PhD student in neuroscience - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Description of the workplace

The research group of Clinical Memory Research focuses on defining and understanding biological processes in aging, Alzheimer’s disease and other age-related neurodegenerative diseases. We work with large multimodal datasets composed of cohorts of patients and cognitively unimpaired volunteers, who undergo extensive testing with neuroimaging, biomarker measurements and neuropsychological testing. More information can be found here. We also work with large genomic, transcriptomic and proteomic datasets based on tissue extracted from humans, as well as from animal models, and with animal- and cell biology experiments. The lab is led by Dr. Jacob Vogel, and is nested within the larger research group led by Professor Oskar Hansson. This position will be placed at BMC in Lund.

We are committed to creating a positive, respectful and stimulating environment. We value communication and collaboration, and we strive for a workplace that promotes learning and development of all lab members. We are also committed to building a safe and positive environment for all lab members through mutual respect and toleration.

Project description

Aging is associated with slow but persistent deterioration in cognitive ability, a process accelerated by neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Aging is also associated with consistent alteration to organization of the brain’s functional network, which itself is associated with cognitive decline and which becomes abnormal in early stages of neurodegenerative diseases. Brain functional organization can be modified pharmacologically and through brain stimulation, raising the possibility that such interventions may eventually be used to halt cognitive decline if wielded properly. The PhD will use massive fMRI datasets to test the temporal interrelationships between changes in brain network organization across the human adult lifespan and across the AD spectrum. Genetic and lifestyle factors that accelerate or slow these temporal sequences will be interrogated. A special focus of the project will be to understand how functional changes in the medial temporal lobe, a brain region critical to memory and Alzheimer’s disease, influences and is influenced by global brain functional organization.

The PhD student will conduct research under the supervision of Dr. Jacob Vogel, Dr. Laura Wisse and Prof. Oskar Hansson.

Work duties and areas of responsibility

The main duties of the doctoral candidate are to conduct their research studies, which include participation in research projects and graduate courses. The doctoral candidate will perform data analysis combining multiple neuroimaging and phenotypic datasets, will write papers, and will present results locally and at national and international conferences. Other work responsibilities may include: data curation and processing; composition, editing, or executing of computational scripts; informal mentorship of and skill-sharing with other employees; or composition of grants and/or research fellowships. Other work duties may also occur. The majority of the research work will be done in collaboration with members of the research group.

Qualifications
The following are required for the position:

• Master’s of Science within engineering, neuroscience, statistics, quantitative biology, physics, mathematics or a related discipline OR a Bachelor's of Science in the same fields AND have acquired research experience largely equivalent to a Master’s degree (e.g. through paid employment in a research laboratory)
• Proficiency in oral and written communication in English
• Strong communication, presentation and writing skills
• Willingness to collaborate, but with ability to work independently
• Patient, detail-oriented and precise

The following are considered to be a merit:

• Specific interest in dementia and aging
• Fluency in computational programming, preferably using python or R
• Experience in statistical modeling and/or machine learning
• Experience with curation, preprocessing and/or analysis of neuroimaging, genomic, or other types of omics data
• Familiarity with git and GitHub and/or Datalad
• Familiarity with best practices in reproducibility and open science
• Individuals from diverse or underrepresented backgrounds are encouraged to apply

Eligibility
Students with basic eligibility for third-cycle studies are those who: have completed a second-cycle degree, have completed courses of at least 240 credits, of which at least 60 credits are from second-cycle courses, or have acquired largely equivalent knowledge in some other way, in Sweden or abroad.

Basis of assessment
The employment of doctoral students is regulated in the Swedish Code of Statues 1998: 80. Only those who are or have been admitted to PhD-studies may be appointed to doctoral studentships. When an appointment to a doctoral studentship is made, the ability of the student to benefit from PhD-studies shall primarily be taken into account. In addition to devoting themselves to their studies, those appointed to doctoral studentships may be required to work with educational tasks, research and administration, in accordance with specific regulations in the ordinance.

Further information

Employment is a full-time, fixed-term position of 4 years, in accordance with the Higher Education Ordinance, Chapter 5 Section 7. Start date should be between May 1st and September 5th, 2023, with a preference for an earlier start date

How to apply
Applications must include a personal motivation letter, a CV, contact information of two references, a diploma (including a grade transcript) and other documents you wish to be considered (e.g. letters of recommendation). Those applicants who will be called for interview, will likely be asked to perform a small test to demonstrate basic competence.