Department of Women´s and Children’s Health

Do you want to contribute to top quality medical research?

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

The research group

The Petter Brodin’s research group located at Science for Life Laboratory in Stockholm is a part of the Unit of Clinical Pediatrics, Karolinska Institutet. The group develops and applies experimental and computational research methods for systems-level analyses of the human immune system. The aim of the team is to understand immune systems’ variation in health and disease and the regulatory mechanisms underlying such variation and adaptation to environmental influences. Another important focus is the development of immune systems in early life.

The doctoral student will be under supervision of three members of the group - Camila Consiglio as the main supervisor; Petter Brodin and Lakshmikanth Tadepally as the co-supervisors.

The doctoral student project and the duties of the doctoral student

The main aim of this project is to study immune response variation in children. To achieve that, the project will include a unique set of human cohorts in terms of age, sex and health, and will contain both experimental and computational analyses aspects to it, allowing the student to understand systems immunology from beginning to end. The student will be required to participate in the experimental design, experimental execution and analysis of the project results, as well as to communicate orally and in writing the conducted research.

Experimentally, the project will include blood sample preparation, whole blood stimulations and cell culture, coupled with high-throughput technologies to assess immune responses, including transcriptomic profiling (NanoString, sc-mRNA-seq), plasma proteome profiling (Olink assays) and cellular composition and phenotyping assessment (flow and mass cytometry).

Additionally, although the main focus of this project is experimental, the student will learn some aspects of the data management and analyses. This will entail learning and applying basic computational methods for processing, quality control and interrogation of the generated data, along with statistical analyses of immune parameters in relation to age, sex and other metadata features.

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 doctoral 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 doctoral 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 doctoral education

In order to participate in the selection for a doctoral 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 (eligibility) for doctoral education.

A) General eligibility requirement

You meet the general eligibility requirement for doctoral/third-cycle/PhD 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 (eligibility) for 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 doctoral/third-cycle/PhD 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

Primarily, the appropriate candidate should have an interest in human systems immunology, as well as the ability to thrive in an interdisciplinary environment, and a willingness to dive into the research field of immune system variation, pediatrics and bioinformatics, needed to successfully reach the outcomes of the doctoral education. The successful candidate should have documented lab experience in cell and molecular biology research techniques, along with handling clinical samples, as meticulous lab work and record maintenance of clinical samples will be of high importance throughout the project. Lastly, the following biological research-related skills will be highly valued:

  • Cell culture, maintenance and harvest
  • Stimulation assays in whole blood or PBMC samples
  • Nucleic acid sample handling, i.e. DNA and/or RNA extraction and manipulation
  • Bulk or single cell transcriptomic profiling assays
  • Experimental planning
  • Scientific communication skills (oral and written)
  • Basic knowledge in R programming for data analysis

A selection will be made among qualified applicants on the basis of the following criteria:

1) Documented experience in the aforementioned requirements

2) Prior experience and knowledge in cellular and molecular biology in general, and immunology in particular

3) Theoretical understanding and/or technical experience with the high-throughput technologies utilized in the lab, i.e. NanoString, sc-RNA-seq, and mass and flow cytometry

4) Expressed interest in research and in the project described above

The qualifications of the applicants will be evaluated on an overall basis.

Terms and conditions

The doctoral student will be employed on a doctoral studentship maximum 4 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 doctoral 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 doctoral studies in the subject.

All applicants will be informed when the recruitment is completed.

Want to make a difference? Join us and contribute to better health for all

Type of employment PhD placement
Contract type Full time
First day of employment According to agreement
Salary Monthly salary
Number of positions 1
Full-time equivalent 100
City Stockholm
County Stockholms län
Country Sweden
Reference number STÖD 2-3806/2021
Contact
  • Camila Consiglio, Postdoktor, camila.consiglio@ki.se
  • Karin Björström, HR-partner, 08-524 823 67
Union representative
  • Bodil Moberg , OFR, 08-524 836 01
  • Henry Wölling, SEKO, henry.wolling@ki.se
  • John Inge Johnsen , SACO, john.inge.johnsen@ki.se
Published 03.Sep.2021
Last application date 17.Sep.2021 11:59 PM CEST

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