Assistant Professor (post-doc) in the Lab. of Pharmacogenomics, Department of Molecular Neuropharmacology, Maj Institute of Pharmacology Polish Academy of Sciences

The aim of the competition is to select a candidate for the position of Assistant Professor (post-doc) in the Laboratory of Pharmacogenomics, Department of Molecular Neuropharmacology, Maj Institute of Pharmacology Polish Academy of Sciences (IF PAS or the Institute), to conduct scientific research as part of the implementation of the National Science Centre OPUS 23 project, entitled: “Genetics of GR-dependent behavioral traits humans” (no. 2022/45/B/NZ5/03188).

Description of research topic:

Despite many years of research, the biological mechanisms involved in translating the effects of stress into a lasting disturbance of mental state are not fully understood. It is known that the physiological response to negative stimuli is controlled by the activity of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis and regulated by the level of glucocorticoid (GC) release. The action of GCs is systemic and occurs in various tissues and cell types via the glucocorticoid receptor (GR), which has the properties of a transcription factor. The coordination of GC effects in different organs takes place through activation or inhibition of specific gene expression patterns.

The aim of the project is to assign genes regulated by GR to the appropriate biological pathways and to link them to the development of stress-induced mental disorders. Large population data sets, clinical information and genome sequencing reads made available in the UK Biobank database will be used. A multidimensional profile of human traits dependent on GR activity will be defined. Associations will be sought between the occurrence of variants of GR-controlled genes and phenotypic traits observed in humans (in four categories: metabolism, physiology, psychiatry and pharmacology). Polygenic risk scores for specific traits and behavioural parameters will be analysed. A database of information on GR-dependent profiles of gene expression changes in different types of human nerve cells will be developed. The cellular model used will be based on the differentiation of neuronal and glial cells derived from human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines. Identified links between GR-dependent genes and traits occurring in humans will be verified through functional experiments in model iPSC-based systems.

The project is intended to lead to the determination of a set of traits dependent on
GR activity on the basis of genetic correlations between regulated genes and their biological significance in the context of the functions of individual cell types. The results will provide new information on the molecular basis of the impact of stress on the development of such diseases as depression and anxiety disorders. Understanding the molecular patterns induced by stress may offer an opportunity to develop and test psychoactive compounds with completely new mechanisms of action.

A candidate for the position of Assistant Professor (post-doc) should meet the following requirements:

1. A doctoral degree in pharmaceutical or related sciences, obtained in the year of employment in the project or within 7 years prior to 1 January of the year of employment in the project. This period may be extended by the time spent during this period on long-term (over 90 days) documented sick leave or rehabilitation benefits due to incapacity for work. Additionally, this period may be extended by the number of months spent on leaves related to childcare and upbringing granted under the rules set out in the Labour Code, and in the case of women, by 18 months for each child born or adopted, if such a method of indicating breaks in a scientific career is more favourable;
2. In the case of persons who have obtained more than one doctoral degree, the reference date is the date of obtaining the first of them;
3. The project principal investigator has not been the supervisor or auxiliary supervisor of the Candidate’s doctoral dissertation;
4. The Candidate obtained the doctoral degree at an entity other than the entity where employment in this position is planned (IP PAS), or has completed at least a 10‑month continuous and documented postdoctoral fellowship at an entity other than the entity implementing the project and in a country other than the country in which the doctoral degree was obtained;
5. During the period of receiving remuneration from the above-mentioned project, the Candidate will not receive any other salary from funds granted as direct costs of research projects financed under NCN calls;
6. During the period of receiving remuneration from the above-mentioned project, the Candidate will not receive remuneration from another employer under an employment contract, including an employer based outside the territory of Poland;
7. At least 5 years of scientific activity, documented by publications;
8. Scientific output in the form of at least six full-text publications (including at least two as first author in peer-reviewed scientific journals from Q1);
9. Scientific activity confirmed by at least 3 original papers (first and/or corresponding author), published after the doctorate and not related to the doctoral work, as well as experience in implementing and/or leading grant projects;
10. Experience in planning and conducting basic research. Experience working on the UK Biobank Research Access Platform cloud platform, processing genome sequencing reads, obtaining phenotypic data and conducting association studies;
11. Documented through publications knowledge of issues related to human genetics, pharmacogenetics and computational genomics;
12. Confirmed active participation in scientific life, demonstrated by presentations at conferences and symposia of international scope;
13. Strong motivation for research work, ability to work in a team;
14. Advanced command of English in speech and writing;
15. Impeccable ethical conduct.

An additional asset will be:

1. Experience in collaboration with interdisciplinary research centres (confirmed by publications);
2. Completion of at least short-term research stays in scientific institutions’
3. Confirmed active participation in teaching activities (supervision of bachelor’s and master’s theses).

Scope of duties:

1. Processing and analysis of raw genotyping and gene profiling data;
2. Conducting meta-analyses of transcriptome profiling results;
3. Development of bioinformatics tools and analytical pipelines for processing results of high-throughput DNA sequencing (DNAseq, RNAseq);
4. Identification of regulatory factors involved in the control of expression of gene networks expressed in the brain;
5. Reliable documentation of bioinformatics work (using appropriate code repositories);
6. Analysis of literature data related to project issue;
7. Supervising and planning the work of junior team members;
8. Participation in all research tasks of the project;
9. Preparation of manuscripts for publication and presentation of obtained results at scientific conferences;
10. Strict adherence to the Code of Ethics of employees of the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAS);
11. Compliance with the regulations and orders in force at IP PAS.

Terms of employment:

Employment in the project under a full-time employment contract for a period of 13 months with the possibility of extension for the duration of the project. Salary: PLN 140,000.00 gross gross per year. Source of funding: NCN OPUS 23 grant no. 2022/45/B/NZ5/03188.

Required documents:

1. Application for employment for the above-mentioned position together with a cover letter with a description of scientific interests;
2. List of information about the candidate in accordance with Appendix 1 to the Form;
3. Personal questionnaire for a person applying for employment in accordance with Appendix 2 to the Form;
4. Copy of the doctoral diploma or a certificate of obtaining a doctoral degree;
5. Short self-presentation;
6. Contact details of persons who can provide information about the candidate and who agreed to be contacted;
7. Certificate of English language proficiency, if available;
8. Declaration of the primary workplace and affiliation of research and publication in accordance with Appendix 3 to the Form;
9. Information on the processing of personal data in accordance with Appendix 4 to the Form;
10. Declaration of impeccable ethical attitude in accordance with Appendix 5 to the Form.

Applications together with the required documentation should be sent in electronic form to the following e-mail address: ifpan@if-pan.krakow.pl by 17.12.2025.

The subject line of the message should indicate which competition the application concerns, i.e. “Competition – Assistant Professor (post-doc) in the Lab. of Pharmacogenomics IP PAS (Opus 23)”.

The winner of the competition will be selected from among persons meeting the formal requirements, based on an analysis of documents and possible interviews.

We inform you that we will contact only selected candidates, and submitted documents will not be returned. We reserve the right to cancel the competition without giving any reason.

Date of announcement of the competition: 28.11.2025 

Application deadline: 17.12.2025 

Date of competition settlement: 29.12.2025