We would like to invite applications for a 3-year PhD position starting August 2018. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No. 765148, European Innovative Training Network (ITN) program entitled TRABIT - “Translational Brain Imaging Training Network”. The aim of the TRABIT is to educate the future technical researchers for better bridging new technological know-how to clinical applications. 

About us

The Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance (DRCMR) is one of the leading research centres for biomedical MRI in Europe (www.drcmr.dk), and is awarded Centre of Excellence within Capital Region Hospitals (RegionH). Our mission is to triangulate MR physics and basic physiology from preclinical to clinical research. Approximately 75 researchers from a diverse range of disciplines are currently pursuing basic and clinically applied MR research and its validation with a focus on structural, functional, and metabolic MRI of the human brain and its disorders. The DRCMR is embedded in the Center for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, a large diagnostic imaging department, including all biomedical imaging modalities at Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre. DRCMR has a state-of-the-art MR-research infrastructure enabling translational research, which includes a pre-clinical 7T MR scanner, six whole-body MR scanners (one 7T, three 3T and two 1.5T scanners) and a High Performance Computer cluster for neuroimaging. The DRCMR have pre-clinical labs, a neuropsychology laboratory, an EEG laboratory, and two laboratories for non-invasive brain stimulation. 

Project Description

The Ph.D. project is a cross-disciplinary project within the topic of microstructure imaging using MRI, image analysis and its clinical application for investigating new potential diagnostic biomarkers for stroke patients and their predicted cognitive outcome compared to healthy controls. The project will be mainly technical, i.e. setting up multi-modal MRI protocols on a clinical 3T MRI scanner and data analysis, but will also include involvement in patient recruitment. Multi-modal MRI protocols include quantitative MRI and novel diffusion MRI sequence designs for the detection of microstructural changes on the brain network after stroke. The project will be carried out at the Danish Research Centre for MR (DRCMR) in close collaboration with Department of Neurology, Bispebjerg Hospital for patient recruitment and neurological expertise, and with the Technical University of Denmark, Department of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science (DTU compute). The student will be main supervised by Dr. Tim Dyrby and will be working both at DRCMR and DTU as well as part of the ITN project having planned research stays at two other research sites within TRABIT i.e. at Fraunhofer MEVIS, Germany and at a scanner vendor (see all partners at www.trabit.eu).

The ideal candidate

should be an international oriented team player with:

• A Master degree or corresponding qualification in biomedical engineering, MRI physics, neuroimaging or a related field
• Interest in combining clinical and neuroanatomical research
• Experience in working with MRI and data analysis
• Innovative and constructive thinking and willingness to go into research
• Fluent in written and spoken English.

You must not have resided in Denmark for more than 12 months in the last 3 years and you may not have carried out your main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Denmark. 

Your tasks

• To work in a cross-disciplinary environment being clinical and technical.
• To get insight into anatomy and to transfer this knowledge when designing the multi-modal MRI protocols and selecting the neuroimaging setup.
• To be engaged in supervision of BSc and MSc and teaching assistant, knowledge dissemination and publishing in international recognized scientific journals.

Your position

• The candidate will be employed as PhD student for a 3-year period at the Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance where he/she will be part of the Microstructure and Plasticity Group (drcmr.dk/map) led by Associate Professor Tim B. Dyrby.
• The scholarship for the PhD degree is subject to academic approval, and the candidate will be enrolled in the DTU Compute PhD School Programme. For information about the general requirements for enrolment and the general planning of the scholarship studies, please see the DTU PhD Guide. 

Salary and Terms of Employment

Salary, pension and terms of employment are in accordance with the agreement between the Danish Regions (Danske Regioner) and the relevant professional organization. The salary depends on background education and seniority and will be in accordance with the rates set by the European Commission for Early Stage Researchers in Marie Skłodowska-Curie programme. The position is open for candidates of all nationalities, but is subject to the mobility terms mentioned above.

We see diversity as strength and encourage all persons regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, disabilities or religion to apply.

Application

• The application must be submitted on-line through the TRABIT job portal under ESR13 (https://trabit.eu/index.php/application-form), including the following documentations:
• application (letter of motivation)
• CV
• documentation of a relevant completed M.Sc. -degree
• course and grade list of master degrees
• Excel sheet with translation of grades to the Danish grading system (see guidelines and excel spreadsheet here)

Application deadline: 25th May, 2018 at 23:59 CET)

Starting date is expected to be in August 2018

For further information regarding the position please contact Associate Professor Tim B. Dyrby
Direct line:  +45 3862 6542; Email:

To apply you need to fill out the application form. Click here.