[EXPIRED] The Capital Region of Copenhagen is looking for a Research Fellow in Advanced 3T & 7T MRI and MRS for Neuroscience Applications

If you are a team-oriented MR researcher eager to unleash the full potentials of high- and ultra-high field MRI and MRS through novel software and hardware solutions, then you might be the person we are looking for!

A 4-year Research Fellow position in advanced 3T & 7T MRI/MRS applications.

As a researcher at the Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance (DRCMR) you will support new and ongoing studies on a few research scanners and have the freedom to develop novel MRI/MRS sequences, hardware and processing methods primarily targeting neuroscientific applications. We have a Philips 7T research only scanner with 2- and 8-channel transmit, 32 receive and 64 shim channels in addition to the standard 3rd order shim.

You will be working closely with a multidisciplinary team of engineers, physicists, biomedical and clinical experts, who are developing and applying exciting and cutting-edge microstructural, X-nuclei imaging and spectroscopy techniques primarily for 7T, but also 3T studies. You will be part of the Ultra-high field MR group (www.drcmr.dk/7t).

DRCMR is one of the leading research centers for biomedical MRI in Europe (www.drcmr.dk). Our interdisciplinary research is geared to triangulate between MR physics, basic physiology, and clinical research. Approximately 70 researchers from a diverse range of disciplines work together to pursue basic and clinically applied MR research with a focus on structural, functional, and metabolic MRI of the human brain and its disorders. Collaboration is key at DRCMR – we do not expect any researcher to be able to do everything alone, but we expect everyone to be interested in sharing knowledge with colleagues.

The DRCMR is embedded in the Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, a large diagnostic imaging department including all biomedical imaging modalities at Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre. DRCMR has close interaction with clinicians and radiologists and a state-of-the-art MR-research infrastructure, which includes a pre-clinical 7T MR scanner, six whole-body MR scanners (one 7T, four 3T and one 1.5T scanners), a hardware workshop and laboratory, a neuropsychology laboratory, an EEG laboratory, and two laboratories for non-invasive brain stimulation. The 7T is a national research infrastructure, serving internal and external users across Denmark.

Your profile:

You are a team-oriented, creative and enthusiastic researcher with:

A PhD degree in engineering, physics, biomedical sciences or a related field.
At least 2-3 years of doctoral and/or postdoctoral experience within advanced high or ultra-high field MRI (preferably on Philips systems).
A clear interest in MRI/MRS acquisition, reconstruction, and image analysis.
Excellent knowledge of MR physics and programming skills in C/C++, MATLAB or Python.
Ideally experience in MR sequence programming (preferably on Philips MR systems).
Affinity with medical applications.
Strong communication and collaborative skills.

Your tasks:

To work directly with other scientists to ensure that our research studies take full advantage of the 3T & 7T MR scanners by maximizing the clinical information available in the multi-parametric MRI images (structural, functional and other quantitative read-outs) and MRS including deuterium spectroscopy.
To support the 7T scanners daily operation, including MRI safety trainings.
To develop novel sequences and data analysis methods and bring these to applications in new projects.
To advance the field through your own research.
To engage in internal education, grant writing, knowledge dissemination, and publication of results in international, recognized scientific journals.

Your position:

You will be employed for a four-year period at the DRCMR and join the ultra-high field MR group.

Salary and Terms of Employment:

Salary, pension and terms of employment are in accordance with the agreement between the Danish Regions (Danske Regioner) and the relevant professional organization. The salary depends on background education and seniority. Further supplements can be negotiated. Note that candidates coming from abroad may be eligible for tax reductions. The position is open for candidates of all nationalities. We see diversity as strength and encourage everyone regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, disabilities or religion to apply.

