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**Job Function: **
Career Programs
**Job Sub Function: **
Post Doc – Drug Discovery & Pre-Clinical/Clinical Development
Job Category:
Career Program
All Job Posting Locations:
Beerse, Antwerp, Belgium
Job Description:
**About Innovative Medicine **
Our expertise in Innovative Medicine is informed and inspired by patients, whose insights fuel our science-based advancements. Visionaries like you work on teams that save lives by developing the medicines of tomorrow.
Join us in developing treatments, finding cures, and pioneering the path from lab to life while championing patients every step of the way.
Learn more at https://www.jnj.com/innovative-medicine
We are searching for the best talent for Postdoctoral Scholar Safety Pharmacology to be in Beerse
**Purpose: **
We are seeking a highly motivated postdoctoral scientist for a two-year fixed-term position within the Global Safety Pharmacology team in Beerse, Belgium. The successful candidate will focus on developing a human-relevant in vitro CNS safety platform to support drug discovery and development programs.
You will be responsible for:
- The candidate will apply their neuroscience expertise to establish a 2D human co-culture system using hiPSC-derived glutamatergic neurons and glial cells. The functional robustness of this system will be assessed using high-density CMOS-based multi-electrode array (MEA) technology.
- In collaboration with cross-functional teams, advanced imaging approaches (e.g., high-content imaging) will be applied to characterize cellular morphology as well as molecular and network-level features within the co-culture system. Safety signature profiles will be integrated with off-target profiling and transcriptomics data to elucidate mechanisms underlying electrophysiological and morphological phenotypes.
- The role requires strong collaboration, adherence to ethical research practices aligned with the 3Rs principles, and excellent communication skills to support scientific publication and presentation of findings.
Qualifications / Requirements:
- PhD in Neuroscience, Physiology, Cell Biology, or a related discipline focused on CNS pharmacology or toxicity
- In-depth knowledge of molecular and electrophysiological mechanisms of drug-induced CNS effects, with a strong publication record
- Hands-on experience with relevant experimental techniques, such as
- hiPSC-derived neuronal and glial cultures (various methods and cell types; mono- and co-culture)
- Rodent primary neuronal cultures
- Multi-electrode array (MEA) recordings (CMOS-based high-density and passive systems)
- Imaging and molecular analyses (e.g., high-content imaging, RT-qPCR, transcriptomics)
- Familiarity with off-target profiling approaches
- Experience in developing high-throughput screening assays is an additional asset
- Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret complex datasets using tools such as Excel, GraphPad, Spotfire, or similar platforms
- Excellent presentation and communication skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively in cross-functional teams
- Ability to independently plan, prioritize, and manage multiple tasks
- Commitment to ethical drug development aligned with the 3Rs principles
- Proactive mindset with the ability to stay current with emerging scientific advancements and adapt to evolving technologies
- Demonstrated ability to write scientific manuscripts
- Proficiency in English
#DPDS
**Required Skills: **
Preferred Skills:
The anticipated base pay range for this position is:
€60,000.00 - €96,255.00
Benefits:
In addition to base pay, we offer the following benefits*: an annual bonus with set target (% of pay) depending on pay grade / location, where the actual amount is based on the employees’ and companies’ performance of the previous calendar year, or sales commissions. Moreover, we offer vacation days, parental leave for a minimum of 12 weeks, bereavement leave, caregiver leave, volunteer leave, well-being reimbursement, programs for financial, physical and mental health. We also offer service anniversary and recognition awards, and subject to the terms of their respective plans, employees - and in some location’s eligible dependents - can participate in several insurance plans. For more information, visit Employee benefits | Supporting well-being & career growth | Johnson & Johnson Careers.
*This is for informative purposes only. Amounts and actual benefits may vary by location and are subject to change.