PhD fellowship in novel peptide hormone discovery and exploration

 PhD or Postdoc fellowship in novel peptide hormone discovery and exploration

Department of Biology
Faculty of SCIENCE

University of Copenhagen

 

Start Date: December 15, 2025 (or as soon as possible thereafter)

The Department of Biology invites applications for a 3-year PhD  fellowship focused on the discovery and functional exploration of novel peptide hormones. This is an exciting opportunity to join a dynamic and interdisciplinary team at the forefront of endocrine and metabolic research.

The project

We are seeking a highly motivated and curious candidate to contribute to a cutting-edge project that integrates computational prediction, cell-based assays, and in vivo mouse models to identify and characterize novel peptide hormones. The goal is to uncover new regulators of metabolism with potential therapeutic relevance for obesity and related disorders.

Your Role

As part of our team, you will:

• Develop and refine computational pipelines for peptide hormone prediction.
• Conduct cell culture experiments to assess peptide bioactivity.
• Design and perform mouse studies to evaluate metabolic effects.
• Analyze and interpret experimental data using statistical and bioinformatics tools.
• Stay current with scientific literature and contribute to shaping future research directions.
• Present findings at lab meetings, conferences, and in publications.

 

Who We’re Looking For

We welcome applicants with a background in biology, biochemistry, biomedicine, bioinformatics, or computational biology, and a strong interest in endocrinology and metabolic disease.

Important Qualifications

• The perfect candidate would have experience in both wet lab (e.g., cell culture, molecular biology) and dry lab (e.g., scripting in R, Bash, or Python) environments. However, we encourage candidates with either wet or dry lab competences to apply.
• Comfortable working in a Linux environment and developing computational workflows.
• Familiarity with bioinformatics tools and databases.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication and collaboration abilities.

Desirable (but not required)

• FELASA certification and experience with mouse handling and experimental design.
• Knowledge of peptide hormone biology and metabolic regulation.
• Experience with metabolic assays and in vivo imaging techniques.

About Our Group

We are a newly established research group combining computational prediction models with experimental validation to discover novel peptide hormones. Our interdisciplinary approach leverages mammalian sequencing data, machine learning, and metabolic phenotyping to uncover new hormonal regulators with therapeutic potential.

We offer

• A collaborative and supportive research environment.
• Access to state-of-the-art facilities and resources.
• Opportunities for professional development and international collaboration.

If you're passionate about bridging computational biology with experimental science to tackle major health challenges, we encourage you to apply!

The group is a part of the department of Biology, Faculty of SCIENCE, University of Copenhagen. We are located in Copenhagen.

We offer creative and stimulating working conditions in dynamic and international research environment. Our buildings include modern laboratories and mouse facilities. Please contact the head of the hiring committee for any questions regarding the position:

1. Head of hiring committee Assistant Professor, Niels Banhos Danneskiold-Samsøe, Department of Biology, nds @ bio.ku.dk, phone: +45 26 44 97 22.
2. Principal supervisor Professor, Karsten Kristiansen, Department of Biology.

The PhD programme

Qualifications needed for the program
To be eligible for the regular PhD programme, you must have completed a degree programme, equivalent to a Danish master’s degree (180 ECTS/3 FTE BSc + 120 ECTS/2 FTE MSc) related to the subject area of the project. For information of eligibility of completed programmes, see General assessments for specific countries and Assessment database.

Terms of employment in the regular programme
Employment as PhD fellow is full time and for maximum 3 years.

Employment is conditional upon your successful enrolment as a PhD student at the PhD School at the Faculty of SCIENCE, University of Copenhagen. This requires submission and acceptance of an application for the specific project formulated by the applicant.

Terms of appointment and payment accord to the agreement between the Danish Ministry of Taxation and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations on Academics in the State. The position is covered by the Protocol on Job Structure.

Responsibilities and tasks in PhD program

• Complete and pass the MSc education in accordance with the curriculum of the MSc programme

 (ONLY when you are attending the integrated MSc and PhD programme)

• Carry through an independent research project under supervision

• Complete PhD courses corresponding to approx. 30 ECTS / ½ FTE
• Participate in active research environments, including a stay at another research institution, preferably abroad
• Teaching and knowledge dissemination activities
• Write scientific papers aimed at high-impact journals
• Write and defend a PhD thesis on the basis of your project

 

We are looking for the following qualifications:

• Professional qualifications relevant to the PhD project
• Relevant publications
• Relevant work experience
• Other relevant professional activities
• Curious mind-set with a strong interest in metabolism
• Good language skills

 

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Application and Assessment Procedure

Your application including all attachments must be in English and submitted electronically by clicking APPLY NOW below.

Please include: 

1. Motivated letter of application (max. one page)
2. Curriculum vitae including information about your education, experience, language skills and other skills relevant for the position
3. Original diplomas for Bachelor of Science or Master of Science and transcript of records in the original language, including an authorized English translation if issued in another 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.
4. Publication list (if possible)
5. Reference letters (if available)

Application deadline:

The deadline for applications is 4 August 2025, 23:59 GMT +2.

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 deadline, a number of applicants will be selected for academic assessment by an unbiased expert assessor. You are notified, whether you will be passed for assessment.

The assessor will assess the qualifications and experience of the shortlisted applicants with respect to the above mentioned research area, techniques, skills and other requirements. The assessor will conclude whether each applicant is qualified and, if so, for which of the two models. The assessed applicants will have the opportunity to comment on their assessment. You can read about the recruitment process at https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/.

 

Questions
For specific information about the PhD fellowship, please contact the head of the hiring comittee.

General information about PhD study at the Faculty of SCIENCE is available at the PhD School’s website: https://www.science.ku.dk/phd/.

The University of Copenhagen wishes to reflect the surrounding community and invites all regardless of personal background to apply for the position.