PhD position in immunology with a focus on inflammatory skin diseases

Do you want to contribute to top-quality medical research?

Being a doctoral student means being admitted to a postgraduate education (doctoral training) where one follows an individual study plan. A doctoral student engages in a research project under supervision, supplemented by courses and other learning activities. A doctoral degree requires the equivalent of four years of full-time postgraduate education.

Research group

The research group is led by Professor Liv Eidsmo and conducts translational research in dermatology in close collaboration with Karolinska University Hospital. The focus is on immunological memory and T-cell-driven inflammation in the skin, including inflammatory skin diseases and immune-related side effects of modern cancer treatment. The group works primarily with human tissue samples and advanced cellular and molecular analysis methods in an international research environment.

The doctoral project and the doctoral student’s tasks

The project aims to map mechanisms behind T-cell-driven skin inflammation that develops during immune-activating cancer treatment. The doctoral student is expected to actively participate in the entire research chain, from hypothesis formulation and experimental design to analysis, interpretation and publication of results, as well as the joint safety and administrative work required to carry out the project.

The work includes laboratory-based studies on human samples, including flow cytometry, single cell sequencing of RNA, visualization techniques such as confocal microscopy and spatial transcriptomics, and functional analyses of primary cells, including synthetic biology in collaboration with co-supervisor Wermeling. In collaboration with co-supervisor Parlak, the doctoral student will be involved in the development and testing of biosensors. The work takes place at the Center for Molecular Medicine at Karolinska Hospital and part of the doctoral student service is to actively participate in mandatory courses, seminars, journal clubs and national and international scientific meetings.

What do we offer?

A creative, international and inspiring environment filled with competence and curiosity. Karolinska Institutet is one of the world’s leading medical universities. Here we conduct successful medical research and have the largest range of medical education in Sweden. At KI you will meet researchers with different research areas working together. It is this cross-border collaboration that contributes to KI’s world-leading position in research. As a doctoral student, you are offered an individual research project, a well-trained supervisor, a wide range of elective courses and the opportunity to work in a successful research group. Karolinska Institutet has collaborations with prominent universities all over the world, which provides opportunities for international exchanges. As an employed doctoral student, you receive a contractual salary, you are allowed to exercise freely in our modern health care facilities and you are reimbursed for medical care.

Eligibility requirements for doctoral education

To participate in the selection for a doctoral position, you must prove both the basic (A) and the specific (B) eligibility requirements before the application period closes.

It is your responsibility as an applicant to prove your eligibility by following the instructions on the Eligibility for Doctoral Education webpage.

A) Basic eligibility requirements

You meet the basic eligibility requirements for doctoral education if you:

1. have completed an advanced level degree (Master’s or Doctoral degree), or
2. have completed course requirements of at least 240 higher education credits, of which at least 60 higher education credits are at advanced level, or
3. has otherwise acquired essentially equivalent knowledge.*

Follow the instructions on the Eligibility for doctoral education webpage .

*If you consider yourself to have equivalent knowledge, you should follow the instructions on the website Assessment of equivalent knowledge for basic eligibility for doctoral education.

B) Special eligibility requirements

You meet the specific eligibility requirements for doctoral education if you:

– Certifies knowledge of English (equivalent to English B/English 6 at high school with a passing grade).

Follow the instructions on the English language requirements for doctoral education website.

Document verification Karolinska Institutet checks documents to detect forgeries. Karolinska Institutet reserves the right to revoke admission decisions if forgeries or irregularities are detected. Submission of false documents is a violation of Swedish law and is considered grounds for legal action.

Skills and personal qualities

Claim

• Advanced level degree in biomedicine, biotechnology, molecular biology, immunology, medicine or equivalent.
• Documented experience of experimental laboratory work.
• Experience in flow cytometry, visualization techniques and working with primary human tissue cells.
• Good ability to communicate scientifically, both orally and in writing, in English.
• Good knowledge of Swedish, both spoken and written.

Meritorious

• Experience working with human tissue samples (e.g. skin biopsies).
• Cell sorting and more advanced flow cytometry.
• RNA-based analyses, single-cell or spatial omics methods.
• Experience working with primary T cells, fibroblasts or keratinocytes.
• Experience with structured laboratory work and documentation (e.g. ELN).
• Engineering degree

Personal qualities
We are looking for a meticulous, analytical and structured person with good collaboration skills and a professional approach to quality, documentation and common working methods in the research environment.

Terms

The doctoral position involves employment as a doctoral student for a maximum of 4 years full-time.

Application

You apply for the doctoral position in the recruitment tool Varbi. Use the button at the top right and follow the instructions. We prefer that your application is written in English, but it is also possible to apply in Swedish.

Your application should include these documents:

– A personal letter and curriculum vitae
– Any degree theses and publications
– Other documents that prove the skills and qualities requested above
– Documents that prove the basic eligibility requirement (see A above)
– Documents that prove the specific eligibility requirement (see B above)

Selection

Selection among eligible applicants will be made based on their ability to benefit from postgraduate education. An overall assessment of the applicants’ qualifications and suitability will be made.

The following assessment criteria are applied at Karolinska Institutet:

– Documented subject knowledge of importance to the research area
– Analytical skills
– Other documented knowledge/experience that may be of importance to the current doctoral education

All applicants will receive information when the recruitment is completed.