Research Assistant: Omics in Women's Health

Introduction to the topic

Our research group focuses on improving the understanding and treatment of women’s health conditions, including migraine and endometriosis. These prevalent yet under-researched diseases significantly impact quality of life. By leveraging cutting-edge ‘omics technologies—genomics, transcriptomics, and metabolomics—we aim to uncover their molecular and systemic mechanisms.

Operating in a hospital-based, multidisciplinary environment, we integrate clinical expertise with high-throughput data science. Our research involves large-scale datasets, including patient-derived biological samples, clinical histories, and multi-omic profiles. Using computational tools such as machine learning and network-based approaches, we identify biomarkers, investigate disease mechanisms, and explore personalized treatment strategies.

Project details

Reproductive health conditions like endometriosis affect millions of women, often causing chronic pain and infertility. Despite their prevalence, these conditions remain poorly understood at the molecular level. Transcriptomics, which analyzes RNA expression, provides a valuable tool for uncovering biological pathways involved in these diseases.

This project will use Weighted Gene Co-Expression Network Analysis (WGCNA), a bioinformatics method that identifies clusters of genes (modules) with similar expression patterns. Unlike traditional differential expression analysis, WGCNA helps detect synergistic gene interactions and links them to clinical traits such as disease severity or treatment response. By applying this approach to publicly available transcriptomics datasets, we aim to uncover gene modules relevant to reproductive health conditions, potentially leading to novel biomarkers or therapeutic targets.

Research Assistants (RAs) will work on bioinformatics projects using in-house or publicly available datasets to address key questions in women’s health. Students will gain hands-on experience in data preprocessing, statistical analysis, machine learning, and network biology. Projects may include identifying differentially expressed genes, mapping metabolic pathways, integrating multi-omics data, or developing predictive models. Students will collaborate with an interdisciplinary team and contribute to meaningful research aimed at advancing women’s health.

Selected relevant publications:

Kogelman, L.J.A., Falkenberg, K., Ottosson, F. et al. (2023). Multi-omic analyses of triptan-treated migraine attacks gives insight into molecular mechanisms. Sci Rep 13, 12395. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-38904-1
Chalmer, A.M., L.J.A. Kogelman, I. Callesen, et al. (2023) Sex differences in clinical characteristics of migraine and its burden: a population-based study. European Journal of Neurology, 30 (6). https://doi.org/10.1111/ene.15778
L.J.A. Kogelman, A-L Esserlind, A.F. Christensen, et al. (2019) Migraine polygenic risk score associates with efficacy of migraine-specific drugs. Neurology Genetics 5 (6). https://doi.org/10.1212/NXG.0000000000000364

Recommended experience

Knowledge in molecular biology or genetics, as well as experience with bioinformatic tools/programming languages such as R and python.

Additional research application required

You will need to submit an additional research application through Student Registration in order to enroll in this course.

To submit your research application, you must already be admitted to DIS.

All research application materials must be submitted on the following dates by 23:59 Central European Time:

November 1 for spring semester applicants
May 1 for fall semester applicants

Complete your additional research application through Student Registration.

If you are not already enrolled, use this link to apply to DIS before completing a research application.

Syllabus

The syllabus for this course is currently under development. A draft syllabus will be posted here as soon as it is available.

Faculty

Coming Soon

Faculty

The faculty teaching this course will be listed here soon.

Research Assistantship FAQ

Learn more about research at DIS.

: Earning authorship within the course of a semester is challenging. Exceptional Research Assistants may be considered for co-authorship, subject to evaluation from the supervising Research Mentor.

Though you may not ultimately become an author on a published paper, you will gain many practical skills and insights into the publication process.

: Many research projects last across several semesters, so not all RAs on the same project will conduct the same research.

: On average, students in 3-credit Research Assistantships spend at least 10 hours a week on research tasks. These 10 hours per week consist of a variety of different research-related tasks, including conducting a literature review, data collection, analyses, coding, documentation, and meetings with your mentor. You may decide on a particular block of time (consistent each week) for you to carry out the work, or adjust it on a week-by-week basis.

Students in a 6-credit Research Assistantships spend an average of 20 hours per week with lab and clinically based research tasks. You decide the exact meeting and lab times with your supervisor, but your schedule consists of classes at DIS two days a week, with two days a week in the lab.

There may be peak times in the research process where all Research Assistant students are expected to spend a few more hours, and then possibly fewer hours another week – to reflect the individual research project and process.

: Work for the 3-credit Research Assistantships may take place outside DIS, on your own time at a location of your choosing, or at DIS – this varies from project to project. The 6-credit research assistantships generally take place at labs in Copenhagen or Stockholm outside DIS.

: Students with a variety of academic backgrounds are encouraged to apply for the 3-credit Research Assistant course. While some courses do have prerequisites, many opportunities do not require prior research experience.

The 6-credit Research Assistant opportunity is designed for highly motivated students who have a strong science background within the field of interest and some basic research experience. The student must be willing to commit a large portion of their semester to an engaging opportunity involving hands-on research in universities and medical institutes in Copenhagen or Stockholm.

Introduction to the topic

Project details

Recommended experience

Additional research application required

Syllabus

The syllabus for this course is currently under development. A draft syllabus will be posted here as soon as it is available.

Faculty

Coming Soon

Research Assistantship FAQ

Will I publish a research paper?

What exactly will I do?

What is the time commitment for a 3-credit or 6-credit Research Assistantship?

Where is the research work carried out?

What type of student applies for the 3- and 6-credit Research Assistant courses?