The School VI of Medicine and Health Sciences comprises the fields of human medicine, medical physics and acoustics, neurosciences, psychology and health services research. Together with the four regional hospitals, School VI forms the University Medicine Oldenburg. Furthermore, the university cooperates closely with the University Medicine of the University of Groningen.
This position is embedded within the PROVIDE Doctoral Network (https://provide-dn.eu/), an international doctoral training program funded by the European Union that aims to address the global burden of vestibular disorders. The network trains ten doctoral candidates who conduct interdisciplinary research projects to develop new knowledge, tools, and approaches to improve diagnosis and treatment of vestibular disorders.
The successful candidate will work in the research group of Prof. Dr. Sonja J. Pyott and collaborate closely with partners at the University of Groningen and University Medical Center Groningen (Netherlands) and in the research group of Prof. Dr. Vincent Van Rompaey at the University of Antwerp (Belgium).
The doctoral project investigates DFNA9, a hereditary disorder caused by mutations in the COCH gene, which leads to progressive hearing loss and vestibular dysfunction. The project aims to uncover the molecular mechanisms underlying the differential vulnerability of cochlear and vestibular systems and relate these mechanisms to clinical disease trajectories. The project will use a cross-model approach integrating mouse models and longitudinal patient cohorts.
