PhD Fellowship in Computational Pharmacology and Data Science at the University of Copenhagen
Job Description
The University of Copenhagen’s Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology is offering a three-year PhD in computational pharmacology, using molecular dynamics simulations and machine learning to study how genetic variants change the behaviour of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and patients’ responses to drugs. It starts soon, on 15 October 2026.
At a glance
- Position: PhD fellowship, Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology
- Supervisor: Associate Professor Alexander Hauser
- Start: 15 October 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter
- Duration: 3 years
- Apply: 26 September 2026, 23:59
About the PhD project
- Use atomistic molecular dynamics simulations to find biophysical descriptors of receptor function
- Integrate those descriptors with machine learning to predict ligand- and variant-specific pharmacological outcomes
- Work with the dopamine D2 receptor as the main model system
- Teach undergraduate pharmaceutical sciences students, take PhD courses and complete a research stay, preferably abroad
GPCRs are the targets of about a third of approved drugs, and small genetic differences between people can change how a receptor moves and responds. Linking those differences to drug response is a step towards precision pharmacology.
A Danish PhD combines supervised research with about 30 ECTS of PhD courses, a research stay at another group, and some teaching or dissemination, ending in a PhD thesis. Positions are advertised with a fixed project and supervisor, and applicants apply to that specific project.
What University of Copenhagen is looking for
- A relevant master’s degree (for example in bioinformatics, computational biology or computational chemistry), or a bachelor’s plus master’s-level qualification from abroad
- A motivated bioinformatician, data scientist or ML specialist, ideally experienced in MD simulations
- Excellent programming, preferably Python with GitHub version control
- Experience with statistical analysis and/or machine learning
Pay and location
Salary, pension and terms of employment follow the agreement between the Danish Ministry and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC); the posting gives no figure. The position is based in Copenhagen, Denmark.
How to apply
Apply through the official University of Copenhagen page. The closing date is 26 September 2026, 23:59. Apply through the University of Copenhagen job portal using the “Apply now” link on the official posting, which lists the documents to include.
See all our PhD positions, or browse more research jobs on ResearchJobs.in.
Hiring institution: University of Copenhagen
Official advertisement: employment.ku.dk
How to prepare for this application
- MD simulations: be ready to discuss GROMACS, AMBER or OpenMM runs you did and how you analysed them.
- GPCR biology: read about activation mechanisms and the dopamine D2 receptor.
- ML on simulations: think about features from trajectories that predict function.
- Pharmacogenomics: know how genetic variants alter drug response.
- Start date: it starts on 15 October 2026, so be ready to move quickly.
About the University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen, founded in 1479, is Denmark's oldest and largest university. In Denmark, PhD students are normally employed on full-time salaried contracts, with pay and terms set by national collective agreements, and the standard PhD lasts three years after a master's degree.
