36 Postdoctoral Fellowship at University of Copenhagen, Denmark

We seek one or two talented and highly motivated postdocs interested in investigating the interface between gene transcription, RNA metabolism and genome stability to join the laboratory led by Professor Jesper Svejstrup. The successful candidate(s) will be employed as a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine (ICMM) at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen. The employment period is for 3 years starting 1 September 2023, or soon thereafter.

From simple vibrations to touchable holograms in midair, haptic signals enable us to feel virtual or remote content and people. Past research has shown than people have a rich language for describing the feel of haptic signals. This project will explore the use of natural language processing techniques for predicting user descriptions of haptic signals and guiding haptic signal design. The project focuses on creating sensory language models and human-AI interaction for collecting data and updating the models.  The postdoc’s duties will include research within natural language processing, human-computer interaction, and haptic perception. The post may also include performance of other duties. The postdoctoral position is supervised by Dr. Hasti Seifi, and it involves a research stay at Arizona State University in the United States.

The Department of Political Science, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Copenhagen (UCPH), invites candidates for two postdoctoral positions (36 months). Supported by the Carlsberg Foundation, the chosen candidates will work in the Origins of Descriptive Representation (ODER) project alongside a research assistant and Associate Professor Frederik Hjorth (PI) as well as international collaborators.

We announce three post-doc positions in natural language processing and machine learning: one on fair speech recognition (for two years) and two on hand-written character recognition (for 18 months). All three postdocs will be part of the CoAStaL research group and work with Professors Anders Søgaard, Desmond Elliott, and Daniel Hershcovich. See https://coastalcph.github.io/ for group members.

Protein- and starch-rich legumes are essential in the green transition in pursuit of increased sustainability and food security. In Europe, legumes are mainly used for animal feed, and ensuring a high yield is the major aim for the current legume breeding system. Developing legume cultivars adapted for human consumption is of great significance but has long been neglected. Gelation via protein and starch interactions is an important functionality to provide foods with unique sensorial and textural attributes. This project will study the gelation mechanism based on molecular interactions of proteins and starches in less-refined protein fractions provided by different cultivars. The project is founded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation (NNF) and is carried out is collaboration with SLU in Sweden.

Rapidly emerging technologies are playing a significant role in shaping the way in which people engage with politics and pursue social justice, as we see in the cases of Black Lives Matter, the #MeToo movement, and the Arab Spring. We know a great deal about the technologies people use in political contention and movements, as illustrated by terms like “Twitter uprising” or “Facebook revolution,” which became interchangeable with “the Arab Spring.” And yet, we know very little about why people choose some but not other technologies, and how people decide on specific political uses of certain technologies as what Tilly calls “repertoire of contention” across different contexts. The To-Use-or-Not project explores and compares the reasoning behind people’s diverse decisions on use and non-use of technology for political contention in specific contexts, with both ethnographic and computational methods. A short description of the project can be found here: https://tech-in-movement.ku.dk/.

There is an essential need for substitution of animal protein with plant protein in our diet to get a more sustainable food production, as up to 75% of the greenhouse gas emissions from our food consumption origins from meat and dairy food products. One of the major drivers for this shift is plant-based alternatives, however, animal protein provides unique sensory and textural properties. The structure of plant proteins is very different from animal proteins and many of the plant-based alternatives currently on the market are rejected by consumers due to poor structural properties. The goal of this project is to identify pea seeds from the NordGen genebank that are more suitable for plant-based alternatives than the commercial available pea cultivars.

In 2020, the EASTERNISATION project was originally conceived to examine the role that Russia and China played in the process of regionalization of international law (IL), and the impact that the process exerted on the stability of the international legal order (ILO). The recent turbulent developments, i.e. Russia’s unprovoked aggressive war against Ukraine and the resurgence of China’s belligerent rhetoric against Taiwan, demonstrate that regionalisation of IL – the use of IL as a tool to justify ambitious geopolitical goals in order to establish regional hegemony – is wreaking havoc on the existing ILO. Notwithstanding vocal condemnation of Russian and Chinese violations of IL by the international community, both countries vehemently deny that any of their actions are contrary to international law.  The project aims to trace the trajectory of evolving Russian and Chinese narratives of international law from after the creation of the post-World War II order until modern times, which they have promoted to lend legitimacy to their military actions and foreign policy decisions. It will examine Russian and Chinese efforts to refute the universality of a human rights-oriented Western doctrine of IL and their adoption of a sovereignty-centred doctrine of IL, which stands in stark contrast to the countries’ actual belligerent conduct towards their neighbours.

