Investigating the tissue pathology of osteoarthritis and mining for potential early disease biomarkers

Applicants are invited for a PhD fellowship/scholarship at Graduate School of Technical Sciences, Aarhus University, Denmark, within the Animal and Veterinary Sciences programme. The position is available from 01 November 2026 or later. You can submit your application via the link under 'how to apply'.

Title:
Investigating the tissue pathology of osteoarthritis and mining for potential early disease biomarkers

Research area and project description:
We invite applicants for a PhD position focused on advancing our understanding of the tissue pathology of osteoarthritis and identification of potential early biomarkers for the disease.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common cause of lameness and pain in husbandry animals, e.g. horses, dogs, goats and pigs, and one of the major causes of disability in humans. In this project we aim to employ a highly innovative laser capture microdissection mass spectrometry (LCM-MS)-based strategy to unravel the pathology and identify a panel of osteoarthritis related proteins in existing joint tissue samples from an equine model for osteoarthritis. We will evaluate the potential of the identified proteins as biomarkers for early osteoarthritis disease progression in bodily fluids from the equine model and from species (animals and humans) with naturally occurring osteoarthritis. Furthermore, we will use in situ hybridization to map the homing of stem cells in the joint tissue samples. 

The PhD candidate will:

• Design a method for and carry out laser capture microdissection of histological joint tissue samples
• Design and perform sampling of bodily fluids (e.g. blood samples, synovial fluid, and urine) from different species
• Optimize method and prepare samples for mass spectrometry (DIA-MS) analysis and assist sample analysis
• Design and perform method for in situ hybridization
• Analyse data in R
• Publish scientific papers and present at conferences

Part of the project will take place at DTU Bioengineering in the Copenhagen area.

Project description: For technical reasons, you must upload a project description. Please simply copy the project description above and upload it as a PDF in the application.

Qualifications and specific competences:
Applicants must have a relevant master’s degree (120 ECTS) in veterinary medicine, medicine, biomedicine, molecular biology or a related field.

We are looking for a highly motivated candidate with:

• Knowledge of osteoarthritis disease pathology
• Interest in histology and laser capture microdissection
• Interest in mass spectrometry and omics data analysis
• Interest in in situ hybridization
• Skills with programming in R is an advantage

Place of employment and place of work:
The place of employment is Aarhus University, and the place of work is AU Viborg, Blichers Alle 20, 8830 Tjele, Denmark.

Contacts:
Applicants seeking further information regarding the PhD position are invited to contact: 

• Louise Bundgaard, loubun@anivet.au.dk (main supervisor)

For information about application requirements and mandatory attachments, please see our application guide. If answers cannot be found there, please contact:

• admission.gradschool.tech@au.dk 

How to apply:
Please follow this link to submit your application. 

Application deadline is 15 August 2026 at 23:59 CEST. 

Preferred starting date is 01 November 2026. 

Please note: 

• Only documents received prior to the application deadline will be evaluated. Thus, documents sent after deadline will not be considered.
• The programme committee may request further information or invite the applicant to attend an interview.
• Shortlisting will be used, which means that the evaluation committee only will evaluate the most relevant applications.

Aarhus University’s ambition is to be an attractive and inspiring workplace for all and to foster a culture in which everyone 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. Salary and terms of employment are in accordance with applicable collective agreement.