We are offering a PhD fellowship in in optimization of antimicrobial treatment of enteric infections in pigs commencing on 1st January 2024 or as soon as possible hereafter. The position is funded by the European Partnership on Animal Health and Welfare (HORIZON-CL6-2023-FARM2FORK-01-2). The research activities comprise studies to optimize dosage and develop clinical breakpoints for antibiotics targeting porcine post-weaning diarrhoea (PWD) caused by enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC). The research is expected to ensure clinical efficacy of antimicrobial treatment with minimal selection of antimicrobial resistance, thereby contributing to make informed decisions on future antimicrobial guidelines and policies.
Our group and research The PhD student will be a member of the One Health Antimicrobial Resistance (OHAR) research group led by Prof. Luca Guardabassi. Our research focuses on discovery and development of solutions for improving diagnosis and antimicrobial therapy of bacterial infections in veterinary medicine using a One Health approach. For more information: https: // ivh.ku.dk/english/research/veterinaryclinicalmicrobiology/one- health-antimicrobial-resistance/
Project description
The project aims to optimize oral neomycin, spectinomycin and sulfonamide/trimethoprim treatment of pigs suffering from PWD. This will be done through pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) studies in collaboration with the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment (INRAE). The project also comprises a metagenomics component where the impact of these antibiotics on the gut microbiome and resistome will be analysed. Finally, a retrospective study will be performed to assess the relationship between MICs and clinical outcome in farm settings. Together with data from the PK/PD analyses, information from the retrospective analysis will be used to propose the first ever clinical breakpoints for oral treatment of porcine diarrhoea.
Principal supervisor is Peter Damborg, Associate Professor , Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, E-mail: [email protected]
Start: 1st January 2024
Duration: 3 years as a PhD student
Job description Your key tasks as a PhD student at SUND are:
Carrying through an independent research project under supervision.
Completing PhD courses or other equivalent education corresponding to approximately 30 ECTS points.
Key criteria for the assessment of applicants Applicants must have qualifications corresponding to a master's degree in veterinary medicine or similar. Please note that your master's degree must be equivalent to a Danish master's degree (two years).
Other important evaluation criteria are:
It will be an advantage if applicants can communicate in Danish and have a license to perform animal experiments.
Place of employment
The place of employment is at the Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen. We offer creative and stimulating working conditions in dynamic and international research environment. Our research facilities include modern laboratories and animal facilities.
Terms of employment The average weekly working hours are 37 hours per week.
The position is a fixed-term position limited to a period of 3 years. The start date is 1st of January 2024 or after agreement.
The employment 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 Taxation and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations on Academics in the State. Depending on seniority, the monthly salary starts at approximately 28,900 DKK/Roughly 3,800 EUR (October 2023 level) plus pension.
Questions For specific information about the PhD fellowship, please contact the principal supervisor.
General information about PhD studies at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences is available at the Graduate School's website: https: // healthsciences.ku.dk/phd/guidelines/
Application procedure Your application must be submitted electronically by clicking ‘Apply now' below. The application must include the following documents in PDF format:
1. Motivated letter of application (max. one page)
2. CV incl. education, experience, language skills and other skills relevant for the position
3. Certified copy of original Master of Science diploma and transcript of records in the original language, including an authorized English translation if issued in other 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. As a prerequisite for a PhD fellowship employment, your master's degree must be equivalent to a Danish master's degree. We encourage you to read more in the assessment database: https: // ufm.dk/en/education/recognition-and-transparency/find- assessments/assessment-database. Please note that we might ask you to obtain an assessment of your education performed by the Ministry of Higher Education and Science
4. Publication list (if possible)
Application deadline: 20th October 2023, 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.
The assessor makes a non-prioritized assessment of the academic qualifications and experience with respect to the above-mentioned area of research, techniques, skills and other requirements listed in the advertisement.
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 find information about the recruitment process at: https: // employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/
The applicants will be assessed according to the Ministerial Order no. 242 of 13 March 2012 on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Universities.
Interviews are expected to be held in weeks 47 and 48.
The University of Copenhagen wish to reflect the diversity of society and encourage all qualified candidates to apply regardless of personal background.