PhD fellowship in Mucosal Immunology at the Immunology and Microbiology

We are offering a PhD fellowship in Mucosal Immunology commencing Sept 1st 2025

Our group and research
A PhD fellowship is available within the William Agace group at The LEO Foundation Skin Immunology Research Center (SIC – www.sic.ku.dk). Before entering the fellowship, the successful candidate will have an initial employment as a research assistant for 4 months scheduled to start Sept 1st 2025. The project is part of a NovoNordisk Foundation challenge grant-funded ‘Center for Intestinal Immune Regulation (CIIR)’. CIIR comprises of 4 collaborating teams (Agace, KU; McCoy, Calgary (Canada); Bendtsen, Hvidovre hospital; Ronn-Larsen, KU) whose combined expertise in mucosal immunology, gastroenterology, microbiota-host interactions, bioinformatics and state-of-the-art animal models aims to identify intestinal immune-stromal cell interactions important in intestinal homeostasis and inflammatory bowel disease. 

Project description
The project will use state-of-the-art transgenic animal models in combination with multiparametric flow cytometry, scRNA-seq, CITE-seq, spatial transcriptomics and in vitro culture techniques to study dendritic cell diversity, dendritic cell-immune cell and dendritic cell-stromal cell interaction during development, homeostasis and inflammation.

Principal supervisor: William Agace, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Email. williamagace@sund.ku.dk. Tel +46705221466
Start:     Sept 1st 2025
Duration:     4 month research assistant + 3 years as a PhD student

Key criteria for the assessment of applicants
We are looking for a bright and motivated PhD student in mucosal immunology with documented experience in working with transgenic animal models, intestinal immune cell isolation techniques, multi-parameter flow cytometry, and some scRNA seq computational analysis expertise to join our team within the Barrier Immunology Group at the Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Copenhagen University.
Candidates for the fellowship must hold or be in the process of completing an MSc degree within Immunology, with a focus on intestinal immunology. Please note that your master’s degree must be equivalent to a Danish master’s degree (two years).

The successful candidate must also have experience with:
•    The isolation of immune cells from murine intestinal samples and lymphoid tissues
•    Multi-parameter flow cytometry
•    Gut microbiome analysis
•    Mouse genotyping and handling
•    qPCR and in vitro culturing
•    Some bioinformatics knowhow for analysing scRNA-seq data

Other important criteria are:
•    Professional qualifications relevant to the PhD project
•    Curious mind-set with a strong interest in mucosal immunology 
•    Proficiency in spoken and written english

The research group is highly multidisciplinary and international. Members are expected to collaborate both within the group, within the centre, nationally, and internationally; strong networking and team player skills are therefore valued.

Job description and tasks

During the 4 months as a research assistant, the candidate will have to formulate a PhD project and apply for enrolment as PhD fellow.
During the enrolment and employment as PhD student your tasks will be:
•    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

Place of employment
The place of employment is at SIC, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, located in central Copenhagen. SIC offers creative and stimulating working conditions in dynamic and international research environment. Our research facilities include modern laboratories. Seminars with high-profile international speakers and regular internal research seminars are organized at the Center. The selected candidate should expect some travel activity.

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 1 September 2025.
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 during an initial four-month employment as a research assistant.
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 relevant)

Application deadline:  19 May 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: 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. 

Interviews are expected to be held in week 21
The University of Copenhagen wish to reflect the diversity of society and encourage all qualified candidates to apply regardless of personal background.