PhD in Molecular Underpinning and Targeting AMPK for Treatment of Insulin Resistance

Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research

Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences

University of Copenhagen

The University of Copenhagen is seeking a highly motivated and talented PhD fellow to commence February 1, 2025, or after agreement in the Sakamoto Group at the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research (CBMR), University of Copenhagen.

About Us
The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research (CBMR) is an academic research Center that pioneers groundbreaking research towards better cardiometabolic health. Through collaborative interdisciplinary research from single-cell genomics to whole-body systems, CBMR aims to transform the basic understanding of cardiometabolic health and accelerate its translation into prevention and treatment strategies. The Center’s uniquely multi- and interdisciplinary approach combines research in genetics, physiology and pharma­cology, to better understand the complex interplay of the many factors that drive cardiometabolic disease. You can learn more in the Executive Summary of CBMR's Strategy 2024–2028.

CBMR was established in 2010 at the Faculty of Health & Medical Sciences and has been located in the Maersk Tower at PANUM since 2017. The around 260 employees create an international, highly collaborative research environment across disciplines.

Our Research
The overarching aim of the Sakamoto Group is to elucidate molecular mechanisms underlying cellular energy sensing and restoration of metabolic balance. We study how post-translational modifications (e.g., reversible phosphorylation) and allosteric regulation of signaling proteins/metabolic enzymes control cellular energy balance and how dysfunctions of such molecular processes lead to cardiometabolic diseases. Our goal is to identify and validate drug candidates that ameliorate energetic imbalance in cardiometabolic disorders. We take multidisciplinary approaches, collaborate with renowned national/international experts and support development of early career scientists.

Project Description

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is the central component of a signaling pathway that senses energy stress and coordinates metabolic processes to maintain cellular energy balance. AMPK has long held promise as a therapeutic target for cardiometabolic diseases because of its beneficial actions, including stimulation of insulin-independent glucose uptake, fatty acid oxidation, and improvement of insulin sensitivity in skeletal muscle. However, to date developing a drug that targets AMPK without causing unwanted side effects through global AMPK activation has been unsuccessful.

The major goal of the PhD project is to investigate the molecular mechanism by which AMPK controls metabolic processes in skeletal muscle and liver through specific post-translational modification (PTM, such as reversible phosphorylation) and develop unique methods/strategy to modify or mimic such regulation via cutting-edge targeted protein PTM technology or small molecules in cells/tissues. We take a collaborative and interdisciplinary approach, and your key tasks will be to perform in-depth biochemical analysis of AMPK and its mutants in vitro in collaboration with structural biologists/proteomics expert and perform extensive cell culture work using gene-edited cell lines for signaling analysis and in vivo studies of gene-targeted/edited and drug-treated mice for extensive metabolic investigations related to glucose homeostasis and energy metabolism.

Principal supervisor: Professor Kei Sakamoto, [email protected]

Start: February 1, 2025

Duration: 1 year as Research Assistant followed by 3 years as PhD fellow contingent on a positive evaluation of the 1st year.

Profile

The PhD fellowship is aimed at early-career researchers with a basic science background or clinicians who aspire to a career in academic medicine.

Key criteria for the assessment of applicants for the position

You have a master's degree in Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology, Molecular Biomedicine, Cell Signaling, Physiology or related sciences (equivalent to a Danish candidate 3+2 years).

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.

Required qualifications:

• Hands-on experience in performing cell culture experiments (e.g. transfection/gene editing, drug treatment), biochemical/metabolic analysis (e.g. enzyme assays, metabolomics) and cell signaling (e.g. Western blotting, proteomics)
• Hands-on experience in conducting in vivo preclinical studies and metabolic phenotyping
• Ability to manage and analyze complex data sets
• A curious mindset with strong self-motivation to develop new knowledge and treatment for complex cardiometabolic diseases
• Ability to work independently and work as a team player
• Excellent English communication skills, both written and oral

Eligibility

The PhD fellowship is open for applicants that hold a Master’s degree equivalent to a Danish master’s degree (two years). The Master’s degree has to be obtained before February 1, 2025. You are not eligible to apply for the program if you have been employed in a Research Assistant position for more than two years at the University of Copenhagen prior to the commencement of the fellowship.

Terms of Employment

The employment consists of 1 year as a Research Assistant followed by 3 years as PhD fellow contingent on a positive evaluation of the 1st year. Starting date is February 1, 2025, or after agreement.

The employment as PhD fellow 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.

Questions

For further information about the position, please contact Professor Kei Sakamoto at [email protected] . Questions regarding the CBMR International PhD & Postdoc Program must be directed to [email protected]. For questions regarding the recruitment procedure, please contact HR at [email protected].

General information about PhD studies at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences is available at the Graduate School’s website.

The University of Copenhagen International Staff Mobility office offers support and assistance to all international researchers on all issues related to moving to and settling in Denmark.

Application Procedure

Your online application must be submitted in English via the ‘Apply now’ link below. Furthermore, your application must include the following documents/attachments – all in PDF format:

• Motivated letter of application (max. one page)
• CV incl. education, experience, language skills and other skills relevant to the position
• Certified copy of original Master’s diploma and transcript of records in the original language, including an authorized English translation if issued in another 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.
• List of publications
• References (name and contact details of at least two references)

Application Deadline: September 20, 2024, 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. 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 can read about the recruitment process at www.employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process.

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

The University of Copenhagen wishes to reflect the diversity of society and welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of their personal backgrounds.