Associate Professor in Neural Circuit Engineering and Multicellular Systems - DTU Bioengineering

Are you the new Associate Professor in Neural Circuit Engineering and Multicellular Systems at DTU Bioengineering? The position offers an opportunity to join DTU’s strong interdisciplinary research ecosystem and to develop next-generation platforms that reconstruct and interrogate functional neural circuits across tissues and organs. By combining advanced biomaterials, microengineering, and stem cell technologies, the research will open new possibilities for understanding how brain-body interactions shape health and disease.

About the position

This position addresses a key challenge in modern neuroscience: the recognition that neurological disorders cannot be understood solely through the central nervous system. Increasing evidence shows that communication between the brain, peripheral organs, and the immune system plays a fundamental role in brain function and disease. Yet, current experimental models rarely capture these complex, bidirectional interactions in a human context. Here, the aim is to address this gap by engineering human multicellular and neural circuit models to reconstruct and interrogate body-brain communication, creating new platforms for understanding disease and developing therapeutic strategies.

Responsibilities and qualifications

Your overall focus will be to strengthen the department’s competences within 3D modelling of neural diseases, engineering micro physiological systems and organoid-on-chip platforms, and developing real-time sensing technologies. You will work with nearby colleagues, and with both academic and industrial partners in Denmark as well as abroad.

You will join the Section for Medical Biotechnology, an interdisciplinary research environment focused on host-environment interactions and their role in health and disease. The section brings together expertise in mammalian cell engineering, cell signaling, immunology, disease systems and mechanism modelling, bioanalytical technologies, and proteomics. This provides a strong foundation for developing new approaches to understand communication between peripheral organs and the nervous system, while creating opportunities for collaboration across complementary biological and engineering disciplines. The section values open scientific discussion and actively encourages knowledge sharing across research groups and disciplines in a trust-based and collaborative environment.

Your primary tasks as an Associate Professor will be to

• Lead a research group conducting frontier research within neural circuit engineering and multicellular systems based on stem cells.
• Attract competitive external funding for your research activities.
• Teach and develop courses in areas such as biomedical cell and tissue biology, neural engineering, biosensors and bioanalysis, and bioengineering.
• Supervise BSc, MSc and PhD students, and mentor postdocs and tenure track assistant Professors.
• Contribute to the development of strategic research and educational initiatives.
• Take active part in growing DTU’s national and international network and partnerships within neuroscience and stem cell science.

We are seeking a candidate with

• A strong international track record of research in human in vitro neurobiology.
• Extensive experience with advanced 3D cellular models, including organoids, co-cultures, and microphysiological systems.
• Experience modelling neuroimmune interactions and the role of immune signalling in nervous system function and disease.
• Expertise in in vitro models of brain barriers (e.g., blood-brain barrier, blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier).
• Strong focus on disease modelling, regenerative medicine, and drug screening.
• A proven track record in developing and implementing bioengineering approaches such as microfluidics, biomaterials, biofabrication, and bioprinting for developing physiologically relevant in vitro models.
• A proven track record in developing functional assays and quantitative readouts for complex cellular systems.
• A proven track record of attracting funding for foundational and applied scientific projects from national and international sources.
• Documented experience with interdisciplinary and public–private collaborative projects.
• Strong management and administrative skills needed for leading a research group.
• The capacity to foster an inspiring research environment through knowledge-sharing and engagement with peers in the section, department and across DTU.
• Documented pedagogical/didactical training, and experience in teaching, course development, and course leadership at university level (BSc, MSc, and PhD),

You must be responsible for the teaching of courses. DTU employs two working languages: Danish and English. You are expected to be fluent in at least one of these languages, and in time are expected to master both.

As formal qualification you must hold a PhD degree (or equivalent) as well as academic qualifications equivalent to those obtained by holding an assistant professorship and documented didactic/pedagogic training.

You will be assessed against the responsibilities and qualifications stated above and the following general criteria

• Experience and quality of teaching
• Research experience
• Research vision and potential
• International impact and experience
• Societal impact
• Innovativeness, including commercialization and collaboration with industry
• Leadership, collaboration, and interdisciplinary skills
• Communication skills

Salary and terms of employment

The appointment will be based on the collective agreement with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. In addition, supplements can be negotiated in accordance with DTU’s salary structure for scientific staff: www.inside.dtu.dk/en/human-resources/during-employment/salary/salary-structures.

Starting date is 1 January 2027 (or according to mutual agreement). The position is a full-time position.

You can read more about career paths at DTU here.

Further information

Further information may be obtained from Head of Section, Professor Susanne Brix Pedersen, tel.: +45 4525 2784.

You can read more at www.bioengineering.dtu.dk

If you are applying from abroad, you may find useful information on working in Denmark and at DTU at DTU – Moving to Denmark.

Application procedure

Please submit your online application no later than 6 October 2026 (23:59 Danish time).

Applications must be submitted as one PDF file containing all materials to be given consideration. To apply, please open the link "Apply now", fill out the online application form, and attach all your materials in English in one PDF file. The file must include:

• Application (cover letter)
• Vision for teaching and research
• CV including employment history, list of publications indicating scientific highlights, H-index and ORCID (see http://orcid.org/)
• Teaching portfolio including documentation of teaching experience
• Academic Diplomas (MSc/PhD)
• Reference letter(s)

You can learn more about the recruitment process here.

Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.

All interested candidates irrespective of age, gender, disability, race, religion or ethnic background are encouraged to apply. As DTU works with research in critical technology, which is subject to special rules for security and export control, open-source background checks may be conducted on qualified candidates for the position.

The Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine (DTU Bioengineering) is an international leader in the areas of biotechnology and biomedicine. Our engineering approach to all aspects of biotechnology and biomedicine positions us as a valuable player with unique competences in a growing bio-based economy and with health systems transforming towards personalized medicine. We have a clear focus on the needs in life science- and biotech industries and point towards innovation, new businesses, and scientific services for the benefit of society. The department has extensive collaborations with national and international research units and industry. DTU Bioengineering has approx. 400 employees, of which 2/3 are scientific staff. The department is located at DTU Lyngby Campus.

DTU – For the benefit of society since 1829

DTU is one of Europe's leading elite technical universities. Through research and education at an international top level, we create solutions to the major societal challenges of our time and help secure Europe's global leadership in sustainable technological development. Since Hans Christian Ørsted founded DTU almost 200 years ago, our mission has remained the same: We develop and create value through the natural and technical sciences for the benefit of society. DTU has 13,800 students, 1,600 PhD students, and 6,500 employees. We work in an international environment and have an inclusive, stimulating, and informal work culture. DTU has campuses in all parts of Denmark and in Greenland and collaborates with the best universities around the world.