PhD fellowship in pharmaceutical physical chemistry Full-time

Pharmaceutical Physical Chemistry PhD Fellowship

We are offering a three-year PhD fellowship in pharmaceutical physical chemistry focused on molecular studies of permeation enhancers in oral peptide delivery commencing 1 November 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter.

The project is part of the newly established research centre ESS Lighthouse: Colloids and Interfaces in Food and Pharma – CaIFF, funded by Danish Agency for Higher Education and Natural Science.

Project description

The PhD project focuses on the molecular mechanisms by which small-molecule permeation enhancers increase the absorption of peptide-based therapeutics across the gastrointestinal epithelium. Oral peptide delivery is one of the major challenges in pharmaceutical science, and the chemical and biophysical basis of permeation enhancement remains poorly understood. The aim of this project is to combine biophysical methods, model membrane systems, epithelial permeation assays, and advanced microscopy to provide new molecular insight into oral peptide delivery mediated by penetration enhancers and to support the rational design of improved permeation enhancers candidates.

The PhD candidate will investigate how permeation enhancers interact with model membranes, how they alter membrane structure and dynamics, and how these changes may facilitate the translocation of peptide drugs. This molecular-level work will be complemented by epithelial permeation and other cell-based assays, as well as by confocal microscopy, linking information from simplified model systems to behaviour in cellular systems. The project combines a range of experimental biophysical methods, including lab-based techniques and experiments at large-scale neutron and X-ray scattering facilities in Europe.

Key tasks include:

• Developing assays based on model membranes using surface-sensitive techniques and bulk solution methods to probe the effects of permeation enhancers on lipid bilayers
• Investigating effects of permeation enhancers on model lipid membranes as a function of lipid composition, permeation enhancer properties, and ambient conditions
• Carrying out X-ray and neutron scattering experiments at large-scale facilities to obtain molecular-level insight into membrane interactions of permeation enhancers
• Correlating molecular-level results from model systems with those from epithelial cell permeability and other cell-based assays, as well as with confocal microscopy
• Identifying mode(s)-of-action for permeation enhancers employed in current oral peptide formulations, and use of this knowledge in the design of new enhancers with improved performance

The PhD project is embedded in the interdisciplinary CaIFF centre, involving research groups at the Department of Pharmacy, University of Copenhagen, the Department of Food Science, University of Copenhagen, and the Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University. As such, it will involve close interaction with researchers within the center and across the Department of Pharmacy.

The position includes regular visits to large-scale facilities in Lund, Grenoble, and Oxford, as well as an international research stay at a leading pharmaceutical science laboratory in Urbino, Italy.

The project will provide the PhD student with strong interdisciplinary training in biophysical methods applied to pharmaceutical research. It addresses a major challenge in drug delivery with clear relevance for the development of future peptide-based medicines.

Supervisors

Professor Martin Malmsten, Department of Pharmacy, Director ESS Lighthouse: Colloids and Interfaces in Food and Pharma, and Director of LEO Center for Cutaneous Drug Delivery Email: martin.malmsten@sund.ku.dk

Tenure Track Assistant Professor Nicolò Paracini, Department of Pharmacy and CaIFF ESS-Lighthouse Center Email: nicolo.paracini@sund.ku.dk

Start 1 November 2026

Duration 3 years as a PhD student

Our group and research

You will be working in a research group at the interface between chemistry, physics, biology, and pharmaceutical sciences in the Department of Pharmacy, University of Copenhagen. The group is located at Nørre Campus in Copenhagen.

We use molecular biophysical techniques, both in bulk solution and at interfaces, including imaging, spectroscopy, scattering, and surface-sensitive methods, to understand membrane phenomena relevant to physiology and pharmaceutics. The group values collaboration, scientific curiosity, critical thinking, and a supportive working environment.

Our department

The Department of Pharmacy is a diverse and international research environment. The mission of Department of Pharmacy is to advance the pharmaceutical sciences by performing drug-related research and research-based teaching in topics including pharmaceutical technology and formulation, drug delivery, advanced drug analysis, and clinical and social pharmacy.

Job description

Your key tasks as a PhD student at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences 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, preferably abroad
• Obtaining experience with teaching or other types of dissemination related to your PhD project
• Teaching of undergraduate students in pharmaceutical sciences
• Writing a PhD thesis on the grounds of your project

Key criteria for the assessment of applicants

We are looking for a highly motivated and curious candidate with a strong interest in understanding complex biophysical and pharmaceutical phenomena by connecting molecular-level data with what happens at the cell and tissue level.

Applicants must have qualifications corresponding to a master's degree related to the subject area of the project, e.g. pharmaceutical sciences, (physical) chemistry, biophysics, biotechnology, or related fields. Please note that your master's degree must be equivalent to a Danish master's degree (two years).

Other important criteria are:

• Professional qualifications relevant to the PhD project
• Relevant work experience
• Previous publications
• The grade point average achieved
• Other professional activities
• Language skills – good communication skills in spoken and written English
• A curious mind-set with a strong interest in membrane biophysics, drug delivery, and molecular mechanisms of pharmaceuticals
• Experience with, or strong motivation to learn, physicochemical surface-sensitive techniques, lipid membrane assays, and quantitative data analysis
• Interest in assay development, laboratory work, and data visualisation
• Interest in travelling to large-scale synchrotron and neutron facilities to perform experiments
• Motivation to use chemical and physical tools to understand biologically relevant processes with impact on human physiology and disease

Experience with surface science and lipid systems, as well as of scattering techniques, spectroscopy, microscopy, QCM-D, ellipsometry, surface plasmon resonance, and cell-based permeability assays, is considered an advantage, but it is not required that the candidate has experience with all these methods.

The candidate should be independent, well organised, and collaborative, with good analytical skills and the ability to work both independently and as part of an interdisciplinary research team.

Place of employment

The place of employment is at the Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen. We offer creative and stimulating working conditions in a dynamic and international research environment. Our research facilities include modern laboratories with access to relevant in-house equipment, including QCM-D, ATR-FTIR, SAXS, cell culture assays, as well as access to a wide range of techniques through collaborations with neighbouring laboratories and UCPH core facilities.

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 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 to the Graduate School of Health and Medical Sciences.

The PhD study must be completed in accordance with The Ministerial Order on the PhD programme (2025) and the Faculty's rules on achieving the degree.

The PhD student is expected to be affiliated to the graduate programme in pharmaceutical sciences, Drug Research Academy.

Salary, pension, and terms of employment are in accordance with the agreement between the Ministry of Finance and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations on Academics in the State. Depending on seniority, the monthly salary starts at approximately 31,800 DKK/Roughly 4,250 EUR (August 2026 level) plus pension.

Application procedure