PhD project in clinical diabetic neuropathy at Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen

We are seeking a medical doctor for a vacant PhD position at the Department of Clinical and Translational Research at Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen (SDCC). The candidate will be part of the Translational Type 1 Diabetes Research group headed by Professor Flemming Pociot.

About the Translational Type 1 Diabetes Research group
The group currently consists of approx. 30 researchers divided into three research teams. Our research spans from cellular disease models to biomarkers and clinical intervention trials. The PhD candidate will join a research team lead by senior researcher Joachim Størling. The team involves PhD students, postdocs, lab technicians, and master’s students. The team is highly experienced in biomarker discovery using state-of-the-art mass spectrometry (MS)-based omics analyses including lipidomics, metabolomics, and proteomics. We specialize in biomarkers that can be used for clinical decision-making (personalized medicine) and to discover novel mechanisms to target in disease.

About the Project
The PhD project is part of a larger project aiming at identifying early biomarkers of distal symmetrical polyneuropathy in type 1 diabetes – a late complication that develops in many patients. The PhD candidate will become a central part of the project together with several postdocs and be able to influence real-life diagnostics applied to patients at SDCC. The PhD project is divided into two arms. The first year the candidate will work with longitudinal registry data pulled from SDCC and permission approvals to conduct follow-up studies. The last two years, the candidate will hand-in-hand with researchers from Steno Diabetes Center North Jutland (SDCN, Aalborg) be dedicated to patient recruitment and collection of samples for testing the analytical setup and clinical applicability of the new biomarkers. Your main place of work will be SDCC with short-term visits to SDCN and one international stay.

The Position
You are expected to lead the clinical side of the project and contribute to dissemination of the results. You will work with a positive mindset and dedicated to creating reproducible high-quality research that can translate into practice-changing and personalized treatment for the benefit of patients.

We are looking for a candidate with:

• A medical background (M.D.)
• An interest in diabetes and related complications
• An interest in omics-based research and drive for translational science
• An interest or experience in clinical protocol writing
• Preferred experience in recruitment of patients
• Preferred track record of first-author publications

What we offer
We offer a career path that promotes taking a key role in clinical research projects. We have close interaction with clinicians for patient-related research and an international network with industry and academia for collaborative opportunities. Beside the PhD project leadership, there will be opportunities/obligations to supervise, apply for funding, and develop managing skills.

Recruitment and employment
As part of the recruitment procedure the candidate’s qualifications will be assessed by an academic assessment committee. The employment is in accordance with the Capital Regions collective agreements.

Contact and Information
Applications for the position are accepted online until December 18, 2024. Interviews are expected to be held soon after the deadline and starting date of employment will be January/February 2025. We welcome applications from all candidates with the relevant professional background and qualifications. We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive highly qualified applicant for the position. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible. For further information about the position, please contact Joachim Størling (+45 30913399, joachim.stoerling@regionh-dk).

About Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen
Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen (SDCC) is among the largest specialized diabetes hospitals in Europe, treating annually more than 11,000 children and adults with diabetes. The research staff at SDCC comprises more 150 researchers.

Department:
Borgmester Ib Juuls Vej 83, Herlev

Lokation: Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen