PhD student position to study neurodevelopmental mechanisms in psychiatric disorders at BRIC

We are offering a PhD fellowship in molecular biology to join a team of molecular and cellular biologists and computational scientists studying human neurodevelopmental disorders to commence on 15 June 2025

Our group and research
Our group studies mechanisms that are responsible for neuronal specification, positioning and circuit formation during prenatal and postnatal brain development, and how these mechanisms are impaired in neurodevelopmental disorders such as schizophrenia, epilepsy, autism. We analyse mouse models of neurodevelopmental disorders and human tissue to identify those neurons that are affected in a particular disorder, and how dysfunction of affected neurons contribute to brain circuit malformation and underlie cognitive impairment in human patients. Our work is highly interdisciplinary, from high-throughput analyses of single neurons in human and mouse tissues to functional studies of disease relevant genes in model systems. Importantly, we have international network of collaborators for studying human brain disorders by variety of frontline technologies and cooperate with several Hospitals for most efficient transition from basic to translational studies.



Project description

You will investigate the mechanisms how do psychiatric risk factors affect brain development and maturation in animal models using single-cell omics technology and will validate the mechanisms using functional assays

Principal supervisor is Professor, Konstantin Khodosevich, BRIC, University of Copenhagen, [email protected]

Start: 15 June 2025

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 including a stay at another research team.
• Obtaining experience with teaching or other types of dissemination related to your PhD project
• 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 qualifications corresponding to a master’s degree related to the subject area of the project, e.g. Neuroscience, Molecular Biology. Strong preference will be given to candidates with previous experience in wet-lab work in single cell omics.

To be eligible for the regular PhD Programme (5+3 scheme), 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. Public Health, Sociology, Anthropology, Social science of sport, exercise and health promotion, or related fields with excellent results. For information of eligibility of completed programmes, see General assessments for specific countries and Assessment database.



Other important criteria are:

• The grade point average achieved
• Professional qualifications relevant to the PhD project
• Previous publications
• Relevant work experience
• Other professional activities
• A curious mind-set with a strong interest in molecular mechanisms in psychiatric disorders
• Language skills

Place of employment

The place of employment is at BRIC, 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 and access to state-of-the-art core facilities.



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 15 June 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 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 starts at approximately 30,800 DKK/Roughly 4,100 EUR (April 2025-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: 11 March 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 14-15

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