The Dept. of Neurosurgery, Dept. of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University is offering a fully funded PhD scholarship with expected enrollment 1 September 2025. The project will be carried out at Dept. of Neurosurgery, Aarhus University Hospital and conducted in close collaboration with the Departments of Neurology, Nuclear Medicine & PET and Neuroradiology.
The main purpose of this project is to assess the effect of MR-guided focused ultrasound
thalamotomy (MRgFUSTh) in a well-characterized cohort of Parkinson’s Disease (PD) patients with tremor. While MRgFUSTh has long-lasting effects in patients with essential tremor,
approximately 20% of patients with PD experience recurrence of the symptoms within 1-2 years of
the treatment. A clinical audit suggests that patients with tremor symptoms which decrease upon levodopa treatment may have a lower chance of achieving a long-lasting clinical response to MRgFUSTh treatments. We aim to investigate how brain circuit dysfunctions, including dopaminergic dysfunctions, affect the clinical efficiency of MRgFUSTh in PD patients.
We expect the results from this study will help identify pharmacological/imaging biomarkers at baseline that could be predictive of a favourable MRgFUSTh outcome in PD patients and, therefore, influence and improve how we select patients for the procedure. We also expect that results from this study will have important clinical and health-economic implications, as they will improve the current understanding of the clinical benefits and side-effect profile of unilateral MRgFUSTh for PD tremor which can lead to a better selection of PD patients for this procedure, and, possibly, identify strategies to improve outcomes in all patients.
As a PhD student, you will contribute to the overall planning and execution of the project to ensure the logistical flow in a protocolled control regime. You will be involved in all phases of the project under the supervision of the supervisor group. This includes the design of the final experimental protocol, obtaining approvals from relevant authorities and the recruitment and inclusion of trial participants. You will be in charge of the clinical checks of patients with tremor dominant PD and perform levodopa tests on the patients. You will also take part in the imaging, MRgFUS treatment, follow-up of patients and will register and evaluate patient data in RedCAP and carry out the statistical analysis of the data. We expect you to disseminate your research results at national and international meetings and conferences during the project. As a PhD student, you are furthermore expected to teach, follow courses and write scientific articles. The PhD project will provide a broad introduction to clinical research that is applicable across medical specialties and a high level of formalized academic training.
The candidate must have a Master's degree in Medicine or be about to finish the Master’s degree programme in Medicine. The candidate must speak and write a Scandinavian language fluently and be highly proficient in oral and written English. Good social skills and ability to work in a team is needed. Clinical experience within a relevant specialty such as neurology, or neurosurgery is preferred but not required. The assignment is in a multidisciplinary setting (neurology, neurosurgery, neuropsychology, PET-imaging, MR-imaging). We will prioritize candidates that are acquianted with one of the mentioned multidisciplinary settings. Likewise, previous research experience, like a research year, is also preferred but not required. The candidate will need a high level of motivation, responsibility, flexibility and ability to work independently. The supervisor team will ensure that the candidate is trained and supervised in the project’s tasks.
The candidate will be employed full-time at Aarhus University. The daily workplace is Aarhus University Hospital, Department of Neurosurgery, Palle Juul Jensens Boulevard 165 J, 8200
Aarhus N.
Please submit your application via this link. Application deadline is 2 June 2025 23:59 CET.
Interviews will take place in weeks 25 or 26.
For information about application requirements and mandatory attachments, please see our application guide.
For more information, please contact Associate Professor Andreas Nørgaard Glud, andglu@rm.dk.
All interested candidates are encouraged to apply, regardless of their personal background. Salary and terms of employment are in accordance with applicable collective agreement.