The aim of the Position is to develop models that will enable optimization of Cleaning in Place (CIP) processes in the dairy industry. The research will use existing knowledge to develop physics based models to capture fundamental mechanisms at microscopic and macroscopic scales during cleaning. Models will be formulated to capture the uncertain and probabilistic nature of the phenomena. The research will benefit from models developed through an ongoing PhD programme.

The project Absence of information in decision-making processes (ABSENCE) investigates the concept of absence and its role in communication in order to advance our knowledge of decision-making processes for humans and machines. The project asks what we can learn from human social intelligence when developing automated systems. Through the focus on absence of information, the project aims to tease out the tacit elements of communication and decision-making in order to understand these in relation to algorithmic processes. On a fundamental level, ABSENCE asks what it means to be human in relation to technology.

Project 1 – Quantum information physics with superconducting qubits:
Postdoctoral level research on implementing and designing small-scale quantum algorithms, quantum information protocols, multi-qubit calibration and principles of error detection and correction. The project involves calibration and operation of multi-qubit systems, high-frequency measurement techniques, low-temperature experimental techniques using cryofree dilution refrigerators, advanced programming, simulation, and data analysis. This project is funded by the Villum Foundation.

Project 2 – Novel superconducting qubits:
Postdoctoral level research with a focus on fabricating and realizing protected qubit encodings and demonstrating novel qubit-qubit coupling mechanisms. This project involves low-temperature physics experiments in cryofree dilution refrigerators, low-noise and high-frequency electrical measurement techniques, nanofabrication of superconducting qubits and semiconducting devices, data analysis, advanced programming, device modeling and simulations and close interactions with theoretical collaborators. This project is sponsored by the US Army Research Office.

We are looking for a candidate with experience and interest in both technical and applied aspects of multi- and hyperspectral remote sensing, and with interest in implementing these systems on UAS. Prior experience with operating UAS is an advantage but not a necessity. You are expected to work independently, have prior experience with computer scripting and have excellent communication skills in written and spoken English. You will be responsible for a project work package in collaboration with the project PI, and we prioritize both the candidate’s own research interests and the project aims, leaving room for personal ambitions within the frames of our research goals. The project includes field work in Denmark and possibility for field work in Sub-Arctic Sweden, and Greenland. Applicants should hold a PhD-degree or be defending it.

The “Hybrid Quantum Chemistry on Hybrid Quantum Computers” project is at the border of quantum computing and quantum chemistry. It is a joint effort of the research groups of professor Stephan P. A. Sauer at the Department of Chemistry at University of Copenhagen (UCPH), professor Sonia Coriani at the Department of Chemistry at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), and professor Jacob Kongsted at the Department of Physics, Chemistry and Pharmacy at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU). Although this opening is for a position at the Department of Chemistry at University of Copenhagen, the position involves close collaborations with postdoctoral researchers and PhD students at DTU and SDU which will work jointly on different parts of this common project. The focused research project thus provides a vibrant scientific environment.

The postdoc will be part of a project entitled Who are We? Self-identity, Social Cognition, and Collective Intentionality funded by the Carlsberg Foundation and headed by Prof. Dan Zahavi. Applicants are asked to situate and develop their research plan within the framework of the Who are we? project.
Read about the project here: Who are we – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk) The larger project investigates what it means to feel, think, and act as part of a we. Its guiding hypothesis is that a systematic account of the we must be embedded in a more comprehensive investigation of selfhood and social cognition. The project will systematically develop this hypothesis by combining cross-disciplinary theorizing with historical scholarship. In particular, it will draw on seminal contributions from classical phenomenology. In addition to philosophers, the project also involves social scientists (from social anthropology, sociology, social psychology, and clinical psychology)

 

(18) Postdoctoral Fellowship Position

Postdoc Fellowship Position summary/title: Postdoctoral position in US-China Deterrence Politics in the post-Cold War Era /ERC RITUAL DETERRENCE

Deadline : 2 April 2023 

View details & Apply

 

The Department of Political Science, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Copenhagen (UCPH), invites excellent and highly motivated candidates for a postdoctoral position in extended nuclear deterrence during the Cold War. The position is part of the European Research Council Consolidator Grant project “Ritual Action: Making Deterrence Matter in International Security and Memory Politics” (RITUAL DETERRENCE; PI: Dr Maria Mälksoo).

The Department of Chemistry invites applicants for a postdoc position in electrodeposition of nanostructured catalysts for the electrochemical oxidation of biomass-derived molecules. This project is part of the research project entitled “Electrosynthesis of model Nanocatalysts for the production of renewable chemicals (EleNa)” which is financed by the Villum foundation and led by Assistant Professor Paula Sebastián Pascual. 

