PhD fellowship in behavioural neuroscience at the Department of Neuroscience in Copenhagen

Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences

University of Copenhagen

We are offering a PhD fellowship in behavioural neuroscience starting 1st May 2022 or as soon as possible.

Our group and research

We are a systems neuroscience laboratory focusing on understanding the mechanisms by which neural circuits and behaviors are affected by stress, to better understand the etiology of mental disorders. Our expertise includes behavioral assays, neuronal tracing, in vivo 2-photon calcium imaging of large populations of neurons, opto/chemogenetic and we have access to cutting-edge microscopy facilities (including spinning disk and light sheet microscopes). We use transparent, transgenic larval zebrafish as a vertebrate model amenable to whole brain imaging at cellular resolution in vivo.

You will work under the supervision of Associate Professor Florence Kermen and receive active support in designing, discussing and publishing the results of your research project.

We are located in beautiful and well-connected Copenhagen. Frequent scientific and social events at the institute contribute to a collaborative and enjoyable work atmosphere.

Project description

You will use repeated stressor exposure or pharmacological manipulation of stress level, combined with quantitative behavioral assays and physiological measurements to characterize the susceptibility to stress in the zebrafish. Following this, you will use neurophysiological approaches (immunohistochemistry, in vivo calcium imaging) to investigate the neural adaptations taking place in resilient vs vulnerable subpopulations.

Principal supervisor isAssociate Professor Florence Kermen,Department of Neuroscience, E-mail: florence.kermen@sund.ku.dk , Direct Phone: +45 22550187

Start:                1st May 2022 or as soon as possible

Duration:         3 years as a PhD student

Job description
Your key tasks as a PhD student at SUND are:

• Carrying through an independent research project under supervision

• Completing PhD courses or other equivalent education corresponding to approximately 30 ECTS points
• Participating in active research environments
• Teaching and disseminating your knowledge
• Writing a PhD thesis on the grounds of your project

Key criteria for the assessment of applicants
Applicants must have documented qualifications corresponding to a master’s degree related to the subject area of the project, e.g. human biology, neuroscience, molecular and cellular biology, animal physiology, veterinary medicine, biomedicine, or medicine. Please note that your master’s degree must be equivalent to a Danish master’s degree (two years).

Other important criteria are:

• A high grade point average achieved
• A valid FELASA C certificate
• A strong interest in scientific research and stress neurobiology and prior experience with practical lab work
• The ability to work in a structured manner, with strong self-motivation and in collaboration with others.
• Professional qualifications, publications and work experience relevant to the PhD project
• Proficiency in written and spoken English

Place of employment

The place of employment is at the Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen. We offer creative and stimulating working conditions in dynamic and international research environment. Our research facilities include modern laboratories, zebrafish research facility, and microscopy facility https://cfim.ku.dk/ .

Terms of employment
The employment as PhD fellow is full time and for 3 years.

The employment is conditioned upon the applicant’s success­ful enrolment as a PhD student at the Graduate School at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen. This requires submission and acceptance of an application for the specific project formulated by the applicant.

The PhD study must be completed in accordance with The Ministerial Order on the PhD programme (2013) and the Faculty’s rules on achieving the degree.

Salary, pension and terms of employment are in accordance with the agree­ment between the Ministry of Finance and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations on Academics in the State. Depending on seniority, the monthly salary starts at approximately 27,800 DKK/Roughly 3,700 EUR (October 2021 level) plus pension.

Questions
For specific information about the PhD fellowship, please contact the principal supervisor florence.kermen@sund.ku.dk .

General information about PhD studies at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences is available at the Graduate School’s website: https://healthsciences.ku.dk/phd/guidelines/

Application procedure
Your application must be submitted electronically by clicking ‘Apply now’ below. The application must include the following documents in PDF format: 

1. Motivated letter of application (max. one page)

2. CV incl. education, research experience, language skills and the contact details of 2 academic references

3. Master of Science diploma and grade transcript (Bachelor & master). If the master is not yet completed, a certified/signed copy of a recent transcript of records or a written statement from the institution or supervisor.

4. A copy of your Master’s thesis. If the thesis is ongoing, a draft or a 1 page summary of your work.

5. Publication list (if relevant), including a brief description of your contributions to joint works.

Application deadline:  15th February 2022, 23.59pm CET

We reserve the right not to consider material received after the deadline, and not to consider applications that do not live up to the abovementioned requirements.

The further process
After the expiry of the deadline for applications, the authorized recruitment manager selects applicants for assessment on the advice of the hiring committee. All applicants are then immediately notified whether their application has been passed for assessment by an unbiased assessor.

The assessor makes a non-prioritized assessment of the academic qualifications and experience with respect to the above-mentioned area of research, techniques, skills and other requirements listed in the advertisement.

Once the assessment work has been completed each applicant has the opportunity to comment on the part of the assessment that relates to the applicant him/herself.

You find information about the recruitment process at: https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/

The applicants will be assessed according to the Ministerial Order no. 242 of 13 March 2012 on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Universities.

Interviews are expected to be held in week 11.

The Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences comprises approximately 7500 students, 1500 PhD students and 3200 employees. The Faculty advances the field of health sciences through its core activities: research, teaching, knowledge sharing and communication. With basic research fields ranging from molecular studies to studies of society, the Faculty contributes to a healthy future through its graduates, research findings and inventions benefitting patients and the community. The University of Copenhagen wishes to reflect the surrounding community and invites all regardless of personal background to apply for the position. 

Part of the International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU), and among Europe’s top-ranking universities, the University of Copenhagen promotes research and teaching of the highest international standard. Rich in tradition and modern in outlook, the University gives students and staff the opportunity to cultivate their talent in an ambitious and informal environment. An effective organisation – with good working conditions and a collaborative work culture – creates the ideal framework for a successful academic career.