Postdoc in environmental medicine

A full-time 2-year position as a postdoc in environmental medicine is vacant at the Research Unit of Clinical Pharmacology, Pharmacy and Environmental Health, Department of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southern Denmark.

The academic position

The position will be within environmental medicine with emphasis on prospective birth cohorts (including the Odense Child Cohort) and the impact of early life exposures on environmental chemicals and their adverse effects on organ functions (e.g. the brain, immune, metabolic and reproductive system). Especially focus on exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals including per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and immune function (inclusive of response to childhood vaccination) and neuropsychological development (inclusive of ADHD, autism and IQ).

Other areas include endocrine disruption, human biomonitoring, analytical chemistry, toxicology and risk assessment. The department has a long tradition in the discovery of environmental chemicals or biomarkers as well as the development of analytical chemical methods to measure these.

In addition, the work tasks will include both pre- and postgraduate teaching in epidemiology and environmental medicine.

Areas of responsibility

The successful applicant will be expected to initiate, supervise and publish research, to have innovative ideas and to attract research funding within the above-mentioned areas.

Preferably, the applicant will be able to combine the wide number of research methodologies implemented at both departments and to act as a bridge for future collaborations.

The applicant will be expected to have a PhD and a strong scientific profile preferable in the fields of environmental medicine.

Additionally, the postdoc will be expected to teach and mentor other postdocs, PhD students, and undergraduate students at the Faculty of Health Sciences, as well as to maintain and develop national and international contacts and to secure funding. Moreover, profiling this research area in the public eye will be an important task.

The department

The research areas of Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacy span from pharmacological epidemiology to clinical studies and cell-based basic pharmacology. The pharmacoepidemiological research group utilizes the world-class Danish registries to assess pharmacological questions in large populations. The translational pharmacology group aims to understand variability in drug toxicity, drug metabolism and drug transport. Cell-based models such as induced-pluripotent stem cells, primary human hepatocytes as well as clinical pharmacokinetic studies are utilized to understand variability in drug response and toxicity.

The analytical chemistry laboratory is shared between Environmental Medicine and Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacy boasts three LC-MS/MS and an Orbitrap LC-MS/MS used to analyze concentrations of drugs or environmental chemicals. Collectively, CPPEM has a strong background in exposure to environmental chemicals, pharmacoepidemiology, pharmacogenetics, pharmacokinetics, drug-drug interactions and therapeutic drug monitoring and the successful applicant will be expected to master translation from laboratory research to humans.

Employers

The Research Unit of Clinical Pharmacology, Pharmacy and Environmental Medicine today has approximately 50 employees: 5 full professors, 6 associate professors, 1 assistant professor, 2 postdocs, 12-15 PhD students, approximately 15 technical and administrative staff and annually. It consists of three separate research groups: pharmacoepidemiology, translational pharmacology and environmental medicine. The translational pharmacology research unit cohabits with and has close collaboration with the pharmacoepidemiology and environmental medicine groups within the research unit. Additionally, it collaborates with pharmacology at Odense University Hospital. Collectively, it is part of Denmark’s largest center for research, teaching and clinical service in pharmacology.

The research unit teaches on four programs: Medicine, Pharmacy, Clinical Biomechanics and Biomedicine. It produces approximately 100 international peer-reviewed publications per year.

Assistant professor Tore Stage heads the unit and Professor Jesper Bo Nielsen heads the department.

Management

The postdoc refers to the research leader at the Department of Environmental Medicine and to the Head of the research unit of Clinical Pharmacology, Pharmacy and Environmental Health.

Contact information

Further information can be obtained from the research leader at the Department of Environmental Medicine, professor Tina Kold Jensen ([email protected] ) or from the Head of the Research Unit, associate professor Tore Stage, [email protected].

Salary and terms of employment

The successful applicant for the professor position will be employed in accordance with the agreement between the Ministry of Finance and AC (the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations).

Applications will be assessed by an expert committee. Applicants will be informed of their assessment by the university.

Applications – including the required attachments – must be sent via the below-mentioned link “Apply online". Only online applications will be accepted. Attached files must be Adobe PDF or Word format. Each field in the application form can contain up to max. 10 MB.

Only applications written in English will be accepted for evaluation.

The application must contain (as pdf.- or docx.-files):

• a motivation letter
• a detailed CV
• degree certificates (inclusive of Ph.D.-diploma)
• a complete and numbered list of publications
• 3 scientific publications considered by the applicant to the most important for this position. Please notice that one pdf.- or docx.-file must be attached for each publication.
• a teaching portfolio detailing the candidate’s prior teaching experience, teaching skills, and teaching philosophy
• a research plan detailing the candidate’s ideas and plans for her/his future research work.

Incomplete applications with regard to the above-mentioned requirements will not be assessed.

Applications may be shortlisted.

The University wishes our staff to reflect the diversity of society and thus welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background.