Research Assistent and PhD in Precision Medicine from Graph-Based Medical Digital Twins Full-time NEW

PhD Fellowship Opportunity

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

The PhD fellowship is part of the CBMR International PhD & Postdoc Program.

About Us: 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. You can learn more in the Executive Summary of CBMR's Strategy 2024–2028.

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 Research: The Rasmussen Lab develops and applies advanced AI and bioinformatics methods to understand cardiometabolic disease and advance precision health. A central focus is the creation of AI-driven medical digital twins by integrating large-scale genomics, multi-omics, and longitudinal health data. We are an interdisciplinary and collaborative team spanning machine learning, computational biology, and clinical research, working closely with leading international academic partners. The group provides a supportive, inclusive, and international environment, where we value diversity across backgrounds and career stages and foster a culture of teamwork, open science, and mutual support.

Project Description: The PhD project focuses on developing AI-based approaches to better understand and predict cardiometabolic disease using large-scale health and biological data. The work will contribute to building medical digital twins: computational representations of individuals that capture health trajectories over time. By combining diverse data sources and modern machine learning methods, the project aims to improve how we model disease risk, progression, and treatment response. The research sits at the intersection of data science, biology, and medicine, and involves close collaboration with clinical and international partners. The position offers a unique opportunity to work with world-leading datasets and contribute to the development of next-generation precision health approaches.

Start: November 15, 2026

Duration: 1 year as Research Assistant followed by 3 years as PhD fellow contingent on a positive evaluation of the 1st year.

Profile: The PhD fellowship is aimed at early-career researchers with a basic science background or clinicians who aspire to a career in academic medicine.

Required qualifications:

• Master's degree in Biology, Bioinformatics, Data Science or related sciences. Please note that your master's degree must be equivalent to a Danish master's degree (two years).
• The grade point average achieved
• Professional qualifications relevant to the PhD project
• Previous publications
• Relevant work experience
• Other professional activities
• A curious mindset with a strong interest in application of AI to health data
• Excellent English communication skills, both written and oral

Eligibility: The PhD fellowships within the CBMR International PhD & Postdoc Program are open for applicants that hold a Master's degree equivalent to a Danish master's degree (two years). The Master's degree has to be obtained before November 15, 2026. You are not eligible to apply for the program if you have been employed in a Research Assistant position for more than two years at the University of Copenhagen prior to the commencement of the fellowship.

Terms of Employment: The employment consists of 1 year as a Research Assistant followed by 3 years as PhD fellow contingent on a positive evaluation of the 1st year. Starting date is November 15, 2026, or after agreement.

The employment as PhD fellow 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.

When you will be affiliated with the University of Copenhagen or otherwise have access to their research, you may be required to undergo a background screening. The purpose is to protect the security and research integrity of the University of Copenhagen.

Questions: For further information about the position, please contact Professor, Simon Rasmussen at srasmuss@sund.ku.dk. Questions regarding the CBMR International PhD & Postdoc Program must be directed to Senior Advisor Sarah Christoffersen at sarah.christoffersen@sund.ku.dk. For questions regarding the recruitment procedure, please contact HR at hr-cbmr@adm.ku.dk.

General information about PhD studies at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences is available at the Graduate School's website.

The University of Copenhagen International Staff Mobility office offers support and assistance to all international researchers on all issues related to moving to and settling in Denmark.

Application Procedure: Your online application must be submitted in English via the 'Apply for position' link below. Furthermore, your application must include the following documents/attachments – all in PDF format:

• Motivated letter of application (max. one page)
• CV incl. education, experience, language skills and other skills relevant to 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.
• List of publications
• References (name and contact details of at least two references)

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.