We are offering a 1-year research assistant position with the possibility of a 3-year PhD fellowship in Vaccine Platforms and Mucosal Immunology commencing January 2027.
The Novo Nordisk Foundation Initiative for Vaccines and Immunity (NIVI), launched in December 2023, has a unique mission to harness airway immunity through innovative vaccine research and development to prevent airborne epidemics. NIVI has two parts:
NIVI-R conducts scientific research, while NIVI-D works to quickly turn that research into new vaccine candidates. NIVI-D accelerates clinical trials (phases 1 and 2) and ensures a smooth transition to partners for later stages of development.
By connecting science, innovation, clinical trials, regulatory processes, and product development, NIVI aims to streamline the journey from research to real-world vaccines.
Our group is part of the NIVI-R interdisciplinary research consortium. We study mucosal adaptive immune responses in the respiratory tract to infection and vaccination with a focus on developing mucosal vaccination strategies to combat airborne pathogens. Our work integrates immune engineering, vaccinology, molecular virology, vaccine design, and small-animal models of vaccination and infection. Specifically, we are focusing on developing novel RNA-based platforms and molecular adjuvants for respiratory delivery.
We are a young, international, and collaborative team that values scientific curiosity, creativity, mentorship, scientific rigor, and open exchange of ideas. As part of NIVI, we work closely with leading groups in vaccine formulation and adjuvants, and structural and computational biology, and we benefit from close ties to Statens Serum Institut and NIVI-D's translational pipeline. The successful candidate will receive interdisciplinary training at the interface of vaccinology, mucosal immunology, and virology. We are committed to an inclusive environment and welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds; we believe diverse teams – across gender, nationality, career stage, and scientific training – do better science.
A central question we pursue is: what signals promote durable, potent immune memory within the respiratory tract, and how can we engineer those signals into next generation mucosal vaccines that better prevent disease and onward transmission?
Your PhD project will focus on developing novel respiratory vaccine platforms and will be defined together with your supervisor and will involve methodology in immunology, vaccinology, molecular virology, and small-animal models of vaccination and infection. Depending on your background and interests, your project will focus on one or more of the following directions:
You will be expected to actively participate in project development. A high level of motivation, ambition, and involvement will be required.
Principal supervisor is Associate Professor Benjamin Goldman-Israelow, NIVI Research Center, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, benjamin.goldman-israelow@sund.dk.
Start: January 11, 2027
Duration: 12 months research assistant position and provided a positive evaluation a 3-year PhD student position
Your key tasks as a research assistant and PhD student at NIVI Research Center are:
If you have completed your academic education in Denmark, admission to the PhD program 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 applicant is also expected to have strong interpersonal and communication skills. The working language is English. Fluent English speaking, reading and writing skills are therefore required. You will be expected to drive your research with independence and initiative, while also interacting well with the group and the center in a dedicated but pleasant work atmosphere.
The place of employment is at NIVI-R, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, 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 and office space.
The average weekly working hours are 37 hours per week.
The position is a fixed-term position limited to a period of 12 months + potentially 3 years. Within the 12-month employment as Research Assistant, it will be determined based on an individual assessment if the candidate is qualified for the PhD position. The start date is January 11th, or anytime soon thereafter.
The employment as PhD student 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.
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.
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/
Your application must be submitted electronically by clicking 'Apply now' below. The application must include the following documents in PDF format:
Application deadline: 12 October 2026, 23.5
Tagged as: Life Sciences
PhD Fellowship In Artificial Intelligence For Monitoring And Decision Support At Animal And Herd Level The Department of Veterinary and...
ApplyPhD Project in the Physics of Biomolecular Condensates and Protein Dynamics The Niels Bohr Institute, Section for Biocomplexity and Biophysics,...
ApplyPhD Position in Organometallic Chemistry The Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science at the University of Copenhagen invites applicants for...
ApplyPhD Fellowship in Theoretical Catalysis Department of Chemistry invites applicants for two PhD fellowships in Theoretical Catalysis. The projects are...
ApplyPhD Stipends In Mathematics Department of Mathematical Sciences (MATH) invites applicants for PhD stipends in mathematics. The start date is...
ApplyPhD Fellowship In Tautomeric Proton Transfer In DNA Base Pairs The Geobiology section invites applicants for a PhD fellowship in...
ApplyPlease visit employment.ku.dk.
Don't forget to mention that you found the position on jobRxiv!
