Studierende im Kleingruppenunterricht, Medizin studieren, ohne NC, Krems, Karl Landsteiner Privatuniversität

Call | Open Positions

General information


Calls for positions in the PhD programs will be internationally published and advertised at the EURAXESS website (https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/) and online job markets of the scientific societies representing the respective underlying research fields. The calls will also be published here at the website of the Karl Landsteiner Private University of Health Sciences as well as at the FWF job market (www.fwf.ac.at/en/service/fwf-job-market/).

Are you considering a PhD in Mental Health and Neuroscience? The first call for PhD positions took place in August 2024 and the first PhD students are about to start their project work. 

The following PhD projects are currently available (click here):

Students with a keen interest in mental health and neuroscience are invited to apply for one of 4 vacant doctoral studentships within the newly established PhD programme 

Mental Health and Neuroscience: Disease mechanisms – Diagnostics and Therapy – Clinical Neuroscience.

The PhD programme, which is run by the Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, follows international recommendations to support the integration of global mental health and neuroscience into research on psychiatric diagnosis, pathogenesis, nervous system disorders and their treatment. Students accepted into the program will receive a specialized training in:

  • I. neurobiological and neurophysiological basics of brain diseases (Disease mechanisms),
  • II. examination, diagnostics and therapy of mental health (Diagnostics and Therapy),
  • III. clinical and applied neuroscience (Clinical Neuroscience).

For the general admission requirements please refer to

https://www.kl.ac.at/de/studium-und-weiterbildung/doctoral-school/selection-procedures-and-admission-phd-degree

Excellent command of English is indispensable.

For the enrollement in a PhD programme at the Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences the tuition fee is € 3.500,- per semester for a total of 6 semesters. Depending on the employment status of the PhD student (e.g., university or third-party funding, clinical specialist in training) a partial or full tuition fee waiver can be granted. 

The top candidates will be interviewed in Krems. 

Supervisor: Prim. Assoc. Prof. PD Dr. Martin Aigner

Interdisciplinary collaboration between child and adolescent psychiatry and adult psychiatry can make a significant contribution to overcoming existing challenges and improving care and treatment outcomes for patients of all ages. The optimal solution could be a combination of both approaches: the establishment of specialized transition psychiatry teams within an interdisciplinary framework. Transferring the success of adult psychiatry to child and adolescent psychiatry requires careful adaption and further development of existing approaches. By combining preventive measures, individualized therapies, interdisciplinary collaboration and the use of modern technologies, the effectiveness and accessibility of treatment for children and adolescents can be significantly improved. A holistic approach that takes into account the specific developmental needs of this age group is crucial. The same applies to the second transition from adulthood to Palliative medicine.

This PhD project will be conducted independently of a working assignment with the KL or a University clinic.

Methods: Interdisciplinary collaboration research to bridge the gap between basic science and clinical implementation, between subjective and objective knowledge, including validated questionnaires, advanced statistical analysis, implementation of new therapy modules, public and patient involvement.

References: 

  • Fischer-Grote L, Fössing V, Aigner M, Fehrmann E, Boeckle M. Effectiveness of Online and Remote Interventions for Mental Health in Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults After the Onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. JMIR Ment Health. 2024;11:e46637.
  • Himmerich H, Lewis YD, Conti C, Mutwalli H, Karwautz A, Sjögren JM, Uribe Isaza MM, Tyszkiewicz-Nwafor M, Aigner M, McElroy SL, Treasure J, Kasper S; WFSBP Task Force on Eating Disorders. World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry (WFSBP) guidelines update 2023 on the pharmacological treatment of eating disorders. World J Biol Psychiatry. 2023;24:1-64.
  • Fellinger M, Knasmüller P, Kocsis-Bogar K, Wippel A, Fragner L, Mairhofer D, Hochgatterer P, Aigner M. Adverse childhood experiences as risk factors for recurrent admissions in young psychiatric inpatients. Front Psychiatry. 2022;13:988695

Supervisor: Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. Sascha Klee

Ion beam therapy enables individualized, highly precise, localized cancer treatment. These properties are particularly utilized in the treatment of carcinomas in the brain. However, treatment in this highly sensitive area also changes the morphological and structural properties of the central nervous system. The work will systematically investigate this, model possible effects and link them to other clinical parameters.

This PhD project will be conducted independently of a working assignment with the KL or a University clinic.

Methods: Image processing and image analyses in MR data sets, processing and analyzing big data, development and application of automatic, intelligent segmentation algorithms, multi-level models for linking clinical parameters, development of methods for optimizing treatment plans and their quality management

References:

  • Lütgendorf-Caucig MC, Pelak M, Hug E, Flechl MIB, Surböck MB, Marosi MC, Klee S, et al. Prospective analysis of radiation-induced contrast enhancement (RICE) and health-related quality of life following proton therapy for CNS and skull base tumors. International Journal of Radiation Oncology* Biology* Physics. 2024.

Supervisor: Ing. Matej Hotka PhD

Acquired epilepsy develops after injury to the brain which is followed by a phase of epileptogenesis during which neuronal processes occur leading to a seizure-prone brain. There is currently no strategy to prevent the development of epilepsy. Interictal spikes (IS), detectable by EEG in the epilepsy patients, are a hallmark of ongoing epileptogenesis. IS are caused by synchronous electrical firing of a large group of neurons, which is called paroxysmal depolarization shifts (PDS).
In this project, we will investigate the effects of PDS on neuronal metabolism. Our data suggest that PDS induce a metabolic switch making mitochondria to utilize less glucose and more glutamine. This metabolic switch protects neurons from the deleterious effects of neuronal hyperexcitability. Understanding of the details of PDS-induced metabolic switch can lead to a neuroprotective strategy and possibly shed light on the mechanism of epileptogenesis. We will map neuronal metabolism and activity using live-cell microscopy and patch-clamp.

This PhD project is linked to a PhD position at the Karl Landsteiner University (FWF funding).

Methods: Live-cell metabolic imaging, patch clamp electrophysiology, metabolomics


References: 

  • Hotka M, Kubista H (2018) The paroxysmal depolarization shift in epilepsy research, Int J Biochem Cell Biol. doi: 10.1016/j.biocel.2018.12.006 PMID: 30557621
  • Dhoundiyal, A et al. (2022) Glycerol-3-Phosphate Shuttle Is a Backup System Securing Metabolic Flexibility in Neurons. J Neurosci doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0193-22.2022 PMID: 35999055
  • Hotka, M et al. (2020) L-type Ca2+ channel-mediated Ca2+ influx adjusts neuronal mitochondrial function to physiological and pathophysiological conditions. DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.aaw6923 PMID: 32047116

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Application

PhD candidates need to fill out the application online in “Open Campus” and upload the associated attachment to the application.

For further information please contact: 

Mag. Margit Mittermair

Mag. Margit Mittermair

Assistenz
PhD Programm Mental Health and Neuroscience