We are looking for a highly motivated and dynamic PhD fellowship for a 3-year position, who is to commence on 1st of Dec 2026. This position will be working with brain neurovascular signalling and its responses to novel brain machine interface, using in vivo two-photon microscopy in awake transgenic mice and in vitro patch clamp in mouse brain slices.

Our group and research
Cai Lab does neuroscience research at the Department of Neuroscience, University of Copenhagen. We investigate how the neurovascular unit and neural circuits fail in brain disease, and how this knowledge can be translated into the development of new neurotechnologies and therapies.

Our research has two closely connected pillars. First, we study the cellular mechanisms of neurovascular dysfunction in the living brain, with a particular focus on neurovascular coupling, blood flow regulation, and vascular cell signaling in health, aging, and ischemic stroke/reperfusion injury. Second, we develop novel neuroprosthetic and neuromodulation strategies for brain disorders, such as next-generation implantable micromagnetic coil-based microdevices for vision restoration and epilepsy.

To address these questions, we combine multimodal in vivo imaging in awake and behaving mice with electrophysiology, viral tools, behavioural paradigms, and quantitative data analysis. By integrating neuroscience, vascular biology, and bioengineering, we aim both to uncover fundamental disease mechanisms and to advance new treatment strategies for neurological disorders.

We are a young, international, and collaborative team that values scientific curiosity, creativity, mentorship, and open exchange of ideas. The successful candidate will receive interdisciplinary training at the interface of brain–machine interfaces, neurovascular signaling, multimodal neuroimaging, and in vitro and in vivo preclinical experimentation, while working closely with collaborators at DTU and Harvard Medical School, USA.

Principal supervisor is Associate Professor Changsi Cai, Department of Neuroscience, Neuronal Signalling Syn.integration

Start: 1st Dec 2026
Duration: 3 years as a PhD student

Job description
Your tasks will be performing in vitro patch clamp experiments in mouse brain slices; making microsurgeries to implant chronic cranial windows and novel brain stimulation probes in transgenic mice, training the mice, and performing two-photon imaging in the awake mice in a longitudinal study. Besides, you will be involved in data analysis.

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.
• Participating in active research environments including a stay at another research team.
• Obtaining experience with teaching or other types of dissemination related to your PhD project
• Teaching and disseminating your knowledge.
• Writing a PhD thesis on the grounds of your project

PhD Programme Description:
The PhD programme is a three-year full-time research education within the framework of the 5+3 scheme, intended for candidates holding a relevant academic degree within the project’s subject area.

Qualifications:
If you have completed your academic education in Denmark, the admission to the PhD programme requires a relevant Master’s degree (equivalent to 180 ECTS BSc + 120 ECTS MSc).

If you have an academic education from abroad, you must have either a degree equivalent to a Danish master's degree (180 ETCS + 120 ECTS MSc), or at a minimum, a bachelor’s degree equivalent to a Danish bachelor's degree (180 ECTS) and be academically qualified at master's level.

As part of the assessment of whether you meet the educational requirements, you must also achieve a positive academic evaluation and be assessed as the best qualified for the position.

Profile
We are looking for a highly motivated and enthusiastic scientist with the following competencies and experience:

Essential experience and skills:

• You have a master's degree in Neuroscience / Biomedical Engineering / Pharmacy
• You are experienced in in vivo two-photon imaging
• You are experienced in in vitro patch clamp
• You have an active interest in brain neurovascular research
• Proficient communication skills and ability to work in teams
• Excellent English skills, written and spoken

Desirable experience and skills:

• Experience/knowledge of both in vivo and in vitro neuroscience experiments
  

Place of employment
The place of employment is at the Department of Neuroscience, Panum Institute, University of Copenhagen. We offer creative and stimulating working conditions in dynamic and international research environment. Our research facilities include modern laboratories.

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 starting date is 1st of Dec, 2026.
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.

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 31,600 DKK/Roughly 4.227,68 EUR (April 2026 level) plus pension.

Questions
For further information please contact Changsi Cai; [email protected]

Foreign applicants may find this link useful: www.ism.ku.dk (International Staff Mobility).

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)

Deadline for applications: 23th / July 2026, 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.

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.

Info
Ansøgningsfrist: 23-07-2026

Ansættelsesdato: 01-12-2026

Arbejdstid: Fuldtid

Afdeling/Sted: Department of Neuroscience