PhD fellowship in dopamine addiction biology at Department of Neuroscience

Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences

University of Copenhagen

We are offering a three-years PhD fellowship in dopamine addiction biology commencing November 1st, 2026 or as soon as possible hereafter.

Our group and research

We are a research group of ~17 people focusing on dopamine biology and on diseases characterized by dysfunctional dopamine homeostasis such as parkinsonism, ADHD, and substance use disorder. We employ a broad spectrum of techniques ranging from classical pharmacology to advanced imaging (e.g. super-resolution microscopy), mouse behaviour, chemogenetics and optogenetics (see also https://in.ku.dk/research/gether-lab/).

Project description

The project is focused on investigating alterations in the molecular architecture of dopaminergic release site upon exposure to psychostimulants and opioids in a rodent self-administration paradigm. A primary approach will involve use of different super-resolution microscopy techniques enabling mapping the nanoarchitectural organization of individual release sites. This will be paralleled by proteomic methods to determine the terminal proteome and identify pathways most perturbed by each drug.

Principal supervisor isProfessor Ulrik Gether, Department of Neuroscience, e-mail: gether@sund.ku.dk, tel. 2875 7548.

Start: November 1st, 2026

Duration: 3 years as a PhD student

Job description

Your key tasks as a PhD student at SUND 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
• Obtain experience with teaching or other types of dissemination related to your PhD project
• Teach and disseminate your knowledge
• Write a PhD thesis on the grounds of your project

Key criteria for the assessment of applicants

In connection with the appointment to the post, special importance will be attached to the applicant having the following professional and personal qualifications:

• A master’s degree in molecular biomedicine, biology, biomedicine, medicine, human biology, neuroscience or equivalent
• Experience with handling of mice
• Experience with immunocytochemistry and/or immunohistochemistry
• Experience with fluorescence microscopy
• Experience with tissue/brain clearing (iDISCO)
• Excellent communication skills, both written and oral
• Other relevant work experience

All highly motivated and ambitious candidates, regardless of their personal background and status, are encouraged to apply

Place of employment

The place of employment is at Department of Neuroscience, 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 situated in the Maersk Tower.

Terms of employment

The employment as PhD fellow is full time and for 3 years.

It 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 31,844 DKK/Roughly 4,260 EUR (August 2026 level) plus pension.

Questions

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

General information about PhD study 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. Master of Science diploma and transcript of records. If not completed, a certified/signed copy of a recent transcript of records or a written statement from the institution or supervisor will do

4. Publication list (if possible)

Application deadline: 23 august**, 23.59 pm 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 can read about the recruitment process at https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/

The applicant 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 39.

The Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences comprises approximately 7500 students, 1500 PhD students and 3200 employees. The Faculty advances the field of health sciences through its core activities: research, teaching, knowledge sharing and communication. With basic research fields ranging from molecular studies to studies of society, the Faculty contributes to a healthy future through its graduates, research findings and inventions benefitting patients and the community. The University of Copenhagen wishes to reflect the surrounding community and invites all regardless of personal background to apply for the position.

Københavns Universitet giver sine knap 10.000 medarbejdere muligheder for at udnytte deres talent fuldt ud i et ambitiøst, uformelt miljø. Vi sikrer traditionsrige og moderne rammer om uddannelser og fri forskning på højt internationalt niveau. Vi søger svar og løsninger på fælles problemer og gør ny viden tilgængelig og nyttig for andre.

Kontakt

Ulrik Gether E-mail: gsk397@ku.dk

Info

Ansøgningsfrist: 23-08-2026 Ansættelsesdato: 01-11-2026 Arbejdstid: Fuldtid Afdeling/Sted: Department of Neuroscience