Postdoc in Marine Bioluminescence - re-advertisement

A 2-year postdoc position with the possibility of a 1-year extension is now open at University of Copenhagen shared between the sensory biology group lead by Assoc. Prof. Anders Garm, Marine Biological Section and the Centre for Gelatinous Plankton Ecology & Evolution, lead by Senior Scientist Dr. Cornelia Jaspers. The postdoc is funded via the Danish Research Council and the DFF2 project - Marine bioluminescence: How and why? The aim of this interdisciplinary project is to investigate the function and ecological significance of bioluminescence and the potential synthesis pathways of the light emitting substrate – coelenterazine. Even though bioluminescence is a surprisingly common trait in marine organisms, little is known about its ecological, evolutionary and biochemical nature. We will establish the invasive comb jelly Mnemiopsis leidyi, one of the very few animals known to produce coelenterazine, as model organism in our laboratories at University of Copenhagen. Apart from studying bioluminescence in wildtype animals,



we aim to use CRISPRcas technology to produce knock-out lines, which will facilitate comparative physiological and ecological experiments to understand the cost, function and ecological significance of bioluminescence. We will also apply a range of advanced imaging techniques to visualize the light organs and their innervation.

The successful applicant will be part of a highly interdisciplinary work environment spanning from biochemistry to marine ecology with a strong focus on experimental and hypothesis driven work. Importantly, a large part of the work will happen in close collaboration with the other postdoc included in the project.

Main tasks of the postdoc
- Culture M. leidyi and use CRISPR-cas9 to obtain knockout strains
- Perform common garden experiments testing wildtype vs knockout strains
- Design and use custom-made antibodies to localize the expression of key elements in coelente

📌 Postdoc in Marine Bioluminescence (Áncash)
🏢 Department of Pharmacy, University of Copenhagen
📍 Áncash