We invite enthusiastic applicants for a 2½-year Postdoctoral research position in Environmental Toxicology with a focus on chemical imaging. The position is funded by the EU Partnership for Risk Assessment of Chemicals (PARC), Carlsberg Foundation, and SDU. The project will be carried out in the Ecotoxicology group at the Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark (SDU). The starting date for the position is as soon as possible, no later than November 2026. 

Project background
Exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), including those released from micro- and nanoplastics such as substituted phenols (e.g., BPA and BPA alternatives) and PFAS, in the environment is invisible but inevitable. However, there are large gaps in our understanding of the mechanistic events that lead to adverse effects on individual animals and populations. EDCs affect both vertebrates and invertebrates, and the project will investigate their effects in biological samples from multiple species after exposure to known or suspected EDCs using advanced chemical imaging. Special focus will be on the effects of substituted phenols in vertebrates and on chemicals that disrupt molting in arthropods. The research builds on the Danish Sapere Aude TriOOL project and the Carlsberg Research Infrastructure project, which combines comparative embryo models, biochemical imaging, molecular analyses, and toxicological assessment to revolutionize our understanding of micro- and nanoplastics’ environmental and health impacts.

A central research platform will be SDU’s photothermal chemical imaging system, which integrates optical photothermal infrared spectroscopy, simultaneous Raman spectroscopy, and co-located fluorescence imaging. This combination enables label-free chemical identification and high-resolution spatial mapping of plastics and associated chemicals in complex samples as well as mapping of exposure-associated changes in lipid organization, protein secondary structure, or cellular biochemical fingerprints within endocrine responsive tissues. The platform fosters a strong community that includes the Danish Center for Hadal Research, the Danish Center for Research in Marine Plastic Pollution, the Danish Molecular Biomedical Imaging Center, and the Natural History Museum of Denmark.

The project is led by Associate Professor Dr. Elvis Genbo Xu and Associate Professor Dr. Henrik Holbech. The PARC project team includes top-level collaborators such as Prof. Knut Erik Tollefsen (Norway), Prof. Dries Knapen (Belgium), and Prof. Terje Svingen (Denmark).   

Qualifications
We seek an enthusiastic, ambitious, and independent candidate with a PhD in spectroscopy, analytical chemistry, microscopy, environmental toxicology, biology, biophysics, materials science, or a related field, and demonstrated expertise in infrared or Raman spectroscopy, chemical imaging, spectral analysis, or image analysis. Experience with O-PTIR, FTIR imaging, Raman mapping, chemometrics, micro- and nanoplastics, biological samples, Python, R, or MATLAB is highly desirable. The candidate should possess strong experimental skills, scientific independence, and excellent English communication skills.

Responsibilities
The postdoctoral researcher will:

• Develop and validate O-PTIR, Raman, and fluorescence imaging methods.

• Analyze micro- and nanoplastics in biological and environmental samples.

• Process spectral and imaging data using chemometrics and multivariate statistics.

• Integrate imaging results with toxicological and molecular endpoints.

• Publish findings and collaborate within the PARC and SDU’s Photothermal Chemical Imaging platform networks.

SDU and the Ecotoxicology group
University of Southern Denmark (SDU) was founded in 1966 as a top research and educational institution in Denmark, with strong contacts with international industries and the scientific community. It is both the third-largest and the third-oldest Danish university. Several international reports testify that SDU conducts world-class research and ranks it as one of the Top 50 young universities in the world. As a fast-growing young university, SDU now has five faculties and over 30,000 students, more than 15% of whom come from abroad. More than 1,200 researchers are divided into five faculties, 32 departments, and 11 research centers. 

The position will be based in the Ecotoxicology group at the Department of Biology, SDU, in Odense. The Postdoctoral Researcher will have strong support from the Ecotoxicology group, which is well recognized for 30 years of research excellence in developing ecotoxicological approaches and assessing the risks of environmental contaminants, including heavy metals, endocrine-disrupting chemicals, pesticides, and pharmaceuticals, as well as from broad networks in the EU and beyond.

We recommend that as an international applicant, you take the time to visit Work in Denmark where you will find information and facts about moving to, working and living in Denmark, as well as the International Staff Office at SDU.

Application deadline: 2 August 2026 at 23:59 hours local Danish time

Please see the full call, including how to apply, on www.sdu.dk