PhD fellowship in Human Physiology

Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research
Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences
University of Copenhagen

We are offering a PhD fellowship in Human Physiology commencing September 1, 2022, or after agreement.

Background
CBMR is a vibrant international research environment with a focus on interdisciplinary collaboration. Our researchers share a common purpose as they seek to transform the basic understanding of the mechanisms involved in metabolic health and disease, and to accelerate this knowledge toward new prevention and treatment strategies. The Center’s research has resulted in seminal discoveries as to how genes, hormones, and environmental factors influence metabolic health and disease throughout life. You can read more about us here www.cbmr.ku.dk .

Our group and research
The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research’s vision is to strengthen interdisciplinary research that transforms our basic understanding of the mechanisms that underlie metabolic health and disease, and to accelerate this knowledge toward new prevention and treatment strategies. We were established in 2010 and in 2017, we moved into new laboratories, offices, and meeting rooms in the Maersk Tower www.maersktower.ku.dk .

The Center has around 260 employees who work in an international, highly collaborative research environment across a range of biomedical disciplines. You can read more about us here: www.cbmr.ku.dk .

The group
In the molecular understanding of metabolic diseases, a major gap exists between basic genetic and microbiome discoveries and their impact on physiology and the potential for clinical translation. The Hansen Group aims to bridge this gap by connecting genomic discoveries and epidemiology, with physiology and clinical application. You can read more about the Hansen Grouphere .

Project description
We seek an enthusiastic, passionate researcher to perform a PhD project in Human Physiology. The main objective of the PhD project is to investigate individuals with extreme amounts of autoantibodies against interleukin- 6 and matched controls. The project will involve performing clinical trials such as recruitment of participants, oral glucose tolerance tests, exercise testing, deriving blood samples, and muscle and adipose tissue biopsies, as well as wet-lab and analytical work performing omics analysis of blood samples and single-cell-RNA sequencing of muscle and fat biopsies.

Principal supervisor is Professor Torben Hansen, Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, email [email protected]

Start:                 September 1, 2022, or after agreement

Duration:          3 years as a PhD student

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

• Carry through an independent research project under supervision
• Complete PhD courses or other equivalent education corresponding to approx. 30 ECTS points
• Participate in active research environments including a stay at another research team
• Obtain experience with teaching or other types of dissemination related to your PhD project
• Teach and disseminate your knowledge
• Write a PhD thesis on the grounds of your project

Key criteria for the assessment of applicants
Applicants must have qualifications corresponding to a master’s degree related to the subject area of the project e.g., human physiology, human biology, medicine, molecular biology/biomedicine etc.

Other important criteria are:

• Hands-on experience in running clinical trials with emphasis on participant recruitment, collection of blood and biopsies
• Hands-on experience with oral glucose tolerance tests and exercise testing
• Professional qualifications relevant to the PhD project, including statistical analysis methods and knowledge of coding languages, including R and bash
• Active interest in the role of autoantibodies against myokines in glucose metabolism and acute exercise
• Dissemination activities, such as conference participation and poster presentations, will be seen as an advantage
• Excellent communication skills in both written and spoken English

Place of employment
The place of employment is at the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, 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, bioinformatics and statistic guidance, and access to big data from multiple cohorts.

Terms of employment
The employment as PhD fellow is full time and for 3 years. The starting date is September 1, 2022, or after agreement.

It 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 Taxation and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations on Academics in the State. Depending on seniority, the monthly salary begins around 26,957 DKK / approx. 3,618 EUR (April 2022 level) plus pension.

Questions
For specific information about the PhD fellowship, please contact the principal supervisor.

General information about PhD study 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: 

Application deadline: June 2, 2022, at 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 can comment on the part of the assessment that relates to the applicant him/herself.

You can read about the recruitment process at https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/ .

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

The University of Copenhagen wishes to reflect the diversity of society and welcome applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background.

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.