PhD student in astrocyte-mediated spreading of Amyloid Protein-Lipid complexes Full-time

PhD Student in Astrocyte-Mediated Spreading of Amyloid Protein-Lipid Complexes

The selected PhD candidate will participate in the EU-funded HORIZON-MSCA-DN-2024-01 project LipAgg. The LipAgg network brings together partners from five European countries and comprises nine academic institutions and twelve industrial partners. The consortium is committed to delivering an outstanding training programme for fifteen Doctoral Candidates (DCs) aimed at elucidating the role of lipids in the toxicity and propagation of protein aggregation. The goal of this project is to investigate how Amyloid Protein-Lipid (AP-L) complexes are accumulated by astrocytes, affect the astrocyte-neuronal interplay and spread pathology from one cell to another, using 2D and 3D cultures of iPSC-derived cells.

Duties: The Doctoral candidate key tasks will be to manage and carry out the assigned research project, participate in the LipAgg training and network activities, take PhD courses, write scientific articles and the PhD thesis, participate in national and international congresses and scientific meetings, undertake a research stay at an external research laboratory within the LipAgg network, and disseminate the obtained scientific results.

In particular, the Doctoral candidate enrolled in this position, will identify mechanisms by which astrocytes spread AP-L complexes and study if the AP-Ls induce astrocytic stress responses that affect their interplay with neurons. The candidate will expose cultures of human iPCS-derived astrocytes to fluorescently labelled AP-L complexes and analyze how the cells accumulate and spread the complexes over time using live cell imaging, immunocytochemistry, ELISA, Western blot, electron microscopy and other techniques. The Doctoral Candidate will be enrolled at Uppsala University under the supervision of Prof. Anna Erlandsson. The project includes a 7-month secondment at the University of Bordeaux and CNRS (France) to prepare the AP-L complexes under the supervision of Dr. Lucie Khemtemourian, as well as a 1-month secondment at BioArctic (Stockholm, Sweden).

Requirements: This position is subject to the mobility and eligibility rules of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions. To meet the entry requirements the candidate must:

• not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Sweden for more than twelve months during the three years immediately prior to the recruitment date, unless as part of a procedure for obtaining refugee status under the Geneva Convention.
• not have been awarded a doctoral degree.

Moreover, the candidate should:

• hold a Master's (second-cycle) degree in Neuroscience.
• enjoy the challenge of novel scientific concepts and have a highly motivated, persistent and result-driven attitude.
• be able to work well both independently and in an interdisciplinary team.
• have excellent oral and written communication skills in English.
• have strong organisational and planning skills.
• have worked with advanced 2D and 3D cell culture systems.
• have differentiated and cultured human iPSC-derived astrocytes.
• have experience in time lapse microscopy.
• have exposed cells to amyloid protein aggregates.
• have experience in immunocytochemistry.

Additional qualifications: In addition, it is an advantage if the candidate has experience in

• confocal imaging.
• culturing neurons and microglia.

Rules governing PhD students are set out in the Higher Education Ordinance chapter 5, §§ 1-7 and in Uppsala University's rules and guidelines.

About the employment: The employment is a temporary position according to the Higher Education Ordinance chapter 5 § 7. Scope of employment 100 %. Starting date September 1st, 2026 or as agreed. Placement: Uppsala and Bordeaux.

For further information about the position, please contact: Anna Erlandsson, anna.erlandsson@uu.se

Please submit your application by May 4th, 2026 UFV-PA 2026/991. The application should include:

• CV (including methodological skills)
• Contact information for at least two references
• Academic transcripts
• Proof of degree (if already available)
• Motivation letter
• Master thesis (if available)