PhD fellowship in Physiology and Genetics

Department of Biology invites applicants for a PhD fellowship in Physiology and Genetics.

Start date is 1 January 2022 or as soon as possible thereafter.

The Andersen-Colombani group at the Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, is recruiting a PhD to work on a 3-year project aiming at understanding the mechanisms controlling intestinal stem cell proliferation and gut homeostasis and pathologies using Drosophila Melanogaster as a model organism. The position is available to start on the 1st of January 2022 or as soon as possible thereafter. The group is housed in the section of Cell and Neurobiology at the Department of Biology (https://www.biocenter.ku.dk/ ) and affiliated with the Danstem Center (https://danstem.ku.dk/ ).

The project

The intestine, which represents one of the largest interfaces with the external environment, plays a key role in relaying environmental inputs to other organs to produce systemic responses. In turn, the gut is subject to multiple regulatory inputs from the brain, muscles, liver and adipose tissues. At steady-state turnover rates, the human intestine undergoes complete self-renewal every 4-5 days, a process which is highly accelerated in response to damage of the gut epithelium. This capacity for self-renewal relies on the proliferative activity of the intestinal stem cells (ISCs), which is tightly controlled by multiple local and systemic signals released from neighboring cell populations (the ISC niche) and non-gastrointestinal organs. Despite the physiological divergence between insects and mammals, studies have shown that flies represent a model that is well suited for studying stem cell physiology during ageing, stress, and infection. The project advertised here aims at identifying systemic and environmental signals integrated by the intestinal stem cell (ISC) niche to control SC proliferation and gut homeostasis. For this purpose, RNAis will be used to known down all genes encoding receptors specifically in the stem cell niche. Sensitivity to oral infection with the gram-negative bacteria, Ecc15, will be used as readout to identify niche receptors required for ISC-driven intestinal regenerative growth. The potential of the identified receptors to control ISC proliferation during homeostasis and disease will be studied. Identifying paracrine stress signals required for ISC-dependent tissue self-renewal is of importance, since the same signals tend to initiate colorectal cancers in predisposed individuals.Since large-scale functional approaches are not feasible in vertebrate, this project could reveal novel couplings contributing to mammalian gastrointestinal homeostasis and disease. The postdoc’s duties will include working on the project described here as well as teaching.

Who are we looking for?

We are looking for highly motivated individuals with a MsC degree in Biology and with prior experience in fly physiology, confocal imaging and genetics.

Our group and research- and what do we offer?

The group is a part of the Department of Biology, Faculty of SCIENCE, University of Copenhagen, which is situated in the heart of Copenhagen. Our team consists of three postdocs, 1 PhD student, and and three master students that work on different aspects of adult fly gut homeostasis and physiology. We use a blend of genetics, confocal imaging, metabolic measurements, qPCRs and other molecular biology techniques to understand more about how intestinal stem cell activity and cell fate is controlled by local and systemic/environmental signals. Our research facilities include modern laboratories, several well-equipped flylabs and free access to confocal microscope, ELISA equipment, and PCR and qPCR machines. Our team is embedded in the section for cell and neurobiology, which offers creative and stimulating working conditions in dynamic and international research environment.

Principal supervisors:

Dr. Ditte Andersen, Department of Biology, Cell and Neurobiology section, [email protected] , Direct Phone: +45 27 85 30 22.

Dr. Julien Colombani, Department of Biology, Cell and Neurobiology section, julien [email protected] , Direct Phone: +45 27 84 76 66.

The PhD programme

The PhD programme consist of a three year full-time study within the framework of the regular PhD programme (5+3 scheme), and requires that  you have already completed an education equivalent to a relevant Danish master’s degree.

********************************************************************************

Getting into a position on the regular PhD programme

Qualifications needed for the regular programme
To be eligible for the regular PhD programme, you must have completed a degree programme, equivalent to a Danish master’s degree (180 ECTS/3 FTE BSc + 120 ECTS/2 FTE MSc) related to the subject area of the project, e.g. biology. For information of eligibility of completed programmes, see General assessments for specific countries and Assessment database .

Terms of employment in the regular programme
Employment as PhD fellow is full time and for maximum 3 years.

Employment is conditional upon your successful enrolment as a PhD student at the PhD School at the Faculty of SCIENCE, University of Copenhagen. This requires submission and acceptance of an application for the specific project formulated by the applicant.

The terms of employment and salary are in accordance to the agreement between the Ministry of Finance and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations on Academics in the State (AC). The position is covered by the Protocol on Job Structure.

Salary range starts at DKK 27,588.59 per month incl. PhD supplement (1 April 2021 level).

Responsibilities and tasks in the PhD programme

• Carry through an independent research project under supervision
• Complete PhD courses corresponding to approx. 30 ECTS / ½ FTE
• Participate in active research environments, including a stay at another research institution, preferably abroad
• Teaching and knowledge dissemination activities
• Write scientific papers aimed at high-impact journals
• Write and defend a PhD thesis on the basis of your project

We are looking for the following qualifications:

• Professional qualifications relevant to the PhD project
• Relevant publications
• Relevant work experience
• Other relevant professional activities
• Curious mind-set with a strong interest in genetics, intestinal homeostasis and physiology
• Good language skills

***************************************************************************

Application and Assessment Procedure

 Your application including all attachments must be in English and submitted electronically by clicking APPLY NOW below.

Please include: 

Application deadline:

The deadline for applications is Thursday 30 September 2021, 23:59 GMT +2.

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 deadline, a number of applicants will be selected for academic assessment by an unbiased expert assessor. You are notified, whether you will be passed for assessment.

The assessor will assess the qualifications and experience of the shortlisted applicants with respect to the above mentioned research area, techniques, skills and other requirements. The assessor will conclude whether each applicant is qualified and, if so, for which of the two models. The assessed applicants will have the opportunity to comment on their assessment. You can read about the recruitment process at https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/

Interviews with selected candidates are expected to be held in week 47.

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

General information about PhD study at the Faculty of SCIENCE is available at the PhD School’s website: https://www.science.ku.dk/phd/ .

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.