Ph.D student position in rheumatology

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 will be conducted at the Department of Medicine, which is one of the largest clinical departments at Karolinska Institutet and conducts research in the areas of allergy, cardiovascular diseases and inflammatory diseases.

The doctoral student will be part of the research group Translational medical research in inflammatory diseases , led by Professor Per-Johan Jakobsson at the Department of Rheumatology, Center for Molecular Medicine. The research group studies drug-relevant targets and biological signaling pathways in rheumatic and other inflammation-driven diseases. In collaboration with Uppsala University and Guangdong Provincial Hospital for Chinese Medicine, a project (JRBCM) is being carried out that aims to investigate Chinese herbal medicine as a basis for the development of new drugs for the treatment of rheumatic diseases.

The doctoral project and the doctoral student’s tasks

The overall goal of the PhD project is to identify and characterize molecular signatures in rheumatic diseases and their treatment, with a focus on disease heterogeneity, treatment response and treatment-related effects. The project includes studies of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and combines, among others, metabolomics, lipidomics, autoantibody profiling and targeted molecular analyses. Part of the project focuses in particular on the molecular effects of JAK inhibitors and their potential importance for cardiovascular safety.

The doctoral student will participate in the planning and execution of experiments, analysis and interpretation of molecular and clinical data, and validation of identified biomarkers. The tasks include work with whole blood assays, sample preparation, LC-MS-based analyses of metabolites and lipid mediators, and analysis of autoantibody data. The project also includes statistical and bioinformatic analyses, and integration of molecular and clinical data.

The doctoral student is responsible for documenting and reporting the results and for compiling the results in scientific publications and a doctoral thesis. The doctoral student will also participate in relevant postgraduate courses and 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

We are looking for a motivated, meticulous and curious person with an interest in translational research in inflammatory and rheumatic diseases. You should have an analytical and problem-solving approach, be structured in your work and have the ability to independently plan and conduct experiments as well as analyze and interpret results.

The doctoral student should have experience of laboratory work and work in a sterile environment. Experience of cell culture and work in a BSL-2 laboratory is an advantage. Education in biomedicine, analytical chemistry, molecular biology or equivalent is desirable. Experience of working with liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (LC-MS) is a requirement, and specific experience of Bruker QTOF or Waters TQXS and software is an advantage.

Experience in statistical analysis, programming, bioinformatics or other analysis of large molecular datasets is an advantage. Experience in scientific communication, both oral and written, and good collaboration skills are also an advantage. The candidate should be interested in developing their knowledge in biochemical, analytical and statistical methods.

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 be informed when the recruitment process is complete.

KI applies a salary scale when setting salaries for doctoral students.