PhD students in Neuroscience in P4Health – Center of Excellence in Precise Phenotyping and BioDataBanking for Personalised Brain Health K/M

• Title of MSc in biological, medical, veterinary or related sciences (or confirmation that you are in the final year of a MSc programme)
• Experience in applying in vitro, in vivo or in silico models for resolving challenging biological problems, including statistical methods, preparing reports and presentations of results
• Strong interest in cellular and molecular basis of brain disorders
• Excellent organizational skills
• Very good command of English

The P4Health Centre of Excellence is an interdisciplinary initiative focused on advancing Predictive, Preventive, Personalized, and Participatory (P4) approaches in health and medicine. Within the IRAP framework, the project’s scientific goal is to discover and validate novel therapeutic concepts aimed at counteracting symptoms of brain disorders associated with astrocyte pathology. The applied research programme is designed to deliver a detailed understanding of the mechanisms of astrocyte dysfunction and its impact on neuronal networks, building on the complementary expertise of a team with a strong publication record in reputable journals and proven experience in identifying nervous system pathomechanisms and developing prototype drug candidates. Project outcomes will be protected as intellectual property and will provide a foundation for translation through clinical studies and appropriate commercialisation pathways.

P4Health’s key features:
• Interdisciplinary centre advancing P4 approaches in health and medicine
• Applied, mechanism-driven research focused on astrocyte dysfunction and its effects on neuronal networks
• Strong scientific track record demonstrated through high-quality publications and prior discoveries in nervous system pathomechanisms
• Translation-oriented strategy, from concept validation to clinical studies and commercialisation
• Systematic protection and management of intellectual property to support downstream implementation

Position description:
Eight PhD positions are available in the Center P4Health which focuses on resolving neuro-glia interactions related to neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders. Our interdisciplinary research aims to identify cell-autonomous pathways for better understanding of trait-specific neuropathology and to propose novel therapeutical targets.

We will combine brain region- and cell-specific genetic manipulation followed by behavioral and functional readouts to identify circuit-specific engagement of glial cells in brain function.

We are looking for enthusiastic researchers to broaden our think-tank with their expertise in monitoring functional processes upon targeted manipulation in relevant modalities. The ideal candidate has a strong motivation to perform translational research in neuroscience, presents solid background knowledge in molecular mechanisms of brain disorders, and is capable of independent and creative thinking.

Candidates will be requested to apply for doctoral schools at selected universities and launch collaborative project.

 Position of PhD student refers to a person preparing a doctoral thesis as part of a doctoral programme at a doctoral school or as an external candidate, and who is participating in a project under the supervision of a Research Team Leader.

We encourage applications from candidates of all nationalities, genders and backgrounds.

Required documents:

• CV
• Motivation letter.
• Contact information, including e-mail address and phone number
• The candidates may include additional information or copies of documents/certificates in support of the application