PhD fellow in Photothermal Therapy at the Department of Biomedical Sciences

Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen

 

Cluster for Molecular Imaging at the Panum Institute, University of Copenhagen, is seeking a PhD for a project where the aim is to develop new compounds for photothermal therapy in cancer. The PhD position is to start the 1st of November 2025

Cluster for Molecular Imaging:
Cluster for Molecular Imaging (CMI) is an interdisciplinary research group affiliated with both the Department of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine at Rigshospitalet and the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. CMI aims to develop and translate new imaging and therapy methods based on nuclear medicine or fluorescence into clinical use. All our research is driven by developing methods that solve unmet medical needs in patients and includes all steps from molecular identification to clinical evaluation.

The Project:
The project is a cross-departmental project in collaboration with other UCPH and RH departments, such as the Department of Chemistry, and the Department of Neurosurgery, as well as a small biotech company, FluoGuide A/S. Cluster for Molecular Imaging is responsible for the in vitro and in vivo part of the project.

Optical imaging has been integrated into clinical use over the past decade, with advancements such as photothermal therapy (PTT) and photodynamic therapy (PDT). The key focus of the project is to develop a novel compound utilizing the properties of an existing fluorescent compound with the aim of creating an optimized solution for clinical applications. Your role will be to perform in vitro biological assays and in vivo experiments to evaluate new compounds for specific uptake, targeting, and other relevant properties before clinical translation.

Principal supervisor is Professor Andreas Kjaer, Cluster for Molecular Imaging, Dept. of Biomedical Sciences, akjaer@sund.ku.dk.

Co-supervisor is Post doc Karina Stræde, Cluster for Molecular Imaging, Dept. of Biomedical Sciences, karinastraede@sund.ku.dk.  

Start:            01.11.25

Duration:     3 years as a PhD student

Key criteria for the assessment of applicants
We are looking for a highly motivated and enthusiastic candidate with the following competencies and experience:

Required qualifications:

• A Master of Science degree with a focus on biological sciences
• A license to do animal experiments.
• Experience in cancer animal models
• Experience in cell-based assays
• Experience with optical imaging
• Experience with immunohistochemically staining
• Experience with pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic analysis
• Fundamental knowledge of peptide chemistry

Things that will be good for you to have:

• Good at collaborations
• Good documentation skills
• Ready for flexible work hours

Place of employment
The place of employment is at the Cluster for Molecular Imaging, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen. We offer creative and stimulating working conditions in a dynamic and international research environment in state-of-the-art laboratories.

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 the 1st of November, 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. 

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 4,125 EUR (April 2025 level), in addition the employer will pay 18,07% in pension.

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. Publication list (if applicable)

Application deadline: 3 July 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 32.

 

The University of Copenhagen wish to reflect the diversity of society and encourage all qualified candidates to apply regardless of personal background.