PhD student in medical sciences and neuroscience

Description of the workplace:
The Neurodegenerative Research group encompasses a growing multidisciplinary team of neuroscientists, statisticians, biologists and engineers, who are dedicated to increasing understanding of neurodegenerative diseases. Our group is focused on defining and understanding biological processes in Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases. We apply sophisticated statistical tools to unique neuroimaging and biomarker datasets collected from patients and older people, in order to model processes related to aging and disease. The research group is led by Dr. Jacob Vogel. The position is located at the Biomedical Center (BMC) in Lund.

We aim to create a positive, supportive, stimulating and inclusive work environment based on respect and mutual consideration, and we strive to promote employee development

Doctoral Research Subject:                   
Medical Science

Description of the project:
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is defined by the accumulation of amyloid-β and tau protein pathology in the brain. However, there is variability in how the brain pathology accumulates, something we can now measure in living patients with neuroimaging biomarkers, like positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Furthermore, recent advances in high-throughput genomics and proteomics have unlocked our ability to measure static and active molecular systems as they play out in living people. The project will use biomarker data from thousands of clinical and postmortem patients to resolve spatiomolecular variation in the AD brain. However, these data are large and complex, requiring sophisticated AI and statistical learning approaches. The current project will leverage cutting-edge AI and statistical tools, and human data, to model heterogeneity in AD.  

Work duties
The main tasks of a doctoral student are to devote themselves to their doctoral education and therefore you will be both admitted as a student and employed at Lund University. 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; and 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:

Requirements for admission are:

• Completed a second-cycle (i.e. Master’s) degree (completed course 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.
• Good ability to assimilate PhD studies.
• At least 60 credits within the subject area of medical science OR have acquired largely equivalent knowledge of medical science in some other way, in Sweden or abroad
• Proficiency in oral and written communication in English

Requirements for the position are:

• Relevant degree in engineering, neuroscience, statistics, quantitative biology, physics, mathematics or a related discipline.
• Strong communication, presentation and writing skills.
• Willingness to collaborate, but with ability to work independently.
• Patient, detail-oriented and precise.

Meritorious for the position are

• Specific interest in dementia and aging.
• Fluency in computational programming, preferably using python or R.
• Experience in statistical modeling and/or AI/machine learning.
• Experience with curation, preprocessing and/or analysis of neuroimaging, genomic, or other types of omics data.
• Familiarity with git and GitHub.
• Experience with Linux environment and/or job submission in high-performance compute environment.
• Familiarity with best practices in reproducibility and open science.

Great importance will be placed on how the applicant, through their experience and competence, is assessed to have the ability needed to complete the doctoral program.

What We Offer
Lund University is a public authority, which means you will benefit from special employment advantages, generous vacation entitlements, and a favorable occupational pension scheme. As a doctoral student at Lund University, you are both admitted as a student and an employee, which provides several benefits. Learn more about working at Lund University on the university’s website.

Terms of Employment
This 4-year fixed-term, full-time appointment has a preliminary start date of June 1, 2025, or as agreed. Employment at Lund University requires work to be conducted in Sweden. Therefore, you must perform most duties on-site in Lund and Malmö.

Regulations regarding doctoral student employment are specified in Chapter 5, Sections 1–7 of the Higher Education Ordinance (1993:100). Regulations regarding admission to doctoral studies are found in Chapter 6, Section 3 of the same ordinance. 

Additional information
For doctoral students, there is a specific salary scale linked to each faculty and salary is set according to the current salary scale.

How to apply
The position is applied for via the university's recruitment system. Applications must be in English and should 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 an interview will likely be asked to perform a test to demonstrate basic competence. Individuals from diverse or underrepresented backgrounds are encouraged to apply.