Laboratory coordinator within muscle biology

at  Aarhus Universitet

The Department of Biomedicine at Faculty of Health at Aarhus University invites applications for a position as a laboratory technologist within muscle as per 1 November 2024 or as soon as possible thereafter. The position is a permanent full-time position.
The department of Biomedicine prioritises diversity and a good work environment, as this is a prerequisite for groundbreaking research. In a diverse and international research environment, dedicated employees are looking to generate new knowledge within biomedical research areas such as infection and inflammation, membranes, neuroscience and personalised medicine. The Department of Biomedicine provides research-based teaching of the highest quality and is responsible for a large part of the medical degree programme. Academic staff contribute to the teaching. English is the preferred language in the laboratory, at meetings and at seminars. The department employs approx. 500 people from all over the world, and they make use of the department’s modern laboratory-, core- and animal facilities. The Department of Biomedicine focuses on innovation, entrepreneurship and collaboration with business and industry, and numerous researchers from the department have established companies to develop new medicinal treatments founded in professional scientific basic research.
The position will be in the lab of Group Leader Dr. Antoine de Morree, an energetic and growing lab at the forefront of stem cell biology. The lab aims to understand how adult stem cells work inside the living body and how their dysfunction contributes to disease. The main models are skeletal muscle stem cells and mesenchymal stem cells. The research will employ both animal models and clinical samples. The ideal candidate will be an adaptable professional with strong communication and scientific skills, who is excited to work both independently and as part of a team.

As lab coordinator, your primary tasks are to support the Group Leader with lab administration (i.e. ensuring that lab inventory remains up to date and the lab members follow lab safety rules) and with scientific support (by engaging with core experimental procedures where needed). This is a highly versatile role where you can wear different hats in dialogue with the Group Leader. You contribute to the success of the lab through performing core experimental protocols and maintaining a trusting and supportive work environment. In your daily work, you have a close interaction with competent colleagues. You will process tissues harvested from laboratory animals treated with stem cell treatments and perform immunostainings on muscle cryosections to help assess the response of muscle stem cells to new treatments. In addition, you will help with stem cell isolation and cell culture experiments.

Your main tasks will consist of:

• Laboratory supplies management - place/receive orders, track and aliquot stocks, managing Kiros;
• Research support (standard lab procedures include tissue histology; molecular biology; cell biology; stem cell isolation, including independent operation of fluorescence activated cell sorter (FACS) instruments; animal handling, including assisting with animal experiments);
• Onboarding of new lab members, including students;
• Offboarding of departing lab members, including students (track samples, notebooks, contact info, etc);
• Training of students and lab staff in standard lab protocols;
• Ensuring compliance with safety programs (perform chemical inventory, risk assessments, and chemical waste disposal);
• Sparring.

You will report to the Group Leader, Antoine de Morree.