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Doctoral position in Medical Science

Project title: Function and gene expression of single beta-cells

The Department of Physiology is located at the Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology at the Faculty of Medicine at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg. The Department conducts research within the area of physiology. Several projects involve a close collaboration with the Sahlgrenska University Hospital. We offer undergraduate courses as parts of study programs in Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Speech and language pathology, Dental hygiene, Occupational therapy, Physiotherapy and the bachelor program of Cognitive Science. The research groups at the Department represent a broad range of research areas within the field of physiology.

General information about being a doctoral student at the University of Gothenburg can be found on the university's doctoral student pages: https://medarbetarportalen.gu.se/doktorand/?languageId=100001&skipSSOCheck=true    

Duties   

The PhD education in Medical Science comprises carrying out a scientific project and completing at least 30 credits of courses at third-cycle level. The doctoral student must also write a scientific compilation thesis or monograph corresponding to at least 120 credits. For more information about third-cycle studies at Sahlgrenska Academy, see https://www.gu.se/en/sahlgrenska-akademin/doctoral-studies

Project: Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is an escalating health problem of enormous proportions. Although existing drugs reduce hyperglycaemia, they fail to stop the gradual beta-cell failure that is the key determinant of disease progression. There is consequently an urgent need for improved knowledge of the cellular mechanisms that cause beta-cell failure. We have recently demonstrated that human pancreatic beta-cells lose their mature phenotype in T2D. Interesting reports have also shown that there are pools of beta-cells within a pancreatic islet that differ in secretory response to glucose and that the proportion of such pools is altered in T2D. This is yet a largely unexplored area, but the new findings emphasise the need to analyse the single-cell phenotype to better define the exact changes of beta-cell function and expression in T2D and enable treatment that more precisely counteracts secretory failure.

The doctoral candidate will use cutting-edge single-cell techniques to study the functional and gene expression changes that are associated with beta-cell failure. Genes that are consistently associated with beta-cell failure will be scrutinized in-depth by a range of cell-physiological techniques to pinpoint the mechanisms that fail in the secretory machinery when the gene is perturbed. By defining the phenotype and proportion of cellular pools in diabetic and non-diabetic conditions in a more precise manner than has previously been possible, the project is at the international forefront and has the potential to lead to new mechanistic understanding of beta-cell failure and potentially identify new targets to preserve beta-cell function, which is an urgent clinical need. The doctoral student will get unique training in cell-physiology, gene expression analysis and clinical medicine. The student will be part of a stimulating research environment with access to expertise in a diverse range of areas of relevance to the project.

Education at third-cycle level comprises four years of full-time study, and leads to a doctoral degree.    

As part of your employment as a doctoral student, you may have departmental duties corresponding to up to 20 % of full-time employment, distributed throughout your study period. Departmental duties usually consist of teaching at first- and second-cycle levels, but may also include research and administration.    

Eligibility   

Education at third-cycle level requires general eligibility and specific eligibility as set out in the general syllabus for the subject.  

The general eligibility requirements for education at third-cycle level are:    
1. having completed a degree at second-cycle level, or
2. the fulfilment of course requirements totalling at least 240 credits, of which at least 60 credits must be at second-cycle level, or  
3. the acquisition of equivalent knowledge in some other way, either in Sweden or abroad.  
 
Specific entry requirements for this subject, according to the general syllabus, are: 
having completed the English B/6 course or is considered to have acquired equivalent knowledge through previous studies.  

Assessment criteria   

The selection of applicants who are considered to have the ability required to benefit from the study programme and who meet the general and specific eligibility requirements are assessed based on the following documented qualifications:
- specific knowledge and skills within the subject area and related research fields
- experience of scientific theory and relevant research methodology
- scientific analysis and presentation verified through thesis, degree project, scientific journals or the like.    

Employment   

Once you have been admitted for education at third-cycle level, you will be employed as a doctoral student at the University of Gothenburg. The provisions for employment as a doctoral student can be found in ordinance SFS 1993:100. Initial employment as a doctoral student may apply for a maximum of one year, and may be renewed by a maximum of two years at a time. A doctoral student may be employed as a doctoral student for a maximum of eight years, but the total period of employment may not be longer than the equivalent of full-time education at third-cycle level for four years.   

Location: Sahlgrenska Academy, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Department of Physiology. Extent: 100%. First day of employment: as agreed. The University applies a local agreement on salaries for doctoral students.   

Contact information 

For more information about the project please contact the principal supervisor, 
Anders Rosengren, Professor, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology,
e-mail: anders.rosengren@gu.se   

Unions 

Union representatives at the University of Gothenburg can be found here:   
https://www.gu.se/om-universitetet/jobba-hos-oss/hjalp-for-sokande     

Application   

You can apply to be admitted for education at third-cycle level via the University of Gothenburg’s recruitment portal. It is your responsibility to ensure that the application is complete as per the vacancy notice, and that the University receives it by the final application deadline.   

You must include the following, in pdf format

  • Personal letter
  • CV
  • Diploma and transcripts showing that you meet with the general entry requirement
  • Proof of completion of English 6 course or the acquired equivalent knowledge through previous studies

If your degree is from a university outside of Sweden, make sure that you attach a diploma and full transcripts that makes assessing your degree easier.  

If your degree has not been verified by a Swedish authority you need to provide contact details to the issuing university, registrar or similar, that can verify the degree at our request.

For information on what you need to submit in order to fulfill the English language requirement see https://www.universityadmissions.se/en/entry-requirements/english-language-requirements/

  

Applications must be received by:  2022-05-31

 

 

Information for International Applicants 

Choosing a career in a foreign country is a big step. Thus, to give you a general idea of what we and Gothenburg have to offer in terms of benefits and life in general for you and your family/spouse/partner please visit: 

https://www.gu.se/en/about-the-university/welcome-services 
https://www.movetogothenburg.com/ 

  

The University works actively to achieve a working environment with equal conditions, and values the qualities that diversity brings to its operations.

Salaries are set individually at the University.

In accordance with the National Archives of Sweden’s regulations, the University must archive application documents for two years after the appointment is filled. If you request that your documents are returned, they will be returned to you once the two years have passed. Otherwise, they will be destroyed.

In connection to this recruitment, we have already decided which recruitment channels we should use. We therefore decline further contact with vendors, recruitment and staffing companies.