PhD fellowship in Veterinary Virology

We are offering a PhD fellowship on Veterinary Virology commencing 1 September 2023.

Our group and research
The virology group is a part of Section of Clinical Microbiology and strives to increase the current knowledge of new and existing viral pathogens, to bridge both animal and human health and life science. We collaborate with leading partners, both nationally and internationally, in order to contribute new scientific discoveries, develop innovative tools and services and novel types of interventions. We conduct virus infection experiments from the molecular level to the disease level within a range of appropriate state of the art containment facilities. Selected focus areas include research on the mechanisms underlying virus disease within the natural host animals, on host-pathogen interactions, on virus evolution and adaptation, and on immune-escape mechanisms and vaccine development and activities related to ONE HEALTH - Integrating human and animal health aspects especially activities concerning zoonotic diseases.

Project description

The aim of this PhD project is to perform basic and applied research for the study of enzootic and zoonotic viral diseases in animals with focus on the most important viruses in Danish swine. Presently our activities focus on respiratory viruses such as swine influenza virus and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV). The main aims of the project is to study the effect and optimized use of existing vaccines and participate in the development and test of new vaccine entities. You will develop and implement in vitro and ex vivo methods for the study of adaptive and innate immune responses in pigs. You will work closely together with other PhD students and post docs at KU, DTU, SSI and at our international collaborators globally. A research stay of minimum three months abroad is a mandatory part of the project.

Principal supervisor is Professor Lars Erik Larsen, Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, lael@sund.ku.dk, Direct Phone +45 40998434.

Co-supervisors is Chief consultant Nicolai Rosager Weber, Landbrug & Fødevarer and Professor Gregers Jungersen, SSI.

Start:                  1 September 2023

Duration:           3 years

Job description
Your key tasks as a PhD student at SUND are to:

• 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 in another country
• Obtain experience with teaching or other types of dissemination related to your PhD project
• Teach and disseminate your knowledge
• Write a PhD thesis and scientific articles on the grounds of your project

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. MSc degree in veterinary medicine or similar. Interest- and experience in virology techniques and knowledge on swine herd management is an advantage. Please note that your master’s degree must be equivalent to a Danish master’s degree (two years). The applicant must have completed courses in Advanced Laboratory Animal Science (level ABD).

Other important criteria are:

• The grade point average achieved
• Professional qualifications relevant to the PhD project
• Previous publications
• Relevant work experience
• Other professional activities
• Curious mind-set with a strong interest pathology and virology
• English in writing and orally

Place of employment

The place of employment is at the Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen. We offer creative and stimulating working conditions in a dynamic and international research environment. Our research facilities include modern laboratories with access to state-of-the art equipment to successfully complete the PhD tasks.

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 2023.

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 28,896 DKK/Roughly 3,877 EUR (April 2023 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. 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 possible)

Application deadline:  29 May 2023, 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 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 26 -27

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