PhD fellowship in "GLP-1 receptor agonists for the treatment of cannabis use disorder: establishing preclinical evidence and elucidating the neural mechanisms" at IFSV

We are offering a PhD fellowship with start June 1st., 2025 or as soon as possible hereafter.

The project
The present project is part of a broader line of research at the Laboratory of Neuropsychiatry with the long-term objectives to identify drug-induced changes in the brain associated with the development of addiction and to uncover possible new targets for the treatment of substance use disorders.
Our laboratory and others have demonstrated effects of GLP-1RAs on various substance use disorders, including nicotine, alcohol, cocaine, and opioids and have delved into the potential neural mechanisms underlying those effects. In this project, we endeavor to expand this to cannabis use disorder, using behavioral models and fiber photometry recordings of dopamine transients from relevant areas in the mouse brain.

The research team
At the Laboratory of Neuropsychiatry, we encourage our members to develop their own ideas in a supportive environment. You'll be working alongside two postdocs and several PhD students on cutting-edge research topics, as well as a varying number of master's students whom you'll help supervise. Our team is also supported by two dedicated lab technicians who assist with practical work. Our mission is to uncover the neurobiological underpinnings of addiction, stress, and psychosis through both preclinical and clinical studies, aiming to identify novel molecular targets for treatment.

Principal supervisor is associate professor Gitta Wörtwein ([email protected]), IFSV, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen. The project is in close collaboration with Professors Morgan Thomsen and Anders Fink-Jensen as well as with Prof. Mary Torregrossa from the Center for Neuroscience at the University of Pittsburgh.
Start: June 1st., 2025 or as soon as possible hereafter
Duration: 3 years as a PhD student

Job description
We are looking for highly motivated candidates with an excellent academic background in Neuroscience, Behavioral Pharmacology, or related disciplines.

Your key tasks as a PhD student 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, most likely at Prof. Mary Torregrossa’s lab.
• Obtain experience with scientific writing, speaking, teaching, or other dissemination related to your PhD project
• Write a PhD thesis on the basis 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. Please note that your master’s degree must be equivalent to a Danish master’s degree (two years).

Essential experience and skills:
• You have an active interest in substance use disorders.
• You are skilled in programming with Python or MATLAB and enjoy using these tools to analyze complex neural and behavioral data sets.
• You have excellent written English skills and good oral English skills

Place of employment
The place of employment is at the department of public health, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen. We offer creative and stimulating working conditions in dynamic and international research environment.

Terms of employment
The average weekly working hours are 37 hours per week.
The position is a fixed-term position limited to a period of 3 years. The start date is June 1st., 2025 or after agreement.
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.
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 starts at approximately 30,700 DKK/Roughly 4,100 EUR (April 2024 level) plus pension.

Questions
For specific information about the PhD fellowship, please contact the principal supervisor.
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, experience, language skills and other skills relevant for the position
3. Certified copy of original Master of Science diploma and transcript of records in the original language, including an authorized English translation if issued in other language than English or Danish. If not completed, a certified/signed copy of a recent transcript of records or a written statement from the institution or supervisor is accepted. As a prerequisite for a PhD fellowship employment, your master’s degree must be equivalent to a Danish master’s degree. We encourage you to read more in the assessment database: https://ufm.dk/en/education/recognition-and-transparency/find-assessments/assessment-database. Please note that we might ask you to obtain an assessment of your education performed by the Ministry of Higher Education and Science
4. Publication list (if possible)

Application deadline: 13 February 2025, 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: http://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 13

The University of Copenhagen wish to reflect the diversity of society and encourage all qualified candidates to apply regardless of personal background.