Assistant Professor (non tenure track) for investigation of Z-DNA in bacter

at  Aarhus Universitet

Applications are invited for a non tenure track assistant professor position for a period of 20 months in the research group of Professor Rikke Louise Meyer.
The position is available from 1 March 2025 or as soon as possible thereafter.

JOB DESCRIPTION/RESEARCH PROJECT/RESEARCH AREA

The position is funded by a recently awarded grant from the Villum Foundation entitled “Z-DNA: The alter ego of DNA in the extracellular space.”
New research shows that eDNA in biofilms is comprised of the canonical right-handed B-DNA helix as well as the left-handed Z-DNA. Z-DNA is interesting because it is stronger, resistant to enzymatic degradation, and is not sticky like B-DNA. In this interdisciplinary project, we will bring knowledge and methods from DNA chemistry and biophysics into microbiology to address how bacteria twist DNA and control the transition between the B and Z forms in the extracellular space.
If we understand how bacteria toggle eDNA between the B and Z forms, we can manipulate its structure to our advantage, e.g. to design resilient Z-DNA-rich biofilms for industrial applications, or to weaken biofilms for fouling control by switching from Z to B.
The scope for using this knowledge also reaches beyond microbiology, as DNA has many applications in biotechnology, and eDNA is implicated in many human disease states.

Please refer the Job description for details