PhD scholarship in Exploring risk factors for development of Alzheimer’s Disease

DTU Systems Biology is seeking a PhD student in collaboration with Nordic Bioscience. The project is anchored in the cross field between clinical and basic research.
The basis for the PhD project is the Prospective Epidemiologic Risk Factor (PERF) Study, which is a clinical study approved by the ethics committee of the capital region in Denmark. In 2000-2001 the Prospective Epidemiologic Risk Factor (PERF I) study (n=5,856) was conducted by CCBR with the purpose of obtaining a better understanding of risk factors associated with common age-related diseases, including AD, in postmenopausal women. The PERF I cohort constitutes as the basis for a follow-up study (PERF II) inviting the remaining PERF I cohort (n≈4,300) to a follow-up visit 12-13 years after their previous visit. The PhD project is mainly clinical where approximately half of the time will be used for data collection for PERF II.
Responsibilities and tasks The aim of this project is to understand the underlying co-morbidities driving the pathogenesis for the clinical representation of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD).
The use of the dataset from the PERF cohort in multiple ways will be used.

1. To attain further knowledge on the development of AD. The data from PERF I will be analyzed and used in the initial assessment of metabolic factors with potential impact on the development of AD
2. Data from PERF II will need to be collected prior to assessment and will be used for an evaluation of the potential of various blood based biomarkers in relation to AD

The perfect candidate for this project should therefore be able to work in the cross field between clinical and basic research and have an understanding of Good Clinical Practice (GCP) and knowledge in clinical trials. For the second part of the project focus will be on development of new blood based biomarkers for AD. This part will employ systems biology approaches incl. mass spectrometry to optimize the various ELISA systems for selected biomarker assays.
Qualifications Candidates should have a master’s degree in engineering or a similar degree with an academic level equivalent to the master’s degree in engineering.
Approval and Enrolment The scholarships for the PhD degree are subject to academic approval, and the candidates will be enrolled in one of the general degree programmes of DTU. For information about the general requirements for enrolment and the general planning of the scholarship studies, please see the DTU PhD Guide.
Assessment The assessment of the applicants will be made by: Associate Professor Susanne Jacobsen, Associate Professor Susanne Brix Pedersen, Associate Professor Per Hägglund and Professor Morten A. Karsdal (Nordic Bioscience).
We offer We offer an interesting and challenging job in an international environment focusing on education, research, public-sector consultancy and innovation, which contribute to enhancing the economy and improving social welfare. We strive for academic excellence, collegial respect and freedom tempered by responsibility. The Technical University of Denmark (DTU) is a leading technical university in northern Europe and benchmarks with the best universities in the world.
Salary and appointment terms The salary and appointment terms are consistent with the current rules for PhD degree students. The period of employment is 3 years.
Further information Further information may be obtained from Susanne Jacobsen, tel.: +45 4525 2741.
Please do not send applications to this e-mail address, instead apply online as described below. Application Please submit your online application no later than 30 October 2013.
Applications must be submitted as one pdf file containing all materials to be given consideration. To apply, please open the link « Apply online, » fill in the online application form, and attach all your materials in English in one pdf file. The file must include:

• A letter motivating the application (cover letter)
• Curriculum vitae
• Grade transcripts and BSc/MSc diploma
• Excel sheet with translation of grades to the Danish grading system (see guidelines and excel spreadsheet here)

Candidates may apply prior to obtaining their master’s degree, but cannot begin before having received it.
All interested candidates irrespective of age, gender, race, disability, religion or ethnic background are encouraged to apply.
DTU Systems Biology’s academic profile covers the fields of cellular, molecular and structural biology, bioinformatics, computational biology, industrial biotechnology, biomedicine and health. Systems biology addresses both the overall properties of a biological system and uses scientific approaches to understand specific mechanisms. Therefore, much of the work carried out by our research groups is characterized by the incorporation of several academic disciplines.
Fundamental biological research constitutes the point of departure for technological activities at DTU Systems Biology, and we put great emphasis on transforming scientific perceptions into advanced technical applications. This applies to our research as well as to our study programmes.
DTU Systems Biology has approx. 250 employees, comprising faculty members, PhD, technicians and administrative staff.