Ph.D. Studentships Available in Endocrine Regulation of Metabolism and Development in Drosophila at the University of Copenhagen
The Rewitz lab is currently on the lookout for one to two Ph.D.-student colleagues! The lab is working intensively on aspects of endocrine regulation of metabolism and development in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, and the projects for which we are recruiting students are in this area. Funding for these positions is in-hand and guaranteed; however, opportunities exist for graduate fellowships that provide additional funding for students (see below).
The Rewitz lab at the moment comprises Kim Rewitz (Associate Professor), two Assistant Professors, one Ph.D. student, six Master’s students, and a laboratory manager/technician. Ph.D. students are expected to work closely with members of the team. Ph.D. studies in Denmark last three years, but we envision a four-year program, with the first year as a pre-Ph.D. research scientist. Starting dates are flexible, although we hope to begin work within six months (by early 2020). Prior experience in Drosophila work or in the metabolism field is not necessary, but of course is a bonus. No preference will be given in any way to any aspect of the applicant’s non-scientific background, including ethnicity, sex and identity, nationality, and so on.
Position one: cholesterol as a growth-regulating nutrient
Cholesterol is a famous molecule — rightly so, and for many reasons. It is necessary as a structural component of cell membranes, providing fluidity (for example, this is one reason for which cold-water shrimp are high in cholesterol: it keeps their cell membranes from solidifying). Cholesterol is also the chemical substrate for the synthesis of steroid hormones, both in mammals (for example, testosterone and estrogen) and in insects (the hormone ecdysone; see the Publications page for more on this). Dysfunction of biological cholesterol-management systems also leads to health defects, such as heart disease, stroke, and the Niemann-Pick class of cholesterol-storage diseases.
Furthermore, we recently found that dietary cholesterol regulates organismal and cellular growth in Drosophila larvae, with effects on nutrient signaling through the “master cellular regulator” Target of Rapamycin (Tor) as well as through the insulin-signaling system. In this work, funded by Danmarks Frie Forskningsfond (DFF; Independent Research Fund Denmark), we will investigate the precise ways that cholesterol affects metabolism and growth through genetic analyses and manipulations of the Tor and insulin pathways, through transcriptomic assessments, imaging, and other approaches. We will also probe the function of the Niemann-Pick-disease-related cholesterol-transport genes in various tissues, as well as the neuronal basis (if any) for cholesterol sensation and preference.
Position two: signals from the gut that regulate metabolism
Animal bodies are made up of a collection of different organs, each with different functions. To maintain energy homeostasis, each of them has access to different aspects of information about the internal nutritional state of the animal and of its environment. In our lab, one of our research goals is to identify hormonal signals that regulate metabolism; the gut, as the first organ that can assess recently eaten food, is a likely source of these signals. There are about two thousand potentially secreted proteins encoded in the fly genome, any of which might act as a signal from the gut to other tissues – the brain, the fat, or the musculature – apprising them of new nutritional information. In this work, funded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation, we aim to comprehensively screen the gut “secretome” for metabolism-regulating hormonal signals using a combination of unbiased transcriptomic correlations between tissues and tissue-specific gene knockdown and CRISPR manipulations. The successful applicant will be involved in preparations for and analysis of transcriptomic data, RNAi screening, and metabolic assessment of animals, as well as follow-up studies on identified factors of interest through, e.g., genetic, metabolic, and imaging studies.
Fellowship opportunities
Although these positions are fully funded, we encourage Ph.D. applicants to apply for external funding through the EU “TALENT Doctoral Fellowship Programme” (DEADLINE OCTOBER 1, 23:59!).
Students who have not resided or worked in Denmark for longer than 12 months in the last three years, and who have not worked in science for more than four years, may apply to the EU “TALENT Doctoral Fellowship Programme.” Read about it here: https://talent.ku.dk/
New facilities!
We have just completely rebuilt our fly facilities, so fly-pushers can work in a bright open space with plenty of storage space at the bench as well as in an 18-degree room. All-new fly scopes sit at every bench space. Incubators at a variety of temperatures are available. In addition to this new space, the lab also has standard molecular-lab tools and apparatus – a qPCR machine and PCR machines; a plate reader for absorbance, fluorescence, DELFIA/TRFIA, and “Alpha” signals; and access to confocal microscopes (LSM 800 with AiryScan) as well as more-advanced imaging tools such as TEM, PALM/STORM, structured illumination microscopy, and so on.
Interested?
For more information, please contact us! An official posting may be made later through the University’s recruiting system, but interested students should get in touch as soon as possible.
Kim Rewitz
Associate Professor
Department of Biology, Section for Cell and Neurobiology
University of Copenhagen
Universitetsparken 15
Building 12, 3-3-430
2100 Copenhagen
Denmark
Kim.Rewitz@bio.ku.dk
www.rewitzlab.dk