Director of new research centre in biological psychiatry with focus on brain circuit dysfunction
Aarhus University, Denmark hereby invites applications for the position as Director to lead a large research centre in biological psychiatry focussing on underlying mechanisms in psychiatric disorders. As the director you will be responsible for establishing the centre and shaping its strategic, developmental, and research priorities, including recruitment of group leaders from the areas of developmental neurobiology, circuit neuroscience, and computational biology.
The centre constitutes a merger of the EMBL-node DANDRITE with a new research programme in neuronal circuits and circuit dysfunctions. The director will have the opportunity to formulate a research plan that defines the centre’s integrated research activities.
The centre will be funded by a 10-year grant of DKK 530m (approx EUR 70m) provided by the Lundbeck Foundation and by co-funding from Aarhus University. When fully operational the centre – located at the Aarhus university campus – is expected to employ around 10 research groups and more than 80 researchers, in addition to support staff.
The director must be an internationally recognized leader in the area of brain circuits studies related to psychiatric disorders and must have relevant leadership experience.
The center aims to:
You will be leading the activities of the centre, including group leader recruitments and the establishment of co-located translational research environments. In this role, you serve as a strategic leader, coordinating and facilitating activities both within the centre and across the organisations with which it interacts.
Furthermore, as a successful director, you:
You have:
The position includes:
A candidate recruited from abroad have access to relocation services incl. job search for spouses, and may be eligible for the researcher tax scheme (lower tax rate).
Apply no later than Monday 12 January 2026.
Selected candidates will be invited for an interview at Aarhus University – scheduled for February – where it will be possible to visit locations at Aarhus University campus including the future location of the centre. The recruitment process includes a leadership assessment test.
Following the interview a candidate will be offered the opportunity, over a period of three months, to formulate the research plan. During this time the candidate will receive support from Aarhus University including for travel and meeting activities. Following final approval of the research plan the candidate will officially take up the position as Director of the research centre.
The activities of the center are expected to commence January 2027 provided final approval of the research plan to be developed by the succesful candidate in the spring of 2026.
For further information on the position and our vision for the centre, please contact one of the following for a confidential conversation:
The Lundbeck Foundation will establish a National Strategy in Psychiatry Research with the overarching goal of providing better treatment for patients suffering from mental illness. The initiative consists of three collaborating and aligned centres: A national centre for clinical psychiatry research and two centres in basic biological psychiatry focussing on identifying the underlying mechanisms in psychiatric disorders. The foundation’s plan is to build psychiatry research in Denmark from the clinical side and basic science side as three stand-alone and independent centres to secure scientific depth and quality within each centre. However, the ambition is that the three centres will collaborate and benefit from each other’s expertise and resources. It is therefore important to build cohesion/coherence across the three centres and to create a united, national scientific community. Learn more about the Lundbeck Foundation here.
The application must be submitted via Aarhus University’s recruitment system, which can be accessed under the job advertisement on Aarhus University's website.
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The centre constitutes a merger of the EMBL-node DANDRITE with a new research programme in neuronal circuits and circuit dysfunctions. The director will have the opportunity to formulate a research plan that defines the centre’s integrated research activities.
The centre will be funded by a 10-year grant of DKK 530m (approx EUR 70m) provided by the Lundbeck Foundation and by co-funding from Aarhus University. When fully operational the centre – located at the Aarhus university campus – is expected to employ around 10 research groups and more than 80 researchers, in addition to support staff.
The director must be an internationally recognized leader in the area of brain circuits studies related to psychiatric disorders and must have relevant leadership experience.
About the centre
The ambition of the centre is to understand the dysfunction of psychiatric disorders at the molecular, cellular and brain circuits level combined with a computational neuroscience approach. The key objective is to determine how selected genome variants and ncRNA elements affect brain circuit development, maturation and function and how the identified circuit abnormalities impact behaviour.The center aims to:
- Develop genetic animal models to interrogate gene deficits
- Analyse consequences of abnormally expressed coding and non-coding genes on the structure and function of brain circuits and behaviour
- Identify molecular, cellular and structural mechanisms underlying genetically driven circuit dysfunction enabling targets identification to alleviate circuit deficits
- Build on established neuroanatomical dysfunctional circuitries in neurodevelopmental disorders
- Establish computational competences to enable integration of multilevel-generated data and generate disease-predictive circuit and behavioural phenotypes
About the role
As director you have the freedom, within the framework of the centre’s objectives, to develop a research plan and define the scientific direction of the centre. Upon final approval of the research plan, you will be responsible for establishing the centre and its operations, providing strategic leadership and ensuring successful implementation of the founding research vision.You will be leading the activities of the centre, including group leader recruitments and the establishment of co-located translational research environments. In this role, you serve as a strategic leader, coordinating and facilitating activities both within the centre and across the organisations with which it interacts.
