PhD fellowship in Biotechnology

the research project “De novo Minibinders and Cyclic Peptides as Anti-Infectives and Anti-Virulence Strategies Against Pathogenic Fungi”, which is financed by Novo Nordisk Foundation.

Start date is (expected to be) 1 August 2026, or as soon as possible thereafter.

The project

The PhD fellowship is part of a larger project aimed at developing novel fungicides to combat human pathogens. This specific project will focus on the use of new AI-based models for protein design. In particular, protein binders will be developed to target the fungal proton pump Pma1. The goal is to design, screen, identify, and characterize new protein binders capable of killing the fungal pathogen Candida albicans, without impacting vitality of human cells

The project is one of several in the lab working on designed protein binders and will therefore benefit greatly from already established workflows and protocols.

The project is carried out in collaboration with Mark Gresnigt (Group Leader at the Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology), whose lab has advanced microscopy setups for monitoring Candida albicans infection in human cell systems. Successful protein binders will be tested using these setups during a research exchange stay in his lab.

Who are we looking for?

We are seeking a highly motivated, curious, and ambitious PhD candidate. The candidate must have strong interpersonal and communication skills, and a very good level of spoken and written English. We encourage applications from candidates with some of the following competencies:

• Strong knowledge and interest protein chemistry.
• Experimental experience in molecular biology and protein purification.
• Experience with programs such as RFDiffusion, Bindcraft and BoltzGen
• Ability to translate theoretical scientific questions into practical experiments.
• Ability to analyse, organize, and interpret data.
• Show initiative, creativity, and critical thinking in experimental design and data interpretation.
• Are committed to high scientific standards and reproducible research.
• Ability to work independently and take initiative, good hands-on problem-solving skills, and the capacity to acquire new skills.
• Ability to actively contribute to a collaborative and supportive research team, and willingness to engage in collaborations, are essential.

Our group and research- and what do we offer?

The work will be carried out in the Fuglsang group (or Plant Signalling group) at the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences (https://plen.ku.dk/forskning/transportbiologi/plant-signaling/ ). This group has been working on fungal inhibitors for more than a decade and has recently moved into computational design of these.

The group is located at the Frederiksberg Campus, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences (https://plen.ku.dk ), Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen.

We offer creative and stimulating working conditions in a dynamic and international research environment. Our research facilities include modern laboratories and strong mentoring aa well as training opportunities.

1. Principal supervisor is Professor Anja Thoe Fuglsang, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, atf@plen.ku.dk
2. Co-supervisor is Assistant professor Frederik Tidemand, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, ft@plen.ku.dk

The 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., Biotechnology, Biochemistry, Biophysics or similar. 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.

Terms of appointment and payment accord to the agreement between the Danish Ministry of Taxation and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations on Academics in the State. The position is covered by the Protocol on Job Structure.

Responsibilities and tasks

• Carry through 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, especially with protein design, binder screening
• Curious mind-set
• Good 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:

1. Motivated letter of application (max. one page)
2. Curriculum vitae including information about your education, experience, language skills and other skills relevant for the position
3. Original diplomas for Bachelor of Science and Master of Science and transcript of records in the original language, including an authorized English translation if issued in another 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.
4. Publication list (if possible)
5. Reference letters (if available)

Application deadline:

The deadline for applications is 25 May 2026, 23:59 GMT +2.

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/.

Interviews with selected candidates are expected to be held in week 25.

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.