Research Assistant in Regenerative Medicine

Syddansk Universitet

Cortex Park

On-site

DKK 469,000 - 714,000

Full time

3 days ago

Be an early applicant

Get more replies from employers

Send a job-specific resume in minutes.

Job summary

Syddansk Universitet invites applications for a Research Assistant in Regenerative Medicine. The position is limited to one year with potential extension to PhD candidacy, subject to funding and admission requirements.

The role involves research within tissue regeneration, epithelial biology and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), with limited teaching or supervision activities as relevant. You will join a translational programme focusing on mucosal healing and targeted therapies.

Qualifications

The applicant should hold a master's degree or equivalent in molecular biology, biomedicine, immunology, cell biology, biotechnology, medicine, bioinformatics, or related fields.
Strong interest in mucosal biology, tissue regeneration and translational biomedical research.
Experience with mammalian cell culture, organoids, primary cells and related experimental systems.
Good English written and spoken communication, and ability to work independently in a multidisciplinary team.
Familiarity with single-cell sequencing, spatial omics or CRISPR-based approaches is advantageous.

Responsibilities

Establish and maintain patient-derived intestinal organoids and co-culture systems with fibroblasts and immune cells.
Perform functional assays to assess epithelial regeneration, inflammatory responses and barrier function.
Apply molecular methods (qPCR, immunostaining, sequencing) and analyze results.
Support sample prep for single-cell and spatial transcriptomic/epigenomic studies.
Contribute to genetic engineering and validation of candidate pathways as appropriate.
Collaborate with clinicians, bioinformaticians and translational researchers; maintain thorough records.

Skills

Mammalian cell culture

Organoids

Immunology

Epithelial biology

Inflammation research

CRISPR gene editing

Single-cell technologies

Bioinformatics

Education

Master's degree or equivalent

Tools

qPCR

Immunostaining

Confocal microscopy

Flow cytometry

ELISA

MSD assays

CRISPR Gene editing

Job description

Research Assistant in Regenerative Medicine

The position is limited to one year with the possibility of extensionand/or continuing further as a PhD student,subject to funding and fulfilment of SDU's PhD admission requirements.

The position primarily consists of research within tissue regeneration, epithelial biology and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), with limited research-based teaching or supervision activities where relevant. The research assistant will join a translational research programme that aims to understand how inflammation reshapes the intestinal epithelium and its surrounding tissue niche, and how these changes can be therapeutically targeted to restore safe and durable mucosal healing.

The position will suit a highly motivated candidate with a strong interest in mucosal biology, epithelial regeneration, organoid models, immune-stromal-epithelial interactions, single-cell and spatial technologies, and clinically oriented biomedical research. The successful candidate will work at the interface of experimental biology, translational medicine and omics-based research.

Research environment

The research assistant will be embedded in a dynamic and highly collaborative research environment spanning the Institute for Molecular Medicine and the Department of Clinical Research at SDU. The project benefits from close interactions among basic scientists, clinicians, bioinformaticians and translational researchers, with strong links to Odense University Hospital and access to patient-derived material, advanced disease models and state-of-the-art molecular technologies.

The environment provides excellent opportunities to develop practical and analytical skills in experimental and translational biomedicine, contribute to clinically relevant discoveries in IBD and tissue regeneration, and prepare for a potential subsequent PhD project.

Research project

The project investigates how prior inflammation leaves a lasting memory in the intestinal epithelium and its surrounding tissue niche, and how this memory affects mucosal healing in IBD. The research assistant will help establish and apply experimental models based on patient-derived intestinal biopsies, organoids, fibroblasts and immune-cell co-cultures to study epithelial regeneration in health and disease.

The work will also support the generation and functional validation of findings from single-cell and spatial approaches, including single-cell RNA sequencing, single-cell chromatin accessibility analysis, spatial transcriptomics and spatial epigenomics. Depending on experience and project needs, the research assistant may contribute to CRISPR-based genetic engineering of patient-derived organoids.

Key responsibilities

Establish, maintain and experimentally manipulate patient-derived intestinal organoids and relevant co-culture systems involving fibroblasts and immune cells.
Design and perform functional assays to assess epithelial regeneration, inflammatory responses, barrier function and cell-state plasticity.
Apply molecular and cellular methods such as qPCR, immunostaining, microscopy, flow cytometry, ELISA-based assays and related techniques.
Support sample preparation and experimental workflows for single-cell and spatial transcriptomic or epigenomic studies.
Contribute to CRISPR-based genetic engineering and functional validation of candidate pathways, depending on prior experience.
Work with patient-derived material in close collaboration with clinicians, bioinformaticians and translational researchers.
Maintain accurate experimental records, analyse and document results, and contribute to protocol development and optimisation.
Present results at group meetings and contribute to scientific reports, manuscripts, conferences, teaching and collaborative activities where relevant.

Expectations of qualifications

The applicant is expected to hold a relevant master's degree or equivalent qualification in molecular biology, biomedicine, immunology, cell biology, biotechnology, medicine, bioinformatics or a closely related discipline.

A strong interest in mucosal biology, tissue regeneration, epithelial biology, inflammatory disease and translational biomedical research.
Hands-on experience with mammalian cell culture, molecular biology, primary cells, organoids, immunology, epithelial biology, inflammation research or related experimental systems.
Strong written and spoken English communication skills.
A structured, curious and technically careful working style, with the ability to work independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team.
Good organisational skills and a commitment to reproducible research, careful documentation and responsible handling of research data and biological material.
Experience with intestinal organoids, patient-derived material, immune-cell culture, fibroblast culture or epithelial-stromal-immune co-culture models.
Familiarity with qPCR, immunostaining, confocal or advanced microscopy, flow cytometry, ELISA or MSD assays, and CRISPR-based genetic engineering.
Experience with, or a strong interest in learning, single-cell RNA sequencing, ATAC-seq, spatial transcriptomics, spatial epigenomics or computational analysis of omics datasets.
Interest in developing and optimising experimental models that connect mechanistic biology with clinically relevant questions in IBD and mucosal healing.
Previous experience with bioinformatics, statistics or image analysis will be considered an advantage but is not essential.

Research strategy for OUH and the Department of Clinical Research

Srustidhar Das
Department of Clinical Research and Department of Molecular Medicine
University of Southern Denmark (SDU)
Tel.: +45 71504339
E-mail:srudas@health.sdu.dk

Salary and terms of employment

The applicant will be employedin accordance withthe agreement between the Ministry of Finance andAC(the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations).

The position as research assistant is placed within salary steps 4-8 of the Danish state salary scale, depending on seniority. In addition, a centrally agreed research assistant allowance is paid, and further qualification- and function-related allowances may be negotiated.

The work location will be atCampusvej 55, 5230 Odense M.

Assessment

Shortlisting will be used as part of the initial selection process.

Assessment of shortlisted applications will be done under the existing Appointment Order for universities. Shortlisted applications will be assessed by an assessment committee. The committee may request additional information, and, if so, it is the responsibility of the applicant to provide the necessary material.

When the assessment committee has submitted its report, the applicants will receive part of the evaluation that concerns themselves.

References will be obtained for the preferred candidate from their current and previous employers. Applicants invited for interview should expect to complete a work-related personality assessment.

The International Staff Office (ISO) at SDU provides a variety of services for new employees, guests and people who consider applying for a job at the University of Southern Denmark.

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

Job Info