Call for applications for a fully financed PhD fellowship

Project description

The aim of the PhD project is to correlate activation stages of central microglia and peripheral macrophages at the single cell level in an advanced animal model of seeded alpha-synuclein aggregation to the inflammatory state of activated human iPSC derived microglia and macrophages to develop a set-up for qualifying and prioritising targets for potential treatment of Parkinson's Disease. 

More specifically the student will (i) Define microglia and macrophage subpopulations and their activation states in a well-established alpha-synuclein seeding model in mice (developing progressive alpha-synuclein pathology and microglia activation) at different stages of disease progression using single-cell RNA sequencing and more functional analysis (fx. cytokine analysis) (ii) Compare the transcriptomic profiles to stimulated human iPSC-derived microglia and macrophages in culture to understand what disease stage we can capture in vitro (iii) Rang-order microglia/macrophage targeting principles (small molecules and antibody tools) in vitro based on correction of gene expression and using functional assays (cytokine release, phagocytosis and migration) (iv) Apply the 1-2 most promising principles targeting microglia and macrophages to the in vivo model to build the correlation between the iPSC culture model and the effect on inflammation in vivo (v) Assess the effect of modulating the inflammatory state of microglia/macrophages on alpha-synuclein pathology development using methods based on new antibody tools.

The student will be enrolled at the Faculty of Health, Department of Biomedicine, University of Aarhus, Denmark with Prof. Marina Romero-Ramos (https://biomed.au.dk/research/neuroscience/research-leaders) as supervisor.

The candidate will be employed at H. Lundbeck A/S, Neuroscience Research (https://www.lundbeck.com/global) under daily supervision of Senior Director Karina Fog and the project is part of a newly funded EU-funded Horizon MSCA Doctoral Network; BICEPS _Beyond neuroInflammation: new Concepts to Elucidate the peripheral immune system's vital role in Parkinson's disease (http://www.membranetrafficking.com/biceps/index.html.).

Some travel between Aarhus and Copenhagen must be anticipated in relation to PhD courses.

Qualifications

Required selection criteria:

• Demonstrated knowledge on and passion for Neurobiology
• Ability to formulate a scientific hypothesis and suggest experiments that will inform on the strength 
• Completed Master’s degree in Biology, Biotechnology, Chemistry or similar
• Very good communication and collaboration skills and fluency in English

Preferred selection criteria:

• Experience to work with animal models
• Experience in working with cell cultures 
• Strong drive and excellent team-player
• Ability to work independently
• Proactive in sharing knowledge and seek scientific input 

Specific Requirements:

• Must not already hold a doctoral degree
• Must comply with the MSC Action mobility rule: not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Denmark for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately before the recruitment date.
• You must meet the requirements to be enrolled as a PhD student at the Faculty of Health, Biomedicine, University of Aarhus, Denmark (https://phd.health.au.dk/programmes/graduateprogrammes/biomedicine/dicine (au.dk)).

How to apply

Please submit your application via this link. Application deadline is 8 May 2025 23:59 CET. Preferred starting date is 1 June  2025.

For information about application requirements and mandatory attachments, please see our application guide.  

Further information

Please contact Professor Marina Romero-Ramos, mrr@biomed.au.dk, for more information.

All interested candidates are encouraged to apply, regardless of their personal background. Salary and terms of employment are in accordance with applicable collective agreement.