Our aim is to better understand how plant root systems affect exploration for and capture of P from a hotspot, as well as how this is affected by both plant (species, genotype, root architecture, and root traits) and soil chemical properties (across the soil-fertiliser interface). You will 1) conduct plant growth experiments and assist with the development of X-ray computed tomography for in-situ visualization and quantification of plant roots in soil; 2) use a combination of ‘traditional’ and ‘advanced’ methods to assess P distribution, speciation and bioavailability; and 3) evaluate plant and root growth and root-root interactions, scaling from controlled and semi-controlled to field conditions. Within this, we will focus on wheat and faba-bean, in pure stand and in intercropping contexts.

The Joshi/In-silico glycomics Group uses data science to uncover the contributions from regulation of hundreds of glycosylation related genes to the overall glycosylation process that takes place in the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi. We take advantage of both a massive amount of publicly available data, and unique genetically engineered cell lines and world leading wet-lab facilities for validation. We value our creative, open, and collaborative work environment, placing special emphasis on training and mentorship to help our colleagues reach their career goals.  

We are offering a 3-year postdoctoral position commencing 1 August 2023 or after agreement to a talented and highly motivated researcher interested in computational analysis of transcriptional regulation and co-transcriptional processing.
The successful candidate will be employed in the Gregersen Group at the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine (ICMM) at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen.

We are seeking a postdoctoral researcher with a strong background in experimental psychology and cognitive modelling. You will be working in the Human-Centered Computing Section, Department of Computer Science, University of Copenhagen (www.di.ku.dk) and the Cognition and Neuropsychology research cluster, Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen (psychology.ku.dk).

The aim of the project is to study the role of liquid-liquid phase separation in facilitating DNA repair processes in the cell nucleus as a model to establish a fundamental biological understanding of how biomolecular droplets allow the cell to orchestrate its biochemical processes. We will achieve this through a cross-disciplinary effort that combines molecular genetics and state-of-the-art microscopy with biophysical modelling and computational simulations.

The position is part of a Lundbeck Foundation Collaborative Project (https://lundbeckfonden.com/en/proteiners-dynamik-syge-hjernes-biologi) with the aim to explore a recently discovered and exciting new biological phenomenon, the formation of biomolecular condensates by liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS), and how this emerging field can lead to entirely novel concepts to treat brain diseases. The postdoc will investigate LLPS of postsynaptic density (PSD) proteins with a focus on their role in neurological disorders. The project runs in close collaboration with Mingjie Zhang (Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech), Shenzhen, China). Ultimately, the developed probes will lead to modulation of biomolecular condensates at the PSD balancing diseased states of neuronal excitation and inhibition.

Clinical trials of pharmacological therapy for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) have produced largely neutral results. The management of patients with HFpEF is mostly directed toward treating associated conditions (e.g., hypertension and diabetes). We hypothesize that remodeling leading to HFpEF is bimodal: There is an increase in interstitial, cardiac fibrosis and there is a slowing of the intracellular calcium cycling during the heartbeat. You will test this hypothesis and also test the ability of drug-treatment to invigorate the intracellular calcium handling. We use a mouse model of HFpEF to study the disease progression and potential treatment strategies. Read more about the Thomsen-group here: https://bmi.ku.dk/english/research/circulation-kidney-and-lung/thomsen-group/

We are looking for a highly motivated and dynamic postdoc candidate for a 2-year position with start date 1 July 2023 at the Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen. The candidate will join a small team in the Applied Hologenomics group and explore the potential role of the epigenome in regulating host associated microbiomes in different fish species and will have a special focus on applying novel CRISPR based molecular techniques to modify epigenetic traits in zebrafish. More information about the center can be found at https://ceh.ku.dk/.

The overall goal of the project is to develop a new family of language models that can process any written language by rendering text as images, which allows the models to learn from the visual similarities between written languages. Realizing this goal includes creating and implementing tokenization-free multilingual language models, the collection and curation of visually diverse language data, the training of small-scale and large-scale models, developing techniques for effective model quantization and compression, and creating models that jointly process natural images and rendered text using a single interface.

This two-year postdoctoral position focusses upon why Quantum AI might matter within the context of the legal, regulatory, and governance setting. The purpose of the project is to explore, map, and structure the potential problem-space. As such, it will be a problem-finding project (in contradistinction to the more orthodox problem-solving orientation). In other words, this postdoctoral project does not seek to produce concrete answers or to advance policy proposals in the face of Quantum AI and the potential challenges that it may raise or reveal. Instead, we seek to develop a set of better questions.

