PhD student in Neuroscience

Description of the workplace

The PhD project will be carried out within neuroscience. The research group “Translational Neurology” at the Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University strives to conduct excellent research on an international level while maintaining a healthy working environment where everyone should feel involved, stimulated, and supported.

The Department of Clinical Sciences Lund is now announcing a vacancy for a PhD position and employment as a doctoral student within the research area Medical Science, specifically neuroscience with the title:”Cell Signalling at the Blood Brain Barrier”.

We offer
Lund University is a public authority, which means that employees get benefits, generous annual leave and an advantageous occupational pension scheme. Read more on the University website about being a Lund University employee: Work at Lund University

Work description

Although we humans have evolved oxygen sensing mechanisms and adaptive homeostatic responses, large oxygen fluctuations can exceed our adaptive capacity, leading to tissue and organ damage. Pericytes are among the first cells to respond to hypoxia in the brain, but we still lack a full understanding of how cells sense and respond to oxygen fluctuations and the consequences thereof. These cells are uniquely positioned at the blood/brain interface and guard the homeostasis of the brain’s microenvironment. Pericytes are not simply structural cells lining the capillary wall, but highly active signalling regulators at the blood-brain barrier.

At the onset of an ischemic stroke, the acute attenuation of blood flow initiates an ischemic cascade - a sequence of pathological events that includes capillary constriction and ischemic damage to the blood-brain barrier, inflammation and eventually neuronal death.

Recent work by our group has led to a number of interesting findings indicating that pericytes not only play an important role in several stages of stroke evolution but, as early sensors of hypoxia, might even control part of the pathological cascade. Those features make pericytes an ideal target cell, but the alterations in their molecular signalling and how those signals govern downstream effects during different phases of stroke is not known. This knowledge will prove crucial to decide their utility for designing novel interventions.

The PhD project will examine cell signaling at the blood brain barrier, both using complex in vitro and in vivo techniques as well as disease modelling, in particular stroke modelling. The PhD student's main task is to conduct their own research project under supervision. The work will be conducted within the PhD project " Cell Signalling at the Blood Brain Barrier ".

The PhD student will gain knowledge regarding aseptic cell culturing, lentiviral transduction, 3D cell culture, affinity chromatography, immunoblotting, immunohistochemistry, FACS, stroke models, animal handling and bioinformatics. Regular participation in journal clubs and project presentations as well as active participation in conferences is encouraged. The doctoral studies will also include statistical analysis, data interpretation and writing of manuscripts. The PhD student will participate in third cycle courses. The results of the research projects performed are expected to form the basis of a doctoral thesis.

The position is full-time for 48 months. The proposed starting date is April 1, 2025, or upon agreement.

The research group Translational Neurology is led by adjungerad professor Gesine Paul-Visse, who is a neuroscientist and clinical neurologist.  

Qualifications

Necessary qualifications for the job

• At least 240 credits of which 60 credits have been obtained in second cycle studies.
• BSc in Biology or Molecular Biology
• Completed Master thesis in biology or other for project relevant subject
• Experience of and ability to work in a team
• Previous practical experience of cell culture, PCR, western blotting
• FELASA
• Excellent oral and written English

Meritorious are:

• Co-authorship of published articles
• Experience working with microfluidic devices

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. 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.

Type of employment
Limit of tenure, four years according to HF 5 kap 7§.

How to apply
Applications are to be submitted via the University’s recruitment system. The application should include a CV and a personal letter justifying your interest in the position and how it matches your qualifications. The application should also include a degree certificate or equivalent and any other document to which you would like to draw attention (copies of grade transcripts, details of referees, letters of recommendation, etc.).

Welcome to apply!

The Department of Clinical Sciences Lund is one of six departments at the Faculty of Medicine. Clinical Sciences Lund cooperates closely with Skåne University Hospital and the Faculty of Medicine in order to optimize the conditions for preclinical and clinical translational research, research strategies and development, as well as education on both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.