Postdoctoral position: Mass spectrometry and metabolomics to study plant-microbe interactions

Applications are invited for a post-doctoral position to develop and apply advanced mass spectrometry and data analysis methods to investigate plant-microbe interactions in soil, within the research group of Assoc. Prof. Marianne Glasius at the Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University, Denmark.

Expected start date and duration of employment

This is a 23 month position from 1 October 2025 or as soon possible thereafter.

Job description

Nitrogen is essential for plant growth, but soil reserves are far from sufficient for high crop yields. Diazotrophs are soil bacteria that are capable of biological nitrogen fixation, while they can use metabolites released by plants to grow and fix nitrogen. There is thus an incentive to use natural diazotrophs as nitrogen suppliers and to limit chemical fertilization. Unfortunately, diazotrophs show variable performance in the field and there is a need for research to understand the underlying causes of this.

The postdoc will develop and apply analysis of samples from wheat and diazotrophs using an ultrahigh performance liquid chromatograph coupled to an Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometer.

The approach will include non-targeted metabolomics and targeted analysis to pinpoint key compounds involved in plant-microbe interactions in the rhizosphere, specifically the interactions of wheat and diazotrophs.

The research is carried out within the project “Overcoming Roadblocks in Biological Nitrogen Fixation for Sustainable Agriculture by Disentangling the Microbiome: NSECURE” in collaboration with colleagues at Department for Molecular Biology and Genetics, AU and Department of Mathematical Sciences, Aalborg University, Denmark. The project is funded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation.

Your profile

Applicants should hold a recent PhD degree in Chemistry or similar, with strong experience in chemical analysis, in particular liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry, and advanced data analysis (metabolomics).

The successful candidate has demonstrated excellent academic results, and has experience in writing scientific publications which have been published in good, peer-reviewed journals.

Interest in interdisciplinary collaboration research is important. It is an advantage to have some knowledge of molecular biology, plant science and environmental chemistry.

The candidate must have good collaboration skills while being able to take responsibility of tasks and work independently.

What we offer

We offer a position in a flourishing, interdisciplinary research environment where we aim to give each person room for scientific and personal development while maintaining a good work-life balance.

Place of work and area of employment

The place of work is Langelandsgade 140, Aarhus C, Denmark, and the area of employment is Aarhus University with related departments.

Contact information

For further information, please contact: Assoc. Prof. Marianne Glasius, +45 2127 5261, glasius@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/