PhD fellowship in Metabolic Control of Glucose Utilization and Homeostasis Full-time NEW

PhD Fellow Position at the University of Copenhagen

The University of Copenhagen is seeking a highly motivated and talented PhD fellow to commence November 15, 2026, or after agreement, in the Sakamoto Group at the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research (CBMR), University of Copenhagen.

About CBMR

The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research (CBMR) is an academic research center that pioneers groundbreaking research towards better cardiometabolic health. Through collaborative interdisciplinary research from single-cell genomics to whole-body systems, CBMR aims to transform the basic understanding of cardiometabolic health and accelerate its translation into prevention and treatment strategies. The center's uniquely multi- and interdisciplinary approach combines research in genetics, physiology and pharmacology, to better understand the complex interplay of the many factors that drive cardiometabolic disease.

CBMR was established in 2010 at the Faculty of Health & Medical Sciences and has been located in the Maersk Tower at Panum since 2017. The around 260 employees create an international, highly collaborative research environment across disciplines.

Our Group and Research

The overarching aim of the Sakamoto Group is to elucidate molecular mechanisms governing cellular energy sensing, as well as the maintenance of metabolic homeostasis. Our ultimate goal is to identify therapeutic targets and their small-molecules or peptide-based modulators capable of restoring energy balance in cardiometabolic disease. Our research focuses on how post-translational modifications—particularly reversible phosphorylation—and allosteric regulation of signaling proteins and metabolic enzymes contribute to metabolic control. We also investigate how disruptions in these processes drive the development and progression of cardiometabolic diseases. To address these questions, we employ a multidisciplinary approach and collaborate with leading national and international experts. We are equally committed to fostering a supportive and dynamic research environment, with a strong emphasis on the training and professional development of early-career scientists.

Project Description

Maintenance of energy and glucose homeostasis is essential for metabolic health. Our group has previously shown that glucose utilization in skeletal muscle and liver is governed by coordinated regulation through reversible phosphorylation and allosteric control, using novel knock-in mouse models expressing metabolic enzymes carrying phospho-deficient or allosteric modulator-binding-deficient mutations. This project will focus on defining how glucose phosphorylation by hexokinase 2, together with its allosteric negative feedback regulation, controls skeletal muscle glucose flux and utilization in vivo, and how this contributes to whole-body glucose homeostasis under both physiological and pathophysiological conditions. The successful candidate will perform biochemical analyses combined with structure-guided mutagenesis (cell-free and cell-based assays) to identify allosteric modulator-resistant mutants, as well as in vivo preclinical studies in multiple genetic mouse models, including metabolic phenotyping and assessment of glucose homeostasis.

Principal supervisor is Professor Kei Sakamoto, email: kei.sakamoto@sund.ku.dk

Start: November 15, 2026

Duration: 3 years as 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, e.g. biochemistry, physiology, pharmacology, molecular biomedicine. Please note that your master's degree must be equivalent to a Danish master's degree (two years).

Other important criteria are:

• Hands-on experience in performing cell culture experiments (e.g. transfection/gene editing, drug treatment), biochemical/metabolic analysis (e.g. enzyme assays, metabolomics) and cell signaling (e.g. Western blotting, proteomics)
• Hands-on experience in conducting in vivo preclinical studies and metabolic phenotyping (FELASA certified or similar)
• Ability to manage and analyze complex data sets
• A curious and critical mindset with strong self-motivation to develop new knowledge and treatment for complex cardiometabolic diseases
• Ability to work independently and work as a team player
• Excellent English communication skills, both written and oral

Place of Employment

The place of employment is at Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Maersk Tower, Panum Institute, University of Copenhagen. We offer creative and stimulating working conditions in dynamic and international research environment.

Terms of Employment

The average weekly working hours are 37 hours per week.

The position as PhD student is a fixed-term position limited to a period of 3 years. The start date is November 15, 2026, or after agreement.

The employment is conditioned upon the applicant's successful enrollment 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.

Application Procedure

Your application must be submitted electronically by clicking 'Apply for position' 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's diploma 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)

Application deadline: August 10, 2026, 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. 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 can read about the recruitment process at www.employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process.

The applicant will be assessed according to Ministerial Order No. 242 of March 13, 2012, on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Universities.

The University of Copenhagen wishes to reflect the diversity of society and welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of their personal backgrounds.