Furthermore, as a successful director, you:
- Are highly motivated by and committed to the mission of the centre
- Demonstrate visionary leadership with the ability to define strategy and drive its execution
- Are dedicated to mentoring, training, and upholding the EMBL mission
- Foster a culture of trust, collaboration, and academic excellence
- Provide clear direction and ensure coherence and identity across the centre
- Build strong partnerships with national and international partners
- Serve as an excellent ambassador promoting the visibility and reputation of the centre
Your profile
As a professor or senior associate professor, you bring proven experience from leadership positions, e.g. at a department, centre, or a sizeable laboratory. You have scientific experience from the intersection of the three areas of circuit neuroscience, neurodevelopmental disorders, and biological psychiatry, and have established yourself as a highly-esteemed internationally recognized leader and researcher.You have:
- Strong leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills
- Prior success in leading sizeable programs with high visibility
- Demonstrated success in mentoring and advancing talented early-career researchers
- Comprehensive knowledge of domain-specific research tools, methods, and practices
- The ability to understand and navigate complex organisations
- Experience in managing ressources and ensuring efficient processes
- Experience engaging with and managing relationships across public and private stakeholders
We offer
The position is a unique opportunity to lead a large research centre dedicated to shaping the future of biological psychiatry. You will work closely with national and international research environments, including clinical departments and other centres in clinical psychiatry and biological psychiatry as part of the Lundbeck Foundation National Strategy in Psychiatry Research.The position includes:
- The opportunity to develop and lead a large research center with an ambitious research agenda
- Serving as Director of the Danish node of the Nordic EMBL Partnership
- A generous recruitment package, including funding for establishing your own research group enabling you to pursue independent research aligned with the centre’s core objectives
- Substantial funding for recruitments, infrastructure platforms, and centre activities providing a platform for international visibility
- A dedicated administrative team supporting the director in centre operations
- Part of a workplace with high ambitions and a strong focus on talent development, research quality, diversity, innovation, and collaboration.
Terms of employment
The position includes a full professorship at the Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University. The position is full time and tenured. Appointment and salary is in accordance with The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (Akademikerne). Included in the salary is a pension, paid holiday, and social benefits.A candidate recruited from abroad have access to relocation services incl. job search for spouses, and may be eligible for the researcher tax scheme (lower tax rate).
Proces and deadlines
Please forward an academic CV documenting relevant research and leadership experience and a cover letter in which you outline your motivation for the position, your experience in talent development, and your experience in leading and developing internationally recognised research environments.Apply no later than Monday 12 January 2026.
Selected candidates will be invited for an interview at Aarhus University – scheduled for February – where it will be possible to visit locations at Aarhus University campus including the future location of the centre. The recruitment process includes a leadership assessment test.
Following the interview a candidate will be offered the opportunity, over a period of three months, to formulate the research plan. During this time the candidate will receive support from Aarhus University including for travel and meeting activities. Following final approval of the research plan the candidate will officially take up the position as Director of the research centre.
The activities of the center are expected to commence January 2027 provided final approval of the research plan to be developed by the succesful candidate in the spring of 2026.
For further information on the position and our vision for the centre, please contact one of the following for a confidential conversation:
- Professor Thomas G. Jensen, Head of Department of Biomedicine (thomas@biomed.au.dk, +4527782805)
- Professor Poul Nissen, Vice-Dean of Research, Faculty of Natural Sciences (pn@au.dk, +4528992295)
- Professor Anne-Mette Hvas, Dean, Faculty of Health (dean.health@au.dk, +4587152007)
The Lundbeck Foundation
The Lundbeck Foundation is an independent Danish enterprise foundation with long-term ownership of several companies incl. H. Lundbeck and annually distributes more than DKK 500 mio. to Danish-based healthcare science research, primarily with a focus on the brain.The Lundbeck Foundation will establish a National Strategy in Psychiatry Research with the overarching goal of providing better treatment for patients suffering from mental illness. The initiative consists of three collaborating and aligned centres: A national centre for clinical psychiatry research and two centres in basic biological psychiatry focussing on identifying the underlying mechanisms in psychiatric disorders. The foundation’s plan is to build psychiatry research in Denmark from the clinical side and basic science side as three stand-alone and independent centres to secure scientific depth and quality within each centre. However, the ambition is that the three centres will collaborate and benefit from each other’s expertise and resources. It is therefore important to build cohesion/coherence across the three centres and to create a united, national scientific community. Learn more about the Lundbeck Foundation here.
Terms of employment
Terms of employment and pay are regulated by the collective agreement between the Ministry of Taxation and the relevant organization.Application
Your application must include the following:- Motivated application
- Curriculum Vitae
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/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/
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Deadline: 12 January 2026
Academic contact person:
Thomas G. Jensen
thomas@biomed.au.dk
+4527782805
+4527782805
Vacant positions: 1
Expected date of accession: 01 March 2026