Research Specialist in immunology of chronic viral infections focused on HIV persistence and its Cure - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Do you want to contribute to better health for all?

We are looking for an ambitious researcher with solid skills in immunovirology with special reference to HIV persistence to join our highly accomplished team. We offer a stimulating environment  in a rapidly moving research frontier. The successful candidate will be part of a research team working on similar topics.

Your mission

You will be a member of the experimental research group of professor Anders Sönnerborg who conducts innovative studies on the interaction between the immune system and chronic viral infections; HIV, CMV, HBV, with special emphasis on HIV. The studies are translational in nature and involve the usage of cutting-edge bulk- and single cell technologies, including high-parameter flow cytometry, gene-expression, RNA-seq, proteomics analysis and HIV isolation/cultivation in BSL3 labs to dissect the interaction between the immune system and HIV. Through these platforms, we study different aspects of the interaction between HIV and the immune system with special focus on HIV persistence and the possibilities of HIV cure. The research specialist will work in close collaboration with all members of the team to continue the successful line of investigations.

The research specialist will be a part of the Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet and closely associated with the Division of Clinical Microbiology, Karolinska Institutet, which are nationally and internationally competitive divisions for infectious diseases research. The laboratory is situated at top modern facilities at ANA Futura Laboratory, Campus Flemingsberg.

The focus of your duties is mainly to perform research work on immunological aspects on the control and regulation of viral latency in HIV and other chronic infections as well as developing and evaluating immunological approaches for inducing functional or sterile HIV cure. As such you will perform own research within the framework of prof Sönnerborg´s HIV projects. An additional key task is to give intellectual, practical and administrative support to other members of prof Sönnerborg´s research group, including also to support the interaction with clinical collaborators at the national and international level. The laboratory research group consists presently of one research assistant, two post-docs, two PhD students and one master student. Several clinical researchers from the Department of Infectious Diseases are affiliated with the research group. Thereby the research group has access to a large patient material and collaborates with a large number of similar centers around the world. We publish around 10, well cited (current h-index 60), articles per year in renowned journals.

We are seeking one Research Specialist with PhD and several years of laboratory research with focus on viral immunology, who will work as an integrated research specialist in our team, being involved in several ongoing projects. Excellent communication skills and fluency in English is essential.

Eligibility requirements

To be eligible for employment as a Research Specialist, in addition to holding a Degree of Doctor, PhD, or having equivalent scientific expertise, the applicant must have demonstrated research expertise as well as have documented research experience after defending their doctoral dissertation.

The candidate should have been trained in immunology and viral infections during her/his master- and PhD studies. The candidate should fully master (requirement) cell culture (cell lines, primary immune cells, including expansion of NK cells and T cells), cloning, cytotoxicity assays, DNA/RNA isolations, ELISA, multi-colour flow cytometry, immunofluorescence, immunoprecipitation, luciferase reporter assays, PCR, protein purifications, quantitative PCR, reverse transcriptase PCR, SDS PAGE, size exclusion chromatography, lentiviral transductions, transfections, virus infection assays, and western blotting. Experience with proteomics and RNA-seq is another merit. Ability to formalize biological questions into experimental model systems in order to consult and advise on experimental design for team members before data generation is  another merit. The candidate should be self-motivated, have good communications skills and a proven ability to interact effectively and work productively in an interdisciplinary team. Fluency in English is a  requirement. Experience of European academical system is an added value.

Assessment criteria

It is particularly meritorious that the applicant has

• Been trained in immunology during her/his PhD studies.
• Profound knowledge in immunological and biotechnological techniques
• Handled immunology data sets
• Basic immunology background
• Been trained in chronic viral infections during her/his PhD studies.
• Profound knowledge in medical biology with focus on immunology in chronic viral infections
• Experience if independently establish immunological and virological assays to evaluate antiviral efficacy
• Publications in the field of immunology and virology with special reference to HIV
• Profound knowledge in HIV immunology, virology and pathogenesis
• Experience of studies on immune responses to chronic viral infections as well as on viruses which cause latent infection
• Good knowledge in granzyme biology and cytotoxic-lymphocyte-mediated cell death signaling
• Skills in the following techniques are mandatory: i) cell culture systems; both cell lines, primary cells and co-cultures, immune cell isolation from peripheral blood, cellular functionality assays, transfections; ii) flow cytometry analysis; discriminating immune cell subsets, cell surface and intracellular protein stainings, cell death assays; iii) viral assays; lentiviral transductions, virus propagation, viral infectivity experiments; iv) assays of antiviral efficiency; v) other techniques; DNA/RNA isolation from tissues or cells, ELISA, immunofluorescence, immunoprecipitation, luciferase reporter assays, PCR, protein purifications, quantitative PCR, reverse transcriptase, SDS PAGE, western blotting
• Statistical knowledge

It is meritorious that the applicant has

• Good knowledge in NK cells research
• Possibility to formalize biological questions into experimental research design

After an overall assessment of the expertise and merits of the applicants in relation to the subject area, Karolinska Institutet will determine which of them has the best potential to contribute to a positive development of the activities at KI.

What do we offer?

A creative and inspiring environment with wide-ranging expertise and interests. 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

Department of Medicine, Huddinge
The Department of Medicine, Huddinge, conducts preclinical and clinical research in a variety of areas and undergraduate and graduate education. The department is internationally oriented and consists of seven units with a total of nearly 60 research groups, including three research centres.

Division
The Division of Infectious Diseases conducts preclinical, translational, and clinical research projects. Its laboratory is located within the facilities at Alfred Nobels Allé 8 (ANA Futura Laboratory), Campus Flemingsberg. The announced position will be in Professor Anders Sönnerborgs research group, which has a strong focus on pathogenesis, antiretroviral treatment, and cure of HIV infection. The experimental research of the present position is focused on the interaction between HIV and immune system and the relevance for mechanisms of viral latency and potential for HIV cure.

Application

We prefer that Your application is written in English, but You can also apply in Swedish. An application must contain the following documents: Resumé, qualifications and description of planned research, presented in accordance with Karolinska Institutet's qualifications portfolio.

Welcome to apply at the latest 2022-02-03.

The application must be submitted through the Varbi recruitment system.

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