultrastructural analysis of mitochondrial membranes
• Develop cryo-ET methods and workflows in MIM-Lab

Examples of other responsibilities (not limited to below listed):

• Establish and develop experimental protocols and pipelines
• Be active in presenting your work in various meetings (locally at the department, national and international meetings, and conferences)
• Publish results in international journals
• Work closely with the PI to help build a sound and inspiring culture in the lab
• Assist with daily supervision of junior researchers and students
• General implementation of the lab

 

Your profile

Applicants should hold a PhD in protein biochemistry, mitochondrial biology or similar.

Essential:

• Experience in sample preparation for cryoET studies
• Solid experience and documented background in molecular biology, protein purification (ideally membrane proteins)
• Excellent communication skills in English (oral/written)
• Ability to take ownership and drive projects forward
• Have a collaborative mindset

Desirable:

• Proven track record in mitochondrial membrane biology
• Experience with structural biology techniques (cryoEM, cryo-ET)
• Handson experience with multi-subunit membrane protein complexes

Finally, applicants should:

• Be curious and ambitious
• Take pride in being a good colleague

Who we are

The laboratory is located at the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics at Aarhus University.
 

What we offer

The laboratory offers:

• outstanding experience in the field to support the project, excellent infrastructure including access to the Aarhus University state-of-the-art cryoEM facilities (2 Titan-Krios microscopes K2 and K3)
• an international and interdisciplinary environment
• good scientific and very friendly atmosphere, which encourages lively, open, and critical discussions
• a work environment with close working relationships, networking and social activities, and a work-life balance
• a workplace characterised by professionalism, equality and a healthy work-life balance

Place of work and area of employment

The place of work is Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Universitetsbyen 81, 8000 Aarhus C
The area of employment is Aarhus University with related departments.

Contact information

For further information, please contact:

Assistant professor Rasmus Kock Flygaard, email: rkf@mbg.au.dk
 

Deadline

Applications must be received no later than 24th September 2025.
 

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/