PhD fellowship in Plant Biochemistry

The Insitute of Plant and Environmental Sciences invites applicants for a PhD fellowship in plant natural product biosynthesis or transport.

The start date is 01.08.2024 or as soon as possible thereafter.

The project
Plant natural products represent a vast array of useful molecules including pharmaceutical drugs, nutraceuticals, colorants, and fragances. However, some natural products that accumulate in edible crops can interfere with human nutrition. Very little is know about how these “anti-nutrients” are made and moved around in their respective crop plants. Uncovering the molecular basis of anti-nutrient biosynthesis and transport will enable the design of future crops with improved nutritional profiles.

Who are we looking for?
We are looking for candidates within the fields of chemistry, biochemistry, molecular biology, or biotechnology, who wish to join a dynamic research group working on anti-nutrients in promising legume crops. Applicants can have a background in natural product synthesis, elucidation of metabolic pathways, discovery & characterization of transporters, or nutritional improvement of crops using biotechnology.

Our group and research- and what do we offer?
The successful applicant will join the Geu-Flores group, which specializes in the biosynthesis and transport of alkaloids in plants, including quinolizidine alkaloids in lupins and favism-causing agents in faba bean. The transport work will be carried out in collaboration with the Nour-Eldin group. Metabolite imaging can be accessed through collaboration with the Bjarnholt group.

The Geu-Flores group is a part of the Section for Plant Biochemistry, which hosts several research groups working on plant natural product biosynthesis, including cyanogenic glucosides, terpenoids, and saponins. The Section belongs to the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, which hosts eight Sections spanning from molecular biology to crop science and environmental chemistry.

We offer creative and stimulating working conditions in a dynamic and international research environment. Our research facilities include modern laboratories, plant growth facilities, and a metabolomics platform hosted within the Section.

The principal supervisor is Associate Professor Fernando Geu-Flores, [email protected], +45-60571982.

The PhD programme

Depending of your level of education, you can undertake the PhD programme as either:

Option A: A three year full-time study within the framework of the regular PhD programme (5+3 scheme), if you already have an education equivalent to a relevant Danish master’s degree.

Option B: An up to five year full-time study programme within the framework of the integrated MSc and PhD programme (the 3+5 scheme), if you do not have an education equivalent to a relevant Danish master´s degree – but you have an education equivalent to a Danish bachelors´s degree.

Option A: Getting into a position on the regular PhD programme

Qualifications needed for the regular programme
To be eligible for the regular PhD programme, you must have completed a degree programme, equivalent to a Danish master’s degree (180 ECTS/3 FTE BSc + 120 ECTS/2 FTE MSc) related to the subject area of the project, e.g. chemistry, biochemistry or molecular biology. For information of eligibility of completed programmes, see General assessments for specific countries and Assessment database.

Terms of employment in the regular programme
Employment as PhD fellow is full time and for maximum 3 years.

Employment is conditional upon your successful enrolment as a PhD student at the PhD School at the Faculty of SCIENCE, University of Copenhagen. This requires submission and acceptance of an application for the specific project formulated by the applicant.

The terms of employment and salary are in accordance to the agreement between the Ministry of Finance and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations on Academics in the State (AC). The position is covered by the Protocol on Job Structure.

Option B: Getting into a position on the integrated MSc and PhD programme

Qualifications needed for the integrated MSc and PhD programme

If you do not have an education equivalent to a relevant Danish master´s degree, you might be qualified for the integrated MSc and PhD programme, if you have an education equivalent to a relevant Danish bachelor´s degree. Here you can find out, if that is relevant for you: General assessments for specific countries and Assessment database.

Terms of the integrated programme
To be eligible for the integrated scholarship, you are (or are eligible to be) enrolled at one of the faculty’s master programmes in biotechnology.

Students on the integrated programme will enroll as PhD students simultaneously with completing their enrollment in this MSc degree programme.

The duration of the integrated programme is up to five years, and depends on the amount of credits that you have passed on your MSc programme. For further information about the study programme, please see: www.science.ku.dk/phd, “Study Structures”.

Until the MSc degree is obtained, (when exactly two years of the full 3+5 programme remains), the grant will be paid partly in the form of 48 state education grant portions (in Danish: “SU-klip”) plus salary for work (teaching, supervision etc.) totalling a workload of at least 150 working hours per year.
A PhD grant portion is DKK 6,243.

When you have obtained the MSc degree, you will transfer to the salary-earning part of the scholarship for a period of two years. At that point, the terms of employment and payment will be according to the agreement between the Ministry of Finance and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations on Academics in the State (AC). The position is covered by the Protocol on Job Structure.

Responsibilities and tasks in both PhD programmes

• Complete and pass the MSc education in accordance with the curriculum of the MSc programme (ONLY when you are attending the integrated MSc and PhD programme)
• Carry out an independent research project under supervision
• Complete PhD courses corresponding to approx. 30 ECTS / ½ FTE
• Participate in active research environments, including a stay at another research institution, preferably abroad
• Teaching and knowledge dissemination activities
• Write scientific papers aimed at high-impact journals
• Write and defend a PhD thesis on the basis of your project

We are looking for the following qualifications:

• Professional qualifications relevant to the PhD project
• Relevant publications
• Relevant work experience
• Other relevant professional activities
• Curious mind-set with a strong interest in the research field
• Excellent English language skills

Application and Assessment Procedure
Your application including all attachments must be in English and submitted electronically by clicking APPLY NOW below.

Please include:

• Motivated letter of application, including any preferences for working on biosynthesis or transport
• Curriculum vitae including information about your education, experience, language skills and other skills relevant for the position
• Original diplomas for BSc and MSc degrees and transcript of records in the original language, including an authorized English translation if issued in a language other than English or Danish. If the latest degree has not been completed, please include a certified/signed copy of a recent transcript of records and a written statement from the institution or supervisor.
• Publication list (if possible)
• Reference letters (if available)

Application deadline:
The deadline for applications is Sunday 17 March 2024, 23:59 GMT+1.

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 deadline, a number of applicants will be selected for academic assessment by an unbiased expert assessor. You are notified, whether you will be passed for assessment.

The assessor will assess the qualifications and experience of the shortlisted applicants with respect to the above mentioned research area, techniques, skills and other requirements. The assessor will conclude whether each applicant is qualified and, if so, for which of the two models. The assessed applicants will have the opportunity to comment on their assessment. You can read about the recruitment process at http://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/.

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

General information about PhD study at the Faculty of SCIENCE is available at the PhD School’s website: https://www.science.ku.dk/phd/.

The University of Copenhagen wishes to reflect the surrounding community and invites all regardless of personal background to apply for the position.