Karolinska Institutet, the Department of Medicine, Huddinge

Do you want to contribute to top quality medical research?

The Department of Medicine at Huddinge is comprised of seven units, three research centers and around 70 independent research groups. The Center for Infectious Medicine (CIM) is a research unit within the Department of Medicine Huddinge with a focus on translational studies of the human immune system and infection-immunity primarily in humans.

Research group
The postdoc training will be conducted in Assoc. Prof. Susanna Brighenti’s research group. The research performed in the laboratory of Assoc. Prof. S. Brighenti involves studies on the pathogenesis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection, the causative agent of tuberculosis (TB). The group has a focus to study immune responses at the site of infection eg. in the lung or lymph nodes, compared to peripheral blood using advanced cellular and molecular techniques. For this work, the group as collected unique clinical materials from TB infected patients and controls and also established relevant in vitro infection models with virulent Mtb strains and human cells. Majority of the work is conducted in a biosafety level 3 (BSL-3) laboratory. The Brighenti group has well-established collaborations with TB-endemic countries, primarily Ethiopia. The long-term goal of the group is to develop new host-directed immunotherapies that could support conventional anti-TB treatment with antibiotics aiming to enhance patient recovery. 

Postdoc project and duties
In this project, the successful candidate is expected to screen a panel of immunomodulatory compounds for the effects of mycobacterial growth and function of infected immune cells. This work will mainly involve in vitro experimental model systems to explore modulation of protective immunity in TB disease. A substantial part of this work will be conducted in a biosafety level 3 (BSL-3) laboratory. There will be a specific focus on virulent Mtb strains and the effects of immunomodulatory compounds on primary macrophages and T cells. The postdoctoral fellow will be required to execute a variety of techniques that include bacterial growth assays, mass and flow cytometry, multicolor confocal microscopy, quantitative PCR, cell sorting and RNA sequencing, and multiplex assays for cytokine/chemokine analyses. The fellow will also perform a variety of cell culture and in vitro functional assays, and extensively analyze high-dimensional data. Clear and concise communication and written skills in English are mandatory. The successful candidate will work in close collaboration with the other group members and is expected to have high social and team building skills. The postdoctoral fellow is also expected to organize, plan, execute, and analyze experiments in an independent manner and contribute scientifically to CIM and the Brighenti group.

Entry requirements
A person is eligible for a position as postdoctoral researcher if he or she has obtained a PhD no more than seven years before the last date of employment as postdoc. The term can be extended under special circumstances. Applicants should have a strong background in tuberculosis research and human immunology. Previous experience from work in a BSL-3 laboratory is mandatory. Applicants with knowhow in infection of primary human macrophages with virulent M. tuberculosis including high content screening using automated systems such as IncuCyte including analysis of respective data sets will receive priority. Competence in drug screening is strongly considered as an additional qualification.

Application process
An employment application must contain the following documents in English or Swedish:

  1. A complete curriculum vitae, including date of the thesis defence, title of the thesis, previous academic positions, academic title, current position, academic distinctions, and committee work
  1. A complete list of publications
  2. A summary of current work (no more than one page)

The application is to be submitted through the Varbi recruitment system.

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. Karolinska Institutet is a state university, which entitles to several benefits such as extended holiday and generous occupational pension. Employees also have access to our modern gym for free and receive reimbursements for medical care.


Location:
Flemingsberg

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

Type of employment Temporary position
Contract type Full time
First day of employment June 1
Number of positions 1
Full-time equivalent 100%
City Huddinge
County Stockholms län
Country Sweden
Reference number 2-1490/2020
Contact
  • Susanna Brighenti, susanna.brighenti@ki.se
Union representative
  • Belinda Pannagel, SACO, Belinda.pannagel@ki.se
  • Carina Eklund, OFR, Carina.eklund@ki.se
Published 20.Mar.2020
Last application date 06.Apr.2020 11:59 PM CEST

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