Applications are invited for a PhD fellowship/scholarship at Graduate School of Natural Sciences, Aarhus University, Denmark, within the Biology programme. The position is available from August 2025 or later.
Title:
Retinal Antioxidant Defense in Zebrafish
Research area and project description:
Fish have a unique way of supplying oxygen to the light-sensitive retina within the eye, where the photoreceptors experience oxygen and proton levels that are ten times higher than in the remaining central nervous system. This extreme respiratory microenvironment creates the conditions for extensive production of reactive oxygen species that would kill most other animal cells. In this PhD project, the candidate will use the zebrafish retina as a model tissue to identify the molecular, mitochondrial and cellular mechanisms for antioxidant defense that allow fish retinal cells to survive under these extreme conditions. The Ph.D. student will gain experience in state-of-the-art techniques for measuring ROS production and antioxidant defense in isolated mitochondria and in vivo. These findings will expand our understanding of cellular function at the boundaries of life with impacts in the fields of cell biology, physiology, and biomedicine.
The work of this PhD project will be conducted as a part of a larger project on zebrafish retinal function funded by the Villum Foundation. The PhD student will collaborate closely with other students and postdocs within the group as well as national and international partners, where extended periods abroad are expected.
The project will be carried out in the retina lab of Christian Damsgaard at the Section for Zoophysiology, which offers a dynamic and ambitious research environment with state-of-the-art facilities and equipment. Christian Damsgaard will be the daily supervisor, and Mark Bayley will be the main supervisor.
For technical reasons, you must upload a project description. When - as here - you apply for a specific project, please simply copy the project description above, and upload it as a PDF in the application. If you wish to, you can indicate an URL where further information can be found.
Qualifications and specific competences:
Applicants to the PhD position must have a recent Master’s degree or a Bachelor´s degree and one year of Master´s studies within Biology, Molecular Biology, Molecular Medicine, Bioinformatics, or similar. The successful candidate has a solid background in biochemistry and physiology and strong analytical and numerical skills. Prior experience with cell biology, mitochondrial physiology and live animal experimentation is an advantage.
The successful candidate is expected to bring or develop the necessary soft skills for working in teams, as well as for managing and communicating your research progress. The same holds for the necessary hard skills in data analysis and scientific writing.
Place of employment and place of work:
The place of employment is Aarhus University, and the place of work is Section for Zoophysiology, Department of Biology, C. F. Møller Alle 3, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
Contacts:
Applicants seeking further information for this project are invited to contact:
Associate professor Mark Bayley, mark.bayley@bio.au.dk
Assistant Professor Christian Damsgaard, cd@bio.au.dk
How to apply:
For information about application requirements and mandatory attachments, please see the Application guide. Please read the Application guide thoroughly before applying.
When ready to apply, go to https://phd.nat.au.dk/for-applicants/apply-here/ (Note, the online application system opens 1 March 2025)
Please note:
At the Faculty of Natural Science at Aarhus University, we strive to support our scientific staff in their career development. We focus on competency development and career clarification and want to make your opportunities transparent. On our website, you can find information on all types of scientific positions, as well as the entry criteria we use when assessing candidates. You can also read more about how we can assist you in your career planning and development.
Aarhus University’s ambition is to be an attractive and inspiring workplace for all and to foster a culture in which each individual has opportunities to thrive, achieve and develop. We view equality and diversity as assets, and we welcome all applicants. All interested candidates are encouraged to apply, regardless of their personal background.
