Two 3-year PhD scholarships will be available at the Centre for Geogenetics, Natural History Museum, to perform studies in a developing research area detecting novel pathogens.
Pathogens in the form of viruses, bacteria or parasites are besides being etiological agents in various known infectious diseases also causing cancers and other diseases in humans. Until recently detection of novel infectious agents has relied mainly on isolation in cultures and on sequence specific detection. The focus of the projects will be on designing and applying new methods for detecting pathogens in specific diseases with the help of high throughput sequencing.
The successful candidates must hold a Master degree or equivalent qualifications in human biology, molecular biology, biochemistry, medicine or equivalent. Applicants that have demonstrated scientific productivity, good inter-personal and communication skills, and ability to conduct independent and creative research will be preferred. Fluency in spoken and written English is also a requirement.
An evaluation committee will be appointed to evaluate the applications. Applicants will be notified of the composition of the committee. The successful candidates will then be requested to formally apply for enrolment as a PhD student at the PhD school of Science, University of Copenhagen and be offered a working contract for the 3 year PhD study period.
Terms of appointment and payment are in accordance with the agreement between the Danish Ministry of Finance and the Danish Federation of Professional Associations (AC). The starting salary for candidates with an MSc degree will be a minimum of DKK 300.174 per year (April 2011 level) plus pension contribution DKK 41.013 and the possibility to negotiate wage.
The University of Copenhagen wishes to reflect the diversity of society and welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background.
Centre for Geogenetics offer a strong international and competitive research environment. The centre specializes in methods for detecting and characterization of nucleic acids from various sources – from tissue samples to environmental sources. The National High Throughput-Sequencing Center is associated with the Centre for Geogenetics and is housed at the National History Museum at the University of Copenhagen.
For further information contact Adjunct Professor Lars P. Nielsen at +45 21 30 61 44 or LPNielsen@snm.ku.dk
Applicants are requested to submit their application by using the link below.
The application must contain:
• Curriculum vitae
• Project description including technical approaches (max 3 pages)
• List of publications
• Transcript of University examinations
• Contact details for 2 persons for references
The deadline for applications is 19 December 2011 at 12:00 noon Danish local time.
Applications received after the deadline, or with insufficient documentation or otherwise not complying with the above requirements, will not be considered.
It is expected that the successful candidate will be enrolled at the PhD School of the Faculty of Science no later than 1 month after the start of the PhD scholarship preferably by April 1, 2012.
Deadline: 19-12-2011
Publisher: Faculty of Science
