A PhD position in Kidney Engineering at reNEW Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences University of Copenhagen

The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Medicine (reNEW) at Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Copenhagen is looking for a PhD candidate to join the Little group starting 1 April 2025 or upon agreement. You will be part of an interdisciplinary team involved in the engineering of human stem cell-derived kidney tissue.

The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Medicine, reNEW
reNEW is an international consortium of three leading research institutions; the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute in Melbourne, Australia, and Leiden University Medical Center in Leiden, The Netherlands. The Mission of reNEW is to bring together research excellence to harness the therapeutic potential in stem cell medicine. For this, researchers within reNEW address fundamental questions in stem cell and developmental biology and aim to translate research findings to products that will help patients with incurable disorders such as congenital kidney disorders, chronic ulcerative disorders, neurological disorders, and diabetes.

Information on the department can be found at: https://renew.ku.dk

Our research
In the group of Professor Melissa Little, we use our underlying knowledge of normal kidney development to direct the differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells to kidney organoids. These stem cell-derived tissues are used to better understand human development, model genetics forms of kidney disease and evaluate options for the treatment of end stage renal disease.

Job description
We are seeking an enthusiastic and outstanding PhD candidate with a background in bioengineering, expertise in pluripotent stem cell culture and experience in cellular bioprinting.

Key activities include:

• Developing novel biomaterials
• Optimising cellular bioprinting
• Differentiating pluripotent stem cells to human urogenital tissues
• Engineering models of the developing urinary tract

Qualifications

• Master's degree in Engineering
• Previous experience with cellular bioprinting of kidney cells
• Previous experience with human pluripotent stem cell culture
• Experience with novel biomaterial generation
• A solution-oriented, organizational and positive mindset is required.
• The ability to work in a highly collaborative international environment both independently and as part of the team is essential.
• Fluency in English is essential.

We offer

• A stimulating, challenging and multifaceted research environment.
• A supportive team to work and collaborate with.
• Possibilities for continued education and training.
• Attractive employment conditions.
• Centrally located workplace.

Place of employment
The place of employment is at the ReNEW, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen. We offer creative and stimulating working conditions in dynamic and international research environment.

Terms of salary, work, and 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. The start date is 1 April 2025 or after agreement..

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 formulated by the applicant.

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.

Salary, pension and terms of employment are in accordance with the agree­ment between the Ministry of Taxation and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations on Academics in the State. Depending on seniority, the monthly salary starts at approximately 30,000 DKK/Roughly 4,000 EUR plus pension.

We encourage all - regardless of their personal background and status - to apply.

Questions
For further information please contact Melissa H Little; e-mail [email protected]; https://renew.ku.dk/research/reseach-groups/little-group/

Foreign applicants may find this link useful: www.ism.ku.dk (International Staff Mobility).

Application procedure
Your application must be submitted in English electronically by clicking ‘Apply now’ below. The application must include the following documents in PDF format:

1. Motivated letter of application (max. one page)

2. CV incl. education, experience, language skills and other skills relevant for the position

3. 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

4. Publication list (if possible)

Application deadline: 27 January 2025, 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 him/herself.

You find information about the recruitment process at: https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/

The applicants will be assessed according to the Ministerial Order no. 242 of 13 March 2012 on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Universities.

Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the oldest university in Denmark. It is among the largest universities in Scandinavia and is one of the highest ranking in Europe. The University´s eight faculties include Health Sciences, Humanities, Law, Life Sciences, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Science, Social Sciences and Theology. www.ku.dk

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.

Info
Ansøgningsfrist: 27-01-2025

Ansættelsesdato: 01-04-2025

Arbejdstid: Fuldtid

Afdeling/Sted: reNEW NNF Center for Stem Cell Medicine