Selected Publications

Madsen MAJ, Wiggermann V, Bramow S, Christensen JR, Sellebjerg F, Siebner HR. 2021. Imaging cortical multiple sclerosis lesions with ultra-high field MRI. NeuroImage. Clinical. 32:1-14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nicl.2021.102847

Chow HH, Talbot J, Marstrand L, Lundell H, Roman Siebner H, Bach Søndergaard H, Sellebjerg F. 2021. Smoking, cardiovascular risk factors and LRP2 gene variation: Associations with disease severity, cognitive function and brain structure in primary progressive multiple sclerosis. Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders. 56:1-7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msard.2021.103296

Ruiu E, Dubbioso R, Madsen KH, Svolgaard O, Raffin E, Andersen KW, Karabanov AN, Siebner HR. 2020. Probing Context-Dependent Modulations of Ipsilateral Premotor-Motor Connectivity in Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis. Frontiers in Neurology. 11:1-10. Available from: 10.3389/fneur.2020.00193

Bauer C, Dyrby TB, Sellebjerg F, Madsen KS, Svolgaard O, Blinkenberg M, Siebner HR, Andersen KW. 2020. Motor fatigue is associated with asymmetric connectivity properties of the corticospinal tract in multiple sclerosis. NeuroImage. Clinical. 28:1-12. Available from: 10.1016/j.nicl.2020.102393

Lundell, H., Svolgaard, O., Dogonowski, A-M., Romme Christensen, J., Selleberg, F., Soelberg Sørensen, P., Blinkenberg, M., Siebner, H. R. & Garde, E.
Spinal cord atrophy in anterior-posterior direction reflects impairment in multiple sclerosis.
Acta Neurologica Scandinavica. 136, 4, p. 330-337, 2017.

Schreiber K, Magyari M, Sellebjerg F, Iversen P, Garde E, Gøbel Madsen C, Börnsen L, Christensen JR, Ratzer R, Siebner HR, Laursen B, Soelberg Sorensen P. High-dose erythropoietin in patients with progressive multiple sclerosis: a randomized, placebo controlled, phase 2 trial. Mult Scler 2016: Epub ahead of print.

Dogonowski AM, Blinkenberg M, Paulson OB, Sellebjerg F, Soelberg Sørensen P, Siebner HR, Madsen KH. Recovery from an acute relapse is associated with changes in motor resting-state connectivity in multiple sclerosis. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2016;87:912-914.

Ratzer R, Iversen P, Börnsen L, Dyrby T, Romme Christensen J, Ammitzbøll C, Madsen C, Garde E, Lyksborg M, Andersen B, Hyldstrup L, Soelberg Sørensen P, Siebner HR, Sellebjerg F. Monthly oral methylprednisolone pulse treatment in progressive multiple sclerosis. Mult Scler 2016;22:926-934.

Voldsgaard A, Bager P, Garde E, Åkeson P, Leffers AM, Kapel C, Roepstorff A, Thamsborg SM, Melbye M, Siebner H, Søndergaard HB, Sellebjerg F, Soelberg Sørensen P. Trichuris suis ova therapy in relapsing multiple sclerosis is safe but without signals of beneficial effect. Mult Scler 2015;21:1723-1729.

Weier K, Banwell B, Cerasa A, Collins DL, Dogonowski AM, Lassmann H, Quattrone A, Sahraian MA, Siebner HR, Sprenger T. The role of the cerebellum in multiple sclerosis. Cerebellum 2015;14:364-374.

Christensen JR, Ratzer R, Börnsen L, Lyksborg M, Garde E, Dyrby TB, Siebner HR, Sorensen PS, Sellebjerg F. Natalizumab in progressive MS: Results of an open-label, phase 2A, proof-of-concept trial. Neurology 2014;82:1499-1507.

Lyksborg M, Siebner HR, Sørensen PS, Blinkenberg M, Parker GJM, Dogonowski A, Garde E, Larsen R, Dyrby TB. Secondary progressive and relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis leads to motor-related decreased anatomical connectivity. PLOS ONE 2014;9, e95540.

Christensen JR, Ratzer R, Börnsen L, Lyksborg M, Garde E, Dyrby TB, Siebner HR, Sørensen PS, Sellebjerg F. Natalizumab in progressive MS – results of an open-label phase 2A proof-of- concept trial. Neurology 2014;82:1499-1507.

Dogonowski, A.-M., Andersen, K. W., Madsen, K. H., Sørensen, P. S., Paulson, O. B., Blinkenberg, M., & Siebner, H. R. Multiple sclerosis impairs regional functional connectivity in the cerebellum. NeuroImage: Clinical, 2014, 4:130–138.