PhD fellowship in transcriptional regulation Full-time

PhD Fellowship In Transcriptional Regulation

We are offering a PhD fellowship in transcriptional regulation at the DNRF Center of Excellence, Center for Gene Expression (CGEN) in the Gregersen group within the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine (ICMM), at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen.

The position should ideally be scheduled to start July 1st 2026 or shortly thereafter.

Our Group And Research

The Gregersen group was established in 2021, it is currently comprised of 3 postdocs and 2 PhD students. We focus on various aspects of transcription dynamics and co-transcriptional regulation mediated by RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) interacting proteins. Relevant papers include: Gregersen et al. 2019 Cell [PMID: 31104839] and Gregersen et al. 2020 Nature Protocols [PMID: 31915390].

We use a wide range of experimental approaches including cell biology, next-generation sequencing (RNA-seq, TTchem-seq, mNET-seq, ChIP-seq, CLIP etc.) as well as molecular biology techniques (western blots, immunoprecipitations, peptide pull-outs, proteomics and microscopy to decipher the molecular mechanisms of factors involved in co-transcriptional regulation and the composition of transcription complexes in human cells.

Our Center And Research

CGEN is an interdisciplinary research center consisting of 6 research groups located in modern laboratories in the Mærsk Tower at the Panum Institute.

The mission of the CGEN is to use a cutting-edge ensemble of genetic, cell biological, biochemical, organismal, and modern 'omic'-approaches to achieve a comprehensive understanding of the process of gene expression.

CGEN performs ground-breaking research in a collaborative and ambitious environment, where young researchers are offered the best conditions to engage in bold and imaginative research. CGEN is also a centre of learning, where PhD-students will receive a comprehensive education in the cellular processes underlying gene expression, as well as a clear view of their medical importance and potential for a future research carreer.

Project Description

The work will be focused on elucidating the mechanisms of RNAPII associated factors and how these impact transcription dynamics during cellular homeostasis and following cellular stress, such as those induced by DNA damage. The project involves generation of human cell lines using CRISPR/Cas technologies combined with profiling of transcription using RNA-seq approaches (RNA-seq, TTchem-seq, mNET-seq etc.) as well as proteomics investigation of RNAPII complexes and high content imaging to track nascent transcription. The role of the candidate will primarily be to perform experiments in the laboratory, analyse and interpret data, scientific publication, as well as attend scientific seminars and conferences.

Principal Supervisor

Associate Professor, Lea H. Gregersen, CGEN, ICMM, leag@sund.ku.dk

Start: July 1st, 2026, or soon thereafter

Duration: 3 years as a PhD student, with the possibility of extension as a research assistant

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. biology, biochemistry, molecular biomedicine, bioinformatics or similar. Please note that your master's degree must be equivalent to a Danish master's degree (two years).

We are looking for a highly motivated and enthusiastic scientist with the following competencies and experience:

• You have a master's degree in biology, biochemistry, molecular biomedicine, bioinformatics or similar
• Curious mind-set with a strong interest in transcription
• A highly collaborative mindset and ability to work independently.
• Fluency in English and excellent written and oral communication skills.

• A background in transcriptional regulation and/or co-transcriptional processing
• Previous experience in molecular biology techniques and mammalian tissue culture
• Experience with CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing
• Experience with next generation sequencing and RNA-seq analysis

Place Of Employment

The place of employment is at the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Panum, 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 laboratories located in the Mærsk tower with access to state-of-the-art facilities for cell engineering, next-generation sequencing, flow cytometry, and mass spectrometry.

Scientific Environment

CGEN and the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine (ICMM) offer an ambitious scientific environment, with many different nationalities represented. We produce research with high international impact focusing on the functional cell, its genetic components and molecular cellular mechanisms in a medical context. ICMM currently comprises five research programmes, three high profile Research Centers (of which CGEN is one) as well as a number of international research groups. The scientists at ICMM are involved in high quality research based undergraduate and graduate teaching programs at the University of Copenhagen. You can read more at https://icmm.ku.dk/english/.

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 start date is July 1st, 2026 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 Finance and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations on Academics in the State. Depending on seniority, the monthly salary starts at approximately 31,242 DKK/Roughly 4,180 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: https://healthsciences.ku.dk/phd/guidelines/.

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 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. We encourage you to read more in the assessment database: https://ufm.dk/en/education/recognition-and-transparency/find-assessments/assessment-database. Please note that we might ask you to obtain an assessment of your education performed by the Ministry of Higher Education and Science
• Publication list (if possible)

Application deadline: April 10th, 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.

After the expiry of the