The positions focus on the experimental implementation of spin-based quantum processors based on small arrays of semiconductor quantum dots. Research involves nanofabrication, low-temperature physics using a cryofree dilution refrigerator, rf and microwave signal generation and detection, data analysis, interaction with theoretical physicists and scientific writing. Projects are sponsored through collaborative EU grants, including the prestigious EU Quantum Technologies Flagship programme and an EU RIA grant spanning multiple countries. The projects aim at quantum simulation and/or quantum computation, and will involve interaction, visiting, and collaboration with other leading spin qubit groups in Europe and beyond, as well as industrial fabrication facilities. They combine multi-qubit operation and readout, development of novel qubit-qubit interactions, design and layout of qubit architectures, supervision of device fabrication, low-temperature physics using cryofree dilution refrigerators, low-noise and high-frequency electrical measurement techniques, data analysis, interaction with theoretical physicists, and scientific writing in English.

You will work on the development of approaches to monitor land management regimes in Nordic countries across the Alps and the Caucasus. You will work with Landsat, Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2, and PlanetScope products. Jointly with colleagues from remote-sensing R&D company DHI https://www.dhigroup.com/ you will work on the scalability and transferability of developed approaches across study sites and implementing remote sensing solutions in the cloud. In close collaboration with the working package leader on satellite remote sensing (Alexander Prishchepov), you will develop grassland management maps and indicators of different land regimes in grassland ecosystems. Jointly with the project partners, you have full capacity to conduct supporting fieldwork across selected study sites in studied countries. You will continue developing your research portfolio and professional growth, including publishing the results in international peer-reviewed journals, attending joint events and professional conferences, and being linked with the science, policymakers, and research and development company. The ALPMEMA project provides a great opportunity for collaboration with international partners and involvement in other research areas according to your interests. Being affiliated with the “Environment and Society in the Global South” research group at the University of Copenhagen gives another excellent opportunity for interdisciplinary knowledge exchange, a fruitful environment, being engaged in various professional activities, planning your career ahead, and also keeping good work-personal life balance. Postdoc also has the capacity to develop and deepen teaching skills relevant to extending professional skills, soft skills on project management, and other relevant skills to succeed in the professional career.

We offer a 19-month Postdoc Position to a Computational biologist/Bioinformatician in the DFF-FNU project: Plant-microbiome interactions in modern and ancient barley. The project is a collaboration between Department of Biology (BIO), Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences (PLEN), Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, GLOBE Institute (Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate), and Department Agroecology (AGRO), Aarhus University. The employment starts by June 1 2023; the Postdoc applicant candidate will be part time on GLOBE institute and part time on BIO and should expect tight collaboration with research activities at all four institutions.

We invite highly qualified, thorough and motivated applicants to apply for the positions. The postdoc will be involved in the project listed below as well as participating in the daily duties of the Department.

The project will focus on a project in biostatistics, specifically in two subprojects (Causal estimation and optimal treatment targeting with and without identification of the causal effect of interest). The project aims to develop methods and software that allow for the bounding and or targeting of optimal personalized treatment and the estimation of effects under such treatment decisions.  The PostDoc will work on three overarching topics and is encouraged and expected to drive the ideas and solutions within these topics, but also potentially other topics selected and driven by the postdoc:

1. Personalized treatment identification. Although the topic is specifically targeted for this optimization accounting for the burden of biomarker observation and the use of causal bounds in this optimization to account for data shortcomings, other methods and angles within this area are welcome.
2. Causal effect estimation. Again, although ideally specifically in settings where the causal effect of interest is not fully identified due to uncontrolled confounding, all forms of methods development for causal effect estimation are welcome.
3. Emulated trial. Specifically for the outcome of clinical utility in comparative effectiveness setting for treatment decision rules. However, just as with the above topics, less specific methods development within the topic of emulated trial designs would also be useful.

​Symbioses often involve food exchange among interacting partners, but the nutritional dimensions underlying these transactions are often difficult to parse. The IEB group has developed techniques for using symbioses involving social insects as models for such inquiry. A main focus of our research is the remarkable lineage of fungus-farming ‘attine’ ants that have evolved diverse farming strategies for cultivating fungal symbionts which in turn have evolved key signatures of crop domestication (e.g. specialized nutritional rewards that occur nowhere else in the fungal kingdom). Our research is hypothesis driven and uses diverse methodological approaches to test these hypotheses ranging from field studies of free-ranging ant colonies in Panamanian rainforests, to laboratory studies of colony behavior and physiology, to in vitro tests of fungal cultivar performance, to diverse molecular and bioinformatics approaches. More information can be found on the IEB homepage (www.jonathanshik.com).

Scattered across the landscape in central Laos, thousands of large stone jars have been left from ancient burial rituals. Together, these jars form a massive biological experiment: for 2000 years, rainwater has interacted with the geology of the jars to create unique yet perfectly replicated ecosystems that include organisms ranging from microbes to aquatic plants. The unprecedented age and high number of jars offers a unique opportunity for a Post Doc to help unfolding one of ecology’s long-standing questions: What shapes biological communities?