PhD fellowship in analytical chemistry

PhD Project in plant and microbial metabolomics, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of SCIENCE, University of Copenhagen

Section for Environmental Chemistry and Physics invites applicants for a PhD fellowship in environmental analytical chemistry.

Start date is 1 April 2024 or as soon as possible thereafter. The place of employment will be at Campus Frederiksberg in central Copenhagen.

About the position

The PhD position will focus mostly on analysis of metabolite fingerprints of plant leaf samples and microbial isolate samples. You will become part of the NNF-funded project The Matrix, which aims to develop a scalable system-based strategy to harness the functional potential of plant microbiomes for improving crop resilience. Within this framework, your work will focus on the development of gas chromatography based methods and data science workflows for analysis of plant and microbial VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) as well as primary and secondary metabolites. You will develop methods for a wide-scope target and non-target screening of samples, including workflows for peak detection and identification combined with multivariate data analysis. A main part of the project will relate to evaluation of effects of chemical, physical and biologicals stressors on the metabolome of wheat plants; as well as unravelling the chemical interactome of plant and microbes at the wheat phyllosphere. We expect the qualified candidate to further define the plan for the PhD within the first three months of employment.

Who are we looking for?

We are looking for candidates within the field of analytical chemistry who are interested in working in strong collaboration with plant scientists, microbiologist and data scientists. Applicants can have a background from chemistry, environmental sciences, plant sciences, or related fields, with practical experience from analytical chemistry and untargeted chemical analysis. As the project spans disciplinary fields, candidates are expected to be enthusiastic about working in an interdisciplinary environment and be familiar with interdisciplinary research approaches.

About us

You will become part of the Research Group in Analytical Chemistry, which is a part of the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences at the Faculty of SCIENCE. We are a very dynamic group of approximately 30 people working on various aspects of analytical chemistry, from targeted approaches to chemical fingerprinting of a wide range of sample matrices. We offer creative and stimulating working conditions in an international research environment.

Principal supervisor is Professor Jan H. Christensen, Section for Environmental Chemistry and Physics, [email protected] , phone: +4535332456.

The PhD programme

Depending on 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.

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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, environmental science, or plant science. 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.

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 Chemistry, Environmental Science or Biology.

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 150 working hours per year.
A PhD grant portion is currently 6.820 DKK before tax.

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 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
• Other relevant professional activities
• Curious mind-set with a strong interest in analytical chemistry and understanding biological matrices
• Good language skills

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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 (max. one page)

A preliminary PhD plan (1-2 pages)

Curriculum vitae including information about your education, experience, language skills and other skills relevant for the position

Original diplomas for Bachelor of Science or 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.

Publication list (if possible)

Reference letters (if available)

Application deadline:

The deadline for applications is  14 January 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.

Part of the International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU), and among Europe’s top-ranking universities, the University of Copenhagen promotes research and teaching of the highest international standard. Rich in tradition and modern in outlook, the University gives students and staff the opportunity to cultivate their talent in an ambitious and informal environment. An effective organisation – with good working conditions and a collaborative work culture – creates the ideal framework for a successful academic career.