Licentiate student position in Diabetes and Obesity research - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Do you want to contribute to improving human health?

To be a licentiate student means to devote oneself to a research project under supervision of experienced researchers and following an individual study plan. For a licentiate degree, the equivalent of two years of full-time research education is required.

The Department of Clinical Science and Education, Södersjukhuset, pursues undergraduate education, research education and internationally recognized research focusing on common diseases and injuries. The goal of all activities is to improve human health.

The research group

Martina Persson, senior lecturer and associate professor in Peadiatrics at Karolinska Insitutet is the principal investigator of the licentiate project. Her research focuses on different aspects of diabetes and obesity in pregnancy as well as in children, adolescents and young adults. She has conducted several large-scale epidemiological projects and clinical studies. As a steering board member of the national prospective BDD-study and the CDC4g trial, she has a broad contact net with diabetologists in the whole of Sweden. She also has several ongoing international studies. Professor Thomas Nyström, the group leader of the research group of the Neuro-cardio-metabolic research group at KI SÖS, and adj professor Ingrid Dalhman will act as co-supervisors in the licentiate project. Professors Nyström and Dalhman both have extensive knowledge on clinical management of individuals with diabetes as well as from clinical, experimental and epidemiological research studies in the field. The licentiate student will be able to attend research seminars in two different settings; The research group “Paedriatric Diabetes” and Neuro-cardio-metabolic research group at KI SÖS.

The licentiate student project and the duties of the licentiate student

This project includes two different clinical studies aiming at a better understanding of the impact of exercise and adipose tissue distribution on insulin sensitivity in females with type 1 diabetes. The first project (study 1) tests the hypothesis that high intensive interval training (“HIIT”) has differential impact on metabolic outcomes depending on time of the day of the exercise. Both subject with and without type 1 diabetes will perform a HIIT session in the morning and in the afternoon and on both occasions different aspects of metabolism will be measured both in blood and in muscle tissue. Muscle biopsies are taken under local anesthesia from the lateral rectus muscle.

The overall aim of the other project (study 2) is to examine the impact of total and regional fat mass on insulin sensitivity and markers of vascular health in females with type 1 diabetes. Insulin sensitivity will be estimated with euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp, i.e., the gold standard for assessment of insulin sensitivity. Fat biopsies are taken from subcutaneous fat under local anesthesia. The biopsies are analyzed for both cell size and number of adipose cells as well as transcriptomic and metabolomics. Most of these analyses are carried out by experts in the field. The licentiate student will be able to participate in some parts of this work.

The student will participate in data collection, which involves contact with study participants, and to register data in RedCap. This work also includes scheduling of study participants for the different test in study 1 and 2. The student will perform the HIIT sessions and take part in the euglycemic clamp investigations in collaboration with the senior researchers in the group. The licentiate student will also handle tissue from the muscle and fat biopsies and prepare blood and other tissues for analysis. The student will take the leading role in performing statistical data analyses and summarizing clinical and biochemical data in the projects. The student shall also draft two scientific manuscripts and submit them to scientific journals as well as present data to the scientific community.

What do we offer?

A creative and inspiring environment full of expertise and curiosity. Karolinska Institutet is one of the world's leading medical universities. Our vision is to pursue the development of knowledge about life and to promote a better health for all. At Karolinska Institutet, we conduct successful medical research and hold the largest range of medical education in Sweden. As a licentiate student you are offered an individual research project, a well-educated supervisor, a vast range of elective courses and the opportunity to work in a leading research group. Karolinska Institutet collaborates with prominent universities from all around the world, which ensures opportunities for international exchanges. You will be employed on a licentiate studentship which means that you receive a contractual salary. Employees also have access to our modern gym for free and receive reimbursements for medical care.

Eligibility requirements for licentiate education

In order to participate in the selection for a licentiate position, you must meet the following general (A) and specific (B) eligibility requirements at latest by the application deadline.

It is your responsibility to certify eligibility by following the instructions on the web page Entry requirements to doctoral education

A) General eligibility requirement

You meet the general eligibility requirement for licentiate education if you:

1. have been awarded a second-cycle/advanced/master qualification (i.e. master degree), or
2. have satisfied the requirements for courses comprising at least 240 credits of which at least 60 credits were awarded in the advanced/second-cycle/master level, or
3. have acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad.*

Follow the instructions on the web page Entry requirements to doctoral education

*If you claim equivalent knowledge, follow the instructions on the web page Assessing equivalent knowledge for general eligibility for doctoral education.

B) Specific eligibility requirement

You meet the specific eligibility requirement for licentiate education if you:

- Show proficiency in English equivalent to the course English B/English 6 at Swedish upper secondary school.

Follow the instructions on the web page English language requirements for doctoral education.

Verification of your documents Karolinska Institutet checks the authenticity of your documents. Karolinska Institutet reserves the right to revoke admission if supporting documents are discovered to be fraudulent. Submission of false documents is a violation of Swedish law and is considered grounds for legal action.

(A) and (B) can only be certified by the documentation requirement for doctoral education.

Skills and personal qualities

We are looking for a highly motivated person who is committed to research. The candidate should have an interest in research on diabetes, muscle- and adipose tissue. Prior experience of research within diabetes, obesity and physical exercise is considered a great advantage for this project. Authorship on research articles is also highly meriting, as is previous training in research laboratories. Methods used in the study include advanced epidemiology and biostatistics, bioinformatics using large-scale data, as well as cellular and molecular techniques. Experience in these methods is desirable.

The following qualifications will be especially valued:

- A degree (or ongoing studies) in medicine or biomedicine/physiology
- Experience in organizing and conducting clinical research studies
- Experience in working in RedCap
- Experience in analyses of adipose tissue and muscle tissue
- Experience in testing of physical performance within a research setting
- Experience in large-scale data analyses
- Experience in statistical analysis
- Experience working with the statistical programs SAS or R (SPSS not used

Terms and conditions

The licentiate student will be employed on a licentiate studentship maximum 2 years full-time.

Application process

Submit your application and supporting documents through the Varbi recruitment system. Use the button in the top right corner and follow the instructions. We prefer that your application is written in English, but you can also apply in Swedish.

Your application must contain the following documents:

- A personal letter and a curriculum vitae
- Degree projects and previous publications, if any
- Any other documentation showing the desirable skills and personal qualities described above
- Documents certifying your general eligibility (see A above)
- Documents certifying your specific eligibility (see B above)

Selection

A selection will be made among eligible applicants on the basis of the ability to benefit from licentiate education. The qualifications of the applicants will be evaluated on an overall basis.

Karolinska Institutet uses the following bases of assessment:

- Documented subject knowledge of relevance to the area of research
- Analytical skill
- Other documented knowledge or experience that may be relevant to licentiate studies in the subject.

All applicants will be informed when the recruitment is completed.

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