Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, Faculty of Science at University of Copenhagen is offering a PhD scholarship in the section for Lifecourse Nutrition & Health commencing 1 June 2023 or as soon as possible thereafter.
Description of the scientific environment The unit undertakes high-quality, large-scale randomised nutrition trials and observational studies. Our work is broad and includes investigations of growth, body composition, cognitive function, metabolic function, biomarkers of disease risk, dietary intake, nutritional status, and physical activity as well as interactions of diet with microbiota and genotype. We study the effects of nutrition throughout the lifecycle, including before conception and during pregnancy, infancy, childhood, adolescence, and adulthood.
Our research covers nutrients (e.g. protein, carbohydrates, iron, vitamin D and B12, and long-chain n-3 fatty acids), foods (e.g. fish, insects, meat, dairy and wholegrains) and whole-diets or nutritional practices (e.g. breastfeeding, school meals, sustainable diets, and low-carb diets). In low- income settings, we also investigate nutrition supplements for the prevention and treatment of malnutrition among children.
(Link: https: // nexs.ku.dk/english/research/lifecourse-nutrition-and-health/)
Project description This PhD project will be anchored in the PREPARE CHILD study, an RCT assessing the effect of pre-conceptional weight loss on offspring health, growth and development. The study will include 240 couples planning pregnancy within one year of inclusion, with the last visit when the offspring are 18 months old. The majority of couples are expected to be Danish speaking and therefore the candidate is expected to be fluent in Danish written as well as spoken.
Active participation in all parts of the RTC including examinations, collection of material and other samples, and laboratory work is expected.
The PhD project will focus on maternal and paternal glucose metabolism (including gestational weight gain and gestational diabetes) and includes investigating i) Maternal pre-conceptional glucose metabolism and risk of GDM, ii) The effect of a weight loss intervention on maternal glucose metabolism, and iii) Parental glucose metabolism and offspring outcomes.
The PhD-student will statistically examine data and disseminate results where and when appropriate. Therefore, previous experience with and competencies related to data handling and analysis is of importance when evaluating qualifications for this PhD-position.
Principal supervisor is Professor Faidon Magkos, Dept. of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, E-mail: [email protected]
Job description
The position is available for a 3-year period and your key tasks as a PhD student at SCIENCE will be:
Key criteria for the assessment of candidates:
Formal requirements Applicants should hold an MSc degree in Nutrition (or related) with nutritional and foetal/child interest, good grades, and good English skills. Emphasis will also be put on previous publications (if any) and relevant work experience.
The PhD programme A three year full-time study within the framework of the regular PhD programme (5+3 scheme).
Qualifications needed for the regular programme To be eligible for the regular PhD programme, you must have completed a degree programme, equivalent to a Danish master's degree (180 ECTS/3 FTE BSc + 120 ECTS/2 FTE MSc) related to the subject area of the project, e.g. Nutrition (or related) with nutritional and foetal/child interest. For information of eligibility of completed programmes, see General assessments for specific countries and Assessment database.
Terms of employment in the regular programme Employment as PhD fellow is full time and for maximum 3 years.
Employment is conditional upon your successful enrolment as a PhD student at the PhD School at the Faculty of SCIENCE, University of Copenhagen. This requires submission and acceptance of an application for the specific project formulated by the applicant.
Terms of appointment and payment accord to the agreement between the Danish Ministry of Taxation and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations on Academics in the State. The position is covered by the Protocol on Job Structure.
Application and Assessment Procedure
Your application including all attachments must be in English and submitted electronically by clicking APPLY NOW below.
Please include :
The deadline for applications is 15 March 2023, 23:59 GMT +1.
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 deadline, a number of applicants will be selected for academic assessment by an unbiased expert assessor. You are notified, whether you will be passed for assessment.
The assessor will assess the qualifications and experience of the shortlisted applicants with respect to the above mentioned research area, techniques, skills and other requirements. The assessor will conclude whether each applicant is qualified and, if so, for which of the two models. The assessed applicants will have the opportunity to comment on their assessment. You can read about the recruitment process at https: // employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/.
Questions
For specific information about the PhD scholarship, please contact the principal supervisor
Professor Faidon Magkos, Dept. of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, E-mail: [email protected]
General information about PhD programmes at SCIENCE is available at https: // www. science.ku.dk/phd.
The University of Copenhagen wishes to reflect the surrounding community and invites all regardless of personal background to apply for the position.