The University of Copenhagen is seeking a highly motivated and talented PhD fellow to commence February 1, 2026, or after agreement in the Schéele Group at the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research (CBMR), University of Copenhagen.
The PhD fellowship is part of the CBMR International PhD & Postdoc Program.
About Us
The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research (CBMR) is an academic research Center that pioneers groundbreaking research towards better cardiometabolic health. Through collaborative interdisciplinary research from single-cell genomics to whole-body systems, CBMR aims to transform the basic understanding of cardiometabolic health and accelerate its translation into prevention and treatment strategies. The Center’s uniquely multi- and interdisciplinary approach combines research in genetics, physiology and pharmacology, to better understand the complex interplay of the many factors that drive cardiometabolic disease. You can learn more in the Executive Summary of CBMR's Strategy 2024–2028.
CBMR was established in 2010 at the Faculty of Health & Medical Sciences and has been located in the Maersk Tower at Panum since 2017. The around 250 employees create an international, highly collaborative research environment across disciplines.
Our Research
The Schéele Group explores the hypothesis that brown and white adipose tissues play central regulatory roles in adult human metabolism, communicating with both central and peripheral metabolic systems through secreted factors. Our research combines interdisciplinary approaches, including close collaborations with Danish hospitals, cutting-edge omics technologies, and advanced human in vitro models.
We are a diverse and inclusive team, fostering a creative and collaborative research environment across gender, nationality and skillset. Our expertise spans from cell and molecular biology to omics, bioinformatics and machine learning, aiming for target discovery and biological understanding of human adipose tissue crosstalk. The Schéele Group collaborates closely with other research teams at the University of Copenhagen and Rigshospitalet and maintains a strong international network within the adipose tissue research field. Learn more about our group here.
For the current PhD position, Associate Professor Camilla Schéele will be the primary supervisor. The project is conducted in collaboration with Associate Professor Tune Pers, who will serve as co-supervisor, contributing expertise on brain-centric molecular pathways in obesity. More information about the Pers Group is available here.
Project Description
We aim to uncover how adipose tissue communicates with other organs to regulate whole-body metabolism. While traditionally viewed as an energy reservoir and mechanical cushion, adipose tissue is now recognized as a key endocrine organ essential for maintaining systemic metabolic balance.
In times of caloric excess, adipose tissue expands either through hyperplasia—the formation of new adipocytes from progenitor cells—or through hypertrophy, where existing adipocytes expand. This expansion is accompanied by remodelling of the tissue’s cellular composition, blood vessels, and neuronal networks. For healthy expansion to occur, the process requires tight coordination between adipogenesis, vascularization, and innervation.
For this PhD project, we will leverage our existing peptidome data, to identify novel secreted factors that influence the neurovascular architecture of adipose tissue. Your tasks will involve developing human co-culture models —combining adipocytes with neuronal and vascular cells—to functionally characterize these candidate molecules. You will use advanced imaging approaches including confocal high content screening, and light sheet microscopy following adipose whole tissue clearing. You will also explore the most promising candidates in vivo using CRISPR-based gene-editing methodology established at CBMR to manipulate gene expression in specific adipose depots.
You will be part of a supportive and collaborative team, working closely with both supervisors and fellow researchers, and benefit from our strong network in adipose tissue biology and translational research.
Principal supervisor: Associate Professor, Camilla Charlotte Nielsen Schéele, cs@sund.ku.dk
Start: February 1, 2026
Duration: 1 year as Research Assistant followed by 3 years as PhD fellow contingent on a positive evaluation of the 1st year.
Profile
The PhD fellowship is intended for early-career researchers with a background in basic science. We are looking for a highly motivated and talented candidate with a strong interest in adipose tissue biology and a solid understanding of cardiometabolic health.
Required qualifications
Applicants must have:
- A Master’s degree in biology, biochemistry, molecular biology, molecular biomedicine, or a related discipline.
- Excellent written and spoken English communication skills.
- Experience in culturing human primary cells, ideally adipocytes, neuronal, or endothelial cells.
- Familiarity with light-sheet and/or confocal microscopy.
- Basic statistical knowledge and programming experience in R.
- An initial understanding of adipose tissue biology and inter-organ or inter-cellular communication.
Additional qualifications considered an advantage
- Experience with whole tissue clearing, particularly of adipose tissue.
- International research experience.
Eligibility
The PhD fellowships within the CBMR International PhD & Postdoc Program are open for applicants that hold a Master’s degree. The Master’s degree has to be obtained before February 1, 2026. You are not eligible to apply for the program if you have been employed in a Research Assistant position for more than two years at the University of Copenhagen prior to the commencement of the fellowship.
Terms of Employment
The employment consists of 1 year as a Research Assistant followed by 3 years as PhD fellow contingent on a positive evaluation of the 1st year. Starting date is February 1, 2026, or after agreement.
The employment as PhD fellow 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.
Questions
For further information about the position, please contact Associate Professor Camilla Schéele at cs@sund.ku.dk. Questions regarding the CBMR International PhD & Postdoc Program must be directed to Senior Advisor Sarah Christoffersen at sarah.christoffersen@sund.ku.dk. For questions regarding the recruitment procedure, please contact HR at hr-cbmr@adm.ku.dk.
General information about PhD studies at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences is available at the Graduate School’s website.
The University of Copenhagen International Staff Mobility office offers support and assistance to all international researchers on all issues related to moving to and settling in Denmark.
Application Procedure
Your online application must be submitted in English via the ‘Apply now’ link below. Furthermore, your application must include the following documents/attachments – all in PDF format:
- Motivated letter of application (max. one page)
- CV incl. education, experience, language skills and other skills relevant to the position
- Certified copy of original Master’s diploma and transcript of records in the original language, including an authorized English translation if issued in another 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.
- Publication list (if possible)
- References (name and contact details of at least one reference)
Application Deadline: September 21, 2025, 23.59 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. 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 can read about the recruitment process at www.employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process.
The applicant will be assessed according to Ministerial Order No. 242 of March 13, 2012, on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Universities.
The University of Copenhagen wishes to reflect the diversity of society and welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of their personal backgrounds.
Københavns Universitet giver sine knap 10.000 medarbejdere muligheder for at udnytte deres talent fuldt ud i et ambitiøst, uformelt miljø. Vi sikrer traditionsrige og moderne rammer om uddannelser og fri forskning på højt internationalt niveau. Vi søger svar og løsninger på fælles problemer og gør ny viden tilgængelig og nyttig for andre.