PhD fellowship in epidemiology at the Eye Translational Research Unit

We are hiring a highly motivated and responsible PhD student to join the Eye Translational Research Unit at the University of Copenhagen to be part of the “Finding Ophthalmic Risk and Evaluating the Value of Eye exams and their Predictive Reliability” (FOREVER) project (https://forever.ku.dk/). The position starts on 1 January 2025.

Our research
The FOREVER project is building the largest database of eye examination and health data in Scandinavia to study and improve eye health and general health in the aging population. The unique database, consisting of comprehensive eye examinations, questionnaire responses, blood pressure measurements and genetic information, is built in close collaboration with Synoptik A/S, unikk.me and the FOREVER consortium. In addition, data from nationwide health registries will also be included in the near future.

Principal supervisor
Professor Miriam Kolko, Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology

Start
1 January 2025Duration
3 years as a PhD student

Your area of responsibility
In collaboration with a team of students and experienced researchers, you will be responsible for:

• Conducting independent research studies under supervision
• Investigating the impact of vascular changes on the development of vision-threatening eye diseases using the QUARTZ algorithm for vascular feature extraction
• Investigating various aspects of correlation between self-reported health, self-reported vision and vision concerns
• Collaborating on a thorough description of the FOREVER cohort
• Drafting manuscripts and presenting research results at meetings and conferences
• Contribute to the conceptualization and preparation of funding applications
• Completing PhD courses or other equivalent education corresponding to approximately 30 ECTS points
• Participating in active research environments including a stay at another research team, preferably abroad
• Obtaining experience with teaching or other types of dissemination related to your PhD project
• Teaching of undergraduate students in pharmaceutical sciences
• Writing a PhD thesis on the grounds of your project
• Contribute to the continued success of Project FOREVER by, among other things, proposing and implementing optimized processes and recruitment strategies

Your Profile
We are looking for candidates with:

• A strong interest in epidemiology
• Prior publication experience (preferable but not a requirement)
• Experience using R, SAS, Python or a similar statistical programming language
• Strong epidemiological skills in designing research studies and building statistical models
• A high level of motivation
• A team player personality who values sharing knowledge with colleagues and collaborators
• Professional qualifications relevant to the PhD project are an advantage
• Excellent written and communication skills in English

Applicants must have qualifications corresponding to a master’s degree related to the subject area of the project, e.g. health sciences, medical sciences, public health, optometry or a related field. Please note that your master’s degree must be equivalent to a Danish master’s degree (two years).

Place of Employment
The place of employment is at the Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen. Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology is committed to research-based teaching and interdisciplinary research that supports the development and understanding of chemical and pharmacological properties of drugs and drug targets. We work as a part of a dynamic academic community of research, education and innovation within the Pharmaceutical Sciences bridging Health Sciences and Life Sciences.

Information about the Department can be found at https://drug.ku.dk/.

Additional information on the Eye Translational Research Unit can be found here: https://drug.ku.dk/disciplines/translational-pharmacology/eyetru.

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 commencing 1 January 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 to the Graduate School of Health and Medical Sciences.

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. The PhD student is expected to be affiliated to the graduate programme in pharmaceutical sciences, Drug Research Academy.

Salary, pension, and terms of employment are in accordance with the agreement between the Ministry of Finance and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations on Academics in the State. Depending on seniority, the monthly salary starts at approximately 30,700 DKK/roughly 4,100 EUR (April 2024 level) plus pension.

Application procedure
Your application, in English, must be submitted electronically by clicking “Apply now” below and must include the following documents in PDF format:

• Motivated letter of application (max. one page)
• CV incl. education, experience, language skills and other skills relevant for the position
• 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. Applicants with a Master´s degree from abroad should also enclose a short description of the grading scale used
• Publication list (if applicable)
• Other information to consider: References and recommendations (if possible)

The deadline for applications is 24 October 2024, 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.

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 early November.

You can read about the recruitment process at https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/

Questions
For further information, applicants may contact the principal supervisor Miriam Kolko, e-mail: [email protected], phone: +45 29807667 or PhD coordinator Marianne W. Jørgensen, e-mail: [email protected], phone: +45 35336449.

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/

For more information on working and living in Denmark visit http://ism.ku.dk (International staff mobility) and https://www.workindenmark.dk.

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

Københavns Universitet giver sine knap 10.000 medarbejdere muligheder for at udnytte deres talent fuldt ud i et ambitiøst, uformelt miljø. Vi sikrer traditionsrige og moderne rammer om uddannelser og fri forskning på højt internationalt niveau. Vi søger svar og løsninger på fælles problemer og gør ny viden tilgængelig og nyttig for andre.

Kontakt
Miriam Kolko
E-mail: [email protected]

Info
Ansøgningsfrist: 24-10-2024

Ansættelsesdato: 01-01-2025

Arbejdstid: Fuldtid

Afdeling/Sted: Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology