PhD fellowship in cellular mechanisms underlying severe post-acute disease biology at the Department of Biomedical Sciences

We are offering a PhD fellowship in cellular mechanisms underlying severe post-acute disease biology in the Desler Group at the Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen commencing on November 1, 2026 or as soon as possible hereafter.

Our group and research

The Desler Group investigates how alterations in cellular metabolism and immune function contribute to chronic disease development. Our research investigates how mitochondrial dysfunction, immunometabolic reprogramming, cellular senescence and persistent inflammatory responses contribute to disease development following viral infections and during aging. We do so by bridging human cohort studies with mechanistic molecular biology by integrating longitudinal clinical datasets, multi-omics analyses and advanced 2D and 3D cellular model systems to investigate the mechanisms underlying post-acute disease trajectories affecting the cardiovascular, pulmonary, and renal system. Furthermore, the group investigates aging at the molecular level and its link to age-related diseases. Our goal is to unveil novel molecular mechanisms in aging and chronic disease development, discover robust biomarkers for age-related diseases, and identify potential therapeutic targets.

The Desler Group coordinates the Horizon Europe POINT project and collaborates closely with clinical and international partners to translate fundamental discoveries into improved patient care. More information about the group can be found here (https://bmi.ku.dk/english/research-divisions/translational-metabolism/desler-group/)

Project description

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed a major blind spot in our knowledge and mechanistic understanding as well as accelerated recognition of post-acute infectious disease biology with emerging evidence demonstrating similar long-term sequelae following influenza and other infectious disease. Though a link between the post-acute phase and chronic disease development has been identified, the molecular mechanisms and functional consequences remain poorly understood.

This interdisciplinary project will be conducted in collaboration with Amager & Hvidovre Hospital (AHH) and aims to identify conserved molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying severe post-acute disease following COVID-19 and influenza by integrating longitudinal patient cohorts with mechanistic experimental in vitro models. By integrating proteomic and metabolomic signatures of patient plasma with functional mechanistic outcomes of advanced cellular models, the project seeks to provide a translational framework for post-acute disease biology to move beyond descriptive profiling toward mechanistic functional validation of overlapping mechanisms of immunometabolism driving disease trajectories.

Your tasks will include the development and optimization of transwell barrier models to investigate the functional consequences of post-acute circulating factors on disease-relevant cellular systems and linking these with multi-omics analysis of circulating plasma factors.

Principal supervisor is Associate Professor Claus Desler, Department of Biomedical Sciences, cdesler@sund.ku.dk

Start: January 1, 2027

Duration: 3 years as a PhD student

Job description

The successful applicant will join an interdisciplinary research environment investigating the molecular mechanisms underlying post-acute infectious disease. The PhD candidate will primarily contribute to the experimental work within mechanistic in vitro models focused on cellular immunometabolism.

As a PhD candidate in the Desler group, you will take on both teaching- and research-related responsibilities, including the supervision of students associated with this project. We strive for great outreach in our project, and part of the job includes presenting and communicating your research to the public as well as scientific community.

Your key tasks as a PhD fellow at SUND are:

• Carrying out 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.
• Gaining experience with teaching or other types of dissemination related to your PhD project.
• Teaching undergraduate students and disseminating your knowledge.
• Writing a PhD thesis based on your project.

Profile

We are looking for a highly motivated and ambitious candidate with a strong educational background in metabolism, mitochondrial bioenergetics, and in vitro models.

Required qualifications:

• Master’s degree in a relevant field, such as Human Biology, Molecular Biomedicine, Biotechnology, or a related discipline.
• Hands-on experience and expertise within mammalian cell culture is required.
• Relevant laboratory experience in a molecular biology setting with molecular and cellular biology techniques such as qPCR and Western blotting.
• Strong interest in mitochondrial metabolism and a strong background in performing mitochondrial analyses including Seahorse XF metabolic flux analysis.
• Previous publications.
• Prior experience with working on EU Horizon projects is required.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English.
• The applicant is expected to be highly engaged, structured, flexible, curious, and able to work both independently and collaboratively in an interdisciplinary and international research environment.

Additional desirable qualifications:

• Experience with human plasma exposure in vitro models of inflammation.
• Experience with transwell models and 3D spheroids is an advantage.

Place of employment

The place of employment is at the Department of Biomedical Sciences, 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 January 1, 2027 or as soon thereafter

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.

Questions

For specific information about the PhD fellowship, please contact the principal supervisor, Claus Desler, at cdesler@sund.ku.dk

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/?set_language=en. Please note that we might ask you to obtain an assessment of your education performed by the Ministry of Higher Education and Science

4. List of publications

Application deadline: 13 September**, 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: https://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.

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

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

Claus Desler Madsen E-mail: wlh817@ku.dk

Info

Ansøgningsfrist: 13-09-2026 Ansættelsesdato: 01-01-2027 Arbejdstid: Fuldtid Afdeling/Sted: Department of Biomedical Sciences