Assistant Professor in Biomedical Science

Join a global community of excellence

Are you a bold, creative researcher ready to shape the future of medical science? Karolinska Institutet (KI), one of the world’s foremost medical universities, is launching a major recruitment initiative in 2025. KI is seeking 20 outstanding early- career researchers to join us as Assistant Professors in a wide range of subject areas.

At KI, we foster a vibrant, international research environment where curiosity, innovation, and excellence thrive. We are looking for inspiring, driven, and visionary scientists with exceptional research achievements and the potential to become future leaders in their fields.   

The Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics (MBB) is one of the largest departments at Karolinska Institutet, focused on basic research in biomedical sciences. We have a long and proud history of ground-breaking science, particularly developing innovative methods and applying them to understand fundamental human biology and the mechanisms that cause disease.

MBB is located in the beautiful new Biomedicum research center, along with four other departments. You will join a vibrant community of over a thousand researchers, with outstanding facilities and a wide range of talents. Biomedicum is situated close to both the Karolinska University Hospital (for clinical collaborations) and the Science for Life Laboratory, a national research infrastructure of unique technologies.

What do we offer?

If you meet our requirements and propose a groundbreaking research project, we are prepared to employ you as an Assistant Professor for six years and support you with a generous funding package of SEK 12 million to cover your salary and other research costs. KI offers the opportunity to be promoted from a time-limited (six-year) position as Assistant Professor to permanent employment as Senior Lecturer. You can read more about it here.

At KI, you’ll be part of an interdisciplinary research community. Our researchers work across a wide range of fields and methodologies within medicine and health, creating rich opportunities for knowledge exchange and cross-disciplinary collaboration. You’ll also benefit from close connections with healthcare providers, ensuring your research remains closely aligned with real-world clinical practice.

As a state university, KI offers a comprehensive benefits package governed by collective agreements. These include annual salary reviews, supplementary insurance, and opportunities to participate in institutional decision-making.

We also understand that a successful research career is supported by a strong personal foundation. Sweden is known for being a family-friendly country, offering a high quality of life, generous parental leave, and excellent childcare and education systems — creating a welcoming environment for both researchers and their families.

Learn more about what KI and Sweden can offer, and the different calls!

Location: Solna Biomedicum 

Description of the subject area 

The department has a broad interest, and all areas of preclinical biomedical research are eligible, for example:

Fundamental human biology and disease

• Mechanisms of transcriptional and translational gene regulation

• Mechanistic roles of intermediary metabolism in mammalian physiology and pathology

• Molecular mechanisms in redox control of cellular functions

• Biological effects of stable isotopes

• Immune-related disorders, including immunodeficiency, autoimmune disorders, neuroimmunology and allergy

• Development of the central nervous system

• Neurological diseases, including multiple sclerosis, schizophrenia, neurodegenerative disease, and brain cancer

• Mechanisms of blood and lymphatic vascular development and function in physiology and pathology

• Cancer

Technology

• Cryo-electron microscopy methods development and structural biology (300kV cold-FEG Krios microscope available)

• Ultra-high resolution light microscopy techniques (MINFLUX available)

• Linking imaging modalities, and linking imaging to omics

• Engineering of nucleic acid- or protein-based systems

• Protein design

• Precision cell or tissue engineering, e.g. CRISPR/Cas9-based (epi)genome editing, human organoids, cell printing

• Nucleic acid-based nanomedicines, delivery mechanisms, programmable drugs

• Methods development for high-throughput single-cell and spatial analysis of modalities such as chromatin, RNA, protein, etc.

• Development of assays for clinical diagnostics

Your mission 

This Assistant Professor position offers a unique opportunity to build a strong academic profile—primarily by developing your independence as a researcher, while also gaining valuable teaching and pedagogical experience.

As an Assistant Professor at MBB, you will be expected to secure additional external funding. The department will actively support your efforts in applying for both Swedish and international grants, including those from the European Research Council and the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation.

You will be responsible for developing an independent line of research, establishing yourself as a leader in your field, and supervising doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers. This role includes full responsibility for managing your research activities, including budgeting, personnel oversight, and fostering a positive and productive work environment.

In addition to leading your research group, you will contribute to leadership within the department and at Karolinska Institutet. Upholding the highest standards of ethical conduct and academic integrity is essential in all aspects of your work.

Eligibility requirements 

To be eligible for an appointment as Assistant Professor, you must demonstrate good scientific skills according to KI’s eligibility criteria as follows:

• A PhD (or equivalent degree) in a relevant subject area
• At least two peer-reviewed original scientific publications as first or last author, in addition to the doctoral thesis

Priority is given to those who were awarded a PhD (or attained equivalent competence) no more than seven years prior to the expiry of the deadline for the application.

Those who have been awarded a doctoral degree or attained equivalent research competence earlier will also be considered if there are special circumstances for absence from research (deductible time), such as: parental leave, long-term illness, positions of trust in trade union organizations or mandatory service in total defence.

The circumstances, dates and extent must be clearly specified in the application and verified by relevant documentation.

For this call, exceptions are made from all pedagogical requirements specified in the instructions regarding the Appointment procedure for teachers at KI. However, you must complete three weeks of higher education pedagogical courses in accordance with the Association of Swedish Higher Education Institutions’ recommendations, no later than two years after starting your employment as an Assistant Professor (unless you can certify that you have completed equivalent training before starting the position).

Candidates will be evaluated based on both scientific and pedagogical qualifications, with greater emphasis placed on scientific excellence. The full set of assessment criteria is outlined in the  instructions regarding the Appointment Procedure for Teachers at KI.

Particularly meritorious is:

• the scientific quality, originality, and feasibility of your research plan within the relevant subject area
• documented experience in research environments outside KI, with special consideration given to international research experience

These criteria reflect our commitment to fostering globally competitive researchers who contribute to high-impact science and academic excellence.

The criteria listed will form part of the overall assessment of the applicant. All criteria will be assessed but they should not individually be seen as requirements.

Offers will be extended to the best candidate based on an overall assessment of the applicant’s expertise and merits in relation to the subject area.

Application guidelines

All applicants are expected to follow the application instructions carefully. Failure to comply with the guidelines or misrepresentation of qualifications may negatively impact on the evaluation of your application.

The application should consist of the following documents, written in English:

• A personal letter (maximum 1 page)
• Application form, