PhD Fellowship in Biology

PhD Fellowship in Biology
PhD Project in Termite Gut Symbioses

Department of Biology
Faculty of Science
University of Copenhagen

The Department of Biology, Section for Ecology and Evolution invites applicants for a PhD fellowship in the joint integrated metabolism of fungus-farming termite guts and coevolved bacterial symbionts. The project is part of the research project “Holobiont metabolism of an ancient, coevolved gut symbiosis”, which is financed by Independent Resarch Fund Denmark.

Start date is June 1st, 2026, or as soon as possible thereafter.

The project
With the proposed project, we will study the organisation of the integrated gut processes shaped by host and symbionts in fungus-farming termites. The project will integrate a series of approaches, from field collections, colony manipulations, RNAseq, MALDI-MSI and Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (FISH) to understand the composition, regulation, and resilence of integrated host-symbiont metabolism. We anticipate that the study will provide substantial new insights into the organisational principles of compartmentalised guts, where integrated metabolism between hosts and symbionts – the holobiont – secures metabolic resilience to natural and anthropogenic impacts.

Who are we looking for?
We are looking for candidates within the field(s) of biology, molecular biology, biochemistry or bioinformatics, with significant laboratory experience. The successful candidate will have excellent skills in microbial bioinformatics or biochemical processes within insect gut or other symbioses. The candidate should be enthusiastic about scientific research with the ability to work independently and in a team.

Our group and research- and what do we offer?
The PhD student will be part of the Social and Symbiotic Evolution Group (https://www.socialsymbioticevolution.com/) led by Professor Michael Poulsen. The group’s core research interests include understanding how antagonistic (parasitic) and beneficial (mutualistic) microbial symbionts shape host ecology and evolution, how complementary partnerships evolve and remain stable over millions of years of evolutionary time, and how defence against exploitation of symbioses evolve. To test hypotheses around these research interests, the group integrates a range of tools, including field studies, behavioural observations, microbial isolations, molecular biology, and various -omics tools.

The group is a part of the Section for Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, located in Copenhagen. The section provides a strong research environment that addresses fundamental questions about the organizational principles and functional diversity of life. We offer creative and stimulating working conditions in dynamic and international research environment. Our research facilities include among others microbiological, molecular and insect rearing facilities.

The succesful candidate will visit and work closely with Prof. N’golo A. Koné (Nangui Abrogoua University, Côte d’Ivoire) for fieldwork and termite collections, Assoc. Prof. T. Bourguignon (Okinawa Institute of Science and Techonology, Japan) on dual Iso-Seq RNAseq transcriptomics, Prof. M. Liebeke (University of Kiel/Max Planck Institute Bremen) on MALDI-MSI visualisation of termite and symbiont metabolites and taxa, and Prof. Lone Gram (Technical University of Denmark). All five will contribute conceptual and methodological assistance on the PhD study.

Principal supervisor is Professor Michael Poulsen, Department of Biology, mpoulsen@bio.ku.dk, +45 35330377.

Qualifications needed for the regular programme
To be eligible for the regular PhD programme, you must have completed a degree programme, equivalent to a Danish master’s degree (180 ECTS/3 FTE BSc + 120 ECTS/2 FTE MSc) related to the subject area of the project, e.g. Biology. For information of eligibility of completed programmes, see General assessments for specific countries and Assessment database.

Terms of employment in the regular programme
Employment as PhD fellow is full time and for maximum 3 years.

Employment is conditional upon your successful enrolment as a PhD student at the PhD School at the Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen. This requires submission and acceptance of an application for the specific project formulated by the applicant.

Terms of appointment and payment accord to the agreement between the Danish Ministry of Taxation and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations on Academics in the State. The position is covered by the Protocol on Job Structure.

Responsibilities and tasks

• Carry through an independent research project under supervision
• Complete PhD courses corresponding to approx. 30 ECTS / ½ FTE
• Participate in active research environments, including a stay at another research institution, preferably abroad
• Teaching and knowledge dissemination activities
• Write scientific papers aimed at high-impact journals
• Write and defend a PhD thesis on the basis of your project

We are looking for the following qualifications:

• Professional qualifications relevant to the PhD project
• Relevant publications
• Relevant work experience
• Other relevant professional activities
• Curious mind-set with a strong interest in symbioses
• Good language skills

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Application and Assessment Procedure

Your application including all attachments must be in English and submitted electronically by clicking APPLY NOW below.

Please include:

1. Motivated letter of application including your motivation for applying for this specific PhD project (max. 2 pages)
2. Curriculum vitae including information about your education, experience, language skills and other skills relevant for the position
3. Original diplomas for Bachelor or Master 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.
4. Publication list (if possible)
5. Reference letters (if available)

Application deadline:

The deadline for applications is 23th of February 2026, 23:59 GMT +1.

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 deadline, a number of applicants will be selected for academic assessment by an unbiased expert assessor. You are notified, whether you will be passed for assessment.

The assessor will assess the qualifications and experience of the shortlisted applicants with respect to the above mentioned research area, techniques, skills and other requirements. The assessor will conclude whether each applicant is qualified and, if so, for which of the two models. The assessed applicants will have the opportunity to comment on their assessment. You can read about the recruitment process at http://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/.

Interviews with selected candidates are expected to be held late March-early April, 2026.

Questions
For specific information about the PhD fellowship, please contact the principal supervisor.

[General information about PhD study at the Faculty of SCIENCE is available at the PhD School’s website: https://www.science.ku.dk/phd/].

The University of Copenhagen wishes to reflect the surrounding community and invites all regardless of personal background to apply for the position.