PhD fellowship in antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) engineering: internalization and lysosomal delivery

Biotech Research and Innovation Centre (BRIC) / Finsen Laboratory, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen

A 3-year PhD fellowship is available in the research group of Associate Professor Lars Henning Engelholm. Expected start: 15 January 2027, or as soon as possible thereafter.

The project

Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) depend on efficient internalization and lysosomal processing to release their cytotoxic payload. Inefficient trafficking limits potency and restricts current ADCs to targets with very high receptor density. The PhD project will engineer and test next-generation ADCs with improved internalization and lysosomal routing. This includes bispecific constructs that combine our established ADC targets (uPAR, MMP14, uPARAP and the Mannose Receptor) with receptors that drive lysosomal delivery, such as IGF2R. Lead candidates will be evaluated in cancer cell models and in vivo, including models of sarcoma and glioblastoma.

The project is part of the Novo Nordisk Foundation Distinguished Innovator project "Breaking Barriers: Engineering ADCs for Efficient BBB Transport and Lysosomal Targeting", in collaboration with Professor Matthias Herth (Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, UCPH) and Professor Katrine Qvortrup (Department of Chemistry, DTU).

Main tasks

• Production, purification and validation of recombinant and bispecific antibodies

• Conjugation of antibodies to cytotoxic payloads and characterization of the resulting ADCs

• Cell-based assays: antibody uptake and internalization, flow cytometry, drug screening and cytotoxicity/cell viability assays

• In vivo efficacy studies of ADC candidates in tumor models

• Writing scientific publications and presenting at international conferences

Job description

Your key tasks as a PhD student at SUND are

• Carrying through an independent research project under supervision.

• Completing PhD courses or other equivalent education corresponding to approximately 30 ECTS points.

• Participating in active research environments including a stay at another research team.

• Obtaining experience with teaching or other types of dissemination related to your PhD project

• Teaching and disseminating your knowledge.

• Writing a PhD thesis on the grounds of your project

PhD Programme Description

The PhD programme is a three-year full-time research education within the framework of the 5+3 scheme, intended for candidates holding a relevant academic degree within the project’s subject area (e.g., [relevant degrees]).

Qualifications

We are looking for a candidate with a strong, hands-on background in ADC research. Applicants must have:

• An MSc degree (120 ECTS, or equivalent) in pharmaceutical biotechnology, biotechnology or a closely related field, with an excellent academic record

• An MSc thesis or equivalent research project on antibody-drug conjugates or antibody-based cancer therapeutics

• Documented hands-on experience with production, validation and payload conjugation of recombinant antibodies

• Experience with cytotoxicity, cell viability and drug screening assays in mammalian cancer cell lines

• Experience with flow cytometry

• Experience with laboratory animal work

• Experience from an international research laboratory and excellent written and spoken English

Experience with functional genomics (e.g. CRISPR-Cas9 screening) and with sarcoma models is an advantage.

Place of employment

The place of employment is BRIC, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen. We offer creative and stimulating working conditions in dynamic and international research environment.

Terms of employment

The average weekly working hours are 37 hours per week.

The position is a fixed-term position limited to a period of 3 years. The start date is 15 January 2027 or after agreement.

The employment is conditioned upon the applicant’s success­ful enrolment as a PhD student at the Graduate School at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen. This requires submission and acceptance of an application for the specific project formulated by the applicant.

The PhD study must be completed in accordance with The Ministerial Order on the PhD programme (2013) and the Faculty’s rules on achieving the degree.

Salary, pension and terms of employment are in accordance with the agree­ment between the Ministry of Taxation and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations on Academics in the State. Depending on seniority, the monthly salary starts at approximately 31,800 DKK/Roughly 4,200 EUR (August 2026 level) plus pension.

You can read more about salary levels in the state sector www.loenoverblik.dk (in Danish).

Questions

For specific information about the PhD fellowship, please contact Associate Professor Lars Henning Engelholm, lhe@finsenlab.dk .

General information about PhD studies at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences is available at the Graduate School’s website: https://healthsciences.ku.dk/phd/guidelines/

Application procedure

Your application must be submitted electronically by clicking ‘Apply now’ below. The application must include the following documents in PDF format:

• Motivated letter of application (max. one page)

• CV incl. education, experience, language skills and other skills relevant for the position

• Certified copy of original Master of Science diploma and transcript of records in the original language, including an authorized English translation if issued in other 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. As a prerequisite for a PhD fellowship employment, your master’s degree must be equivalent to a Danish master’s degree. We encourage you to read more in the assessment database: https://ufm.dk/en/education/recognition-and-transparency/find-assessments/assessment-database. Please note that we might ask you to obtain an assessment of your education performed by the Ministry of Higher Education and Science

• Publication list (if possible)

Application deadline: 6 November 2026 , 23.59pm CET

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 the expiry of the deadline for applications, the authorized recruitment manager selects applicants for assessment on the advice of the hiring committee. All applicants are then immediately notified whether their application has been passed for assessment by an unbiased assessor.

The assessor makes a non-prioritized assessment of the academic qualifications and experience with respect to the above-mentioned area of research, techniques, skills and other requirements listed in the advertisement.

Once the assessment work has been completed each applicant has the opportunity to comment on the part of the assessment that relates to the applicant him/herself.

You find information about the recruitment process at: https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/

The applicants will be assessed according to the Ministerial Order no. 242 of 13 March 2012 on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Universities.

Interviews are expected to be held in week 49

The University of Copenhagen wish to reflect the diversity of society and encourage all qualified candidates to apply regardless of personal background.