PhD fellowship in experimental hologenomics at the GLOBE Institute Full-time

PhD Studentship In Zebrafish Hologenomics

Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences

University of Copenhagen

We are looking for a highly motivated and dynamic candidate to fill a 3-year PhD studentship commencing September 1st, 2026, or as soon as possible thereafter. The student will apply CRISPR and epigenetics-based tools to work on zebrafish hologenomics at the Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics, GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen.

Our group and research

The Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics is funded by the Danish National Research Foundation to develop and implement state of the art 'omics and associated computational techniques, to address through experimental and theoretical research, four key themes underscoring life on earth. Specifically, these are: What is the relationship between a host's genome and the functional and taxonomic makeup of its associated microbial metagenome? Does this relationship explain ongoing ecological and evolutionary processes in the host? Could this relationship provide an alternate explanation to some of life's big transitions? And, how have we humans exploited this relationship? The Centre is embedded within the GLOBE Institute, that is part of the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Copenhagen.

Project description

The gut microbiome shapes the phenotype of vertebrate hosts, with profound consequences for their growth and health. There is now also an increasing interest in studying how the host controls the composition of its associated microbiome community. This project will use a zebrafish model system to study how certain host genes and associated epigenetic mechanisms play a role in controlling the zebrafish microbiome. The project will include a collaboration with Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences at University of Copenhagen including the application of CRISPR/Cas to generate novel gene knockout mutant lines of zebrafish. The application of novel confocal microscopy imaging methods, such as the GenomeFISH protocol, are expected to supplement spatial resolution of the gut microbiome community. The student is expected to combine these methods into a hologenomics approach to study the effect of specific genes as well as their epigenetic machinery in regulating the host associated microbiome dynamics. This PhD fellowship will be supervised by Assoc. Prof. Morten Limborg and Assoc. Prof. Louise von Gersdorff Jørgensen.

Principal supervisor is Assoc. Prof. Morten Limborg, Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics, the GLOBE Institute.

Start: 1st September 2026 or as soon thereafter

Duration: 3 years as a PhD fellow

Job description

Your key tasks as a PhD student at SUND are:

• Carrying through an independent research project under supervision.
• Completing PhD courses or other equivalent education corresponding to approximately 30 ECTS points.
• Participating in active research environments including a stay at another research team.
• Obtaining experience with teaching or other types of dissemination related to your PhD project
• Teaching and disseminating your knowledge.
• Writing a PhD thesis on the grounds of your 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 including evolutionary genomics and experimental microbial analyses. In this regard they must have demonstrable expertise with experimental biology, tissue sampling, generation and analysis of NGS based datasets, server-based bioinformatics analysis and preferably some knowledge of spectrometry-based imaging methods.

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 animal health, evolutionary biology and hologenomics
• Language skills

PhD Programme Description

The PhD programme is a three-year full-time research education within the framework of the 5+3 scheme, intended for candidates holding a relevant academic degree within the project's subject area (e.g., [relevant degrees: evolutionary biology, bioinformatics, molecular biology, microbial ecology]).

Qualifications

If you have completed your academic education in Denmark, the admission to the PhD programme requires a relevant Master's degree (equivalent to 180 ECTS BSc + 120 ECTS MSc).

If you have an academic education from abroad, you must have either a degree equivalent to a Danish master's degree (180 ETCS + 120 ECTS MSc), or at a minimum, a bachelor's degree equivalent to a Danish bachelor's degree (180 ECTS) and be academically qualified at master's level.

As part of the assessment of whether you meet the educational requirements, you must also achieve a positive academic evaluation and be assessed as the best qualified for the position.

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 animal health, evolutionary biology and hologenomics
• Language skills

Place of employment

The place of employment is at the Section for Hologenomics, GLOBE Institute], 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 molecular laboratories and advanced cluster-based compute infrastructure.

About Globe Institute

The Globe Institute is part of the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Copenhagen. The Institute's main purpose is to address basic scientific questions through interdisciplinary approaches. The institute operates at the intersection of natural and medical sciences and the humanities.

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 starting date is September 1st 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 31,200 DKK/Roughly 4,160 EUR (November 2025 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.

Application procedure

Your application must be submitted electronically by clicking 'Apply now' below. The application must include the following documents in PDF format:

• Motivated letter of application (max. one page)
• CV incl. education, experience, language skills and other skills relevant for the position
• 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.
• Publication list (if possible)

Application deadline: 1 May 2026, 23.59pm CET

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: