We are offering a PhD fellowship in radiopharmaceutical chemistry commencing 1.11.2026 or as soon as possible hereafter.

Our group and research
The Herth Group focuses on the development of innovative radiopharmaceutical drugs for both diagnosis and therapy. Our research spans the design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of novel radiotracers and radiotherapeutics, with the goal of improving the precision and effectiveness of nuclear medicine. In particular, we have developed pretargeted strategies that enable highly selective delivery of radioactive payloads to disease sites, offering new opportunities for molecular imaging and targeted radionuclide therapy. Through a combination of chemistry, biology, and translational research, we aim to advance next-generation radiopharmaceuticals from concept to clinical application.

Project description
Glioblastoma remains one of the most challenging cancers to treat due to its aggressive nature and the limited efficacy of current therapeutic approaches. Pretargeted radioimmunotherapy offers a promising strategy to improve tumor targeting while reducing radiation exposure to healthy tissues.

This PhD project will focus on the development of novel pretargeted radiopharmaceuticals for imaging and therapy of glioblastoma by targeting the urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR). The project will utilize bioorthogonal tetrazine ligation chemistry to enable selective in vivo targeting and will investigate the use of fluorine-18 for imaging as well as iodine-131 and astatine-211 for targeted radionuclide therapy.

The successful candidate will design and synthesize new tetrazine-based radioligands with improved stability, including the development of novel tetrazine scaffolds resistant to deastatination. The project will further involve radiolabeling, characterization, and optimization of these compounds, as well as exploration of strategies to improve target-to-background ratios. In parallel, site-specific conjugation approaches will be developed for anti-uPAR antibodies to generate highly defined pretargeting agents.

The PhD student will work closely with an interdisciplinary team within the PreBreach project, combining expertise in radiochemistry, protein engineering, biology, and molecular imaging. Biological evaluation and in vivo studies will be performed in collaboration with project partners, providing a unique opportunity to contribute to the development of next-generation radiopharmaceutical therapies for brain cancer.

Principal supervisor is Prof. Matthias Herth, Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, E-mail: [email protected]
Start: 1.11.2026

Duration: 3 years as a PhD student

Job description
Your key tasks as a PhD student at SUND are:

• Carrying through an independent research project under supervision.
• Designing, synthesizing, and characterizing novel tetrazine/TCO-based radiopharmaceuticals for pretargeted imaging and therapy of glioblastoma.
• Developing and optimizing radiolabeling methods using fluorine-18, iodine-131, and astatine-211
• Investigating strategies to improve target-to-background ratios and therapeutic efficacy in pretargeted radioimmunotherapy.
• Developing site-specific antibody conjugation approaches and contributing to the production and characterization of anti-uPAR targeting constructs.
• Collaborating with researchers across chemistry, biology, protein engineering, and molecular imaging within the PreBreach project.
• Participating in the biological evaluation of radiopharmaceuticals, including in vitro and in vivo studies in collaboration with project partners.
• Completing PhD courses or other equivalent education corresponding to approximately 30 ECTS points.
• Participating in active research environments, including a research stay at another national or international research institution.
• Obtaining experience with teaching, supervision, or other dissemination activities related to the PhD project.
• Presenting research findings at national and international conferences and publishing results in peer-reviewed scientific journals.
• Writing and defending a PhD thesis based on the research project.

Key criteria for the assessment of applicants
Applicants must have qualifications corresponding to a master’s degree related to the subject area of the project, e.g. medicinal chemistry or radiopharmaceutical chemistry. Please note that your master’s degree must be equivalent to a Danish master’s degree.

Other important criteria are:

• The grade point average achieved
• Professional qualifications relevant to the PhD project
• Previous publications
• Relevant work experience
• Other professional activities
• A curious mind-set with a strong interest in radiopharmaceuticals and CNS disorders
• Language skills

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. We offer creative and stimulating working conditions in dynamic and international research environment. Our research facilities include modern laboratories and up-to-date imaging facilities.

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.

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.

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 28,896 DKK/roughly 3,877 EUR (April 2023 level) plus pension.

Questions
For specific information about the PhD fellowship, please contact the principal supervisor.

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/

Application procedure
Your application must be submitted 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. Applicants with a Master´s degree from abroad should also enclose a short description of the grading scale used.

4. Publication list (if possible)

Application deadline: 24.07.2023, 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.

Interviews are expected to be held in the end of August.

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
Matthias Manfred Herth
E-mail: [email protected]

Info
Ansøgningsfrist: 24-07-2026

Ansættelsesdato: 01-11-2026

Arbejdstid: Fuldtid

Afdeling/Sted: Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology