We are offering a fully-funded 3 years PhD fellowship in stress neurobiology starting 15 February 2023 or as soon as possible hereafter. The place of employment is at the Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen.

Our group and research
We are a systems neuroscience laboratory focusing on understanding the mechanisms by which neural circuits and behaviors are affected by stress, to better understand the etiology of mental disorders (https://in.ku.dk/research/kermen-lab/). Our expertise includes behavioral assays, neuronal tracing, in vivo calcium imaging of large populations of neurons (2 photon & light sheet microscope), opto/chemogenetics. We use transparent, transgenic larval zebrafish as a vertebrate model amenable to whole brain imaging at cellular resolution in vivo.

You will work under the supervision of Associate Professor Florence Kermen and receive active support in designing, discussing and publishing the results of your research project.

We are located in beautiful and well-connected Copenhagen. Frequent scientific and social events at the institute contribute to a collaborative and enjoyable work atmosphere.

Project description
You will use repeated stressor exposure or pharmacological manipulation of stress level, combined with quantitative behavioral assays and physiological measurements (e.g. ELISA) to characterize the immediate and long-term outcomes of early-life stress. Following this, you will use neurophysiological approaches (immunohistochemistry, in vivo calcium imaging) to investigate the adaptations taking place in neuromodulatory circuits.

Principal supervisor is is Associate Professor Florence Kermen, Department of Neuroscience, E-mail: florence.kermen@sund.ku.dk, Direct Phone: +45 22550187

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. human biology, neuroscience, molecular and cellular biology, animal physiology, or medicine. Your master’s degree must be equivalent to a Danish master’s degree (two years).

Other important criteria are:

• A high grade point average achieved
• A certificate in Laboratory Animal science (FELASA)
• Professional qualifications and work experience relevant to the PhD project
• A curious mind-set with a strong interest in scientific research and stress neurobiology and prior experience with practical lab work relevant to the project
• Proficiency in written and spoken English

Your online application must be submitted in English by following this link (https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/?show=157408) and clicking ‘Apply now’. The application must include the following documents in PDF format:

1. Motivated letter of application (max. one page)

2. CV incl. education, research experience, language skills and the contact details of 2 academic references

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.

4. A copy of your Master’s thesis. If the thesis is ongoing, a draft or a 2-page summary of your work.

5. Publication list (if relevant), including a brief description of your contributions to joint works.

Application deadline: 18 October 2022, 23.59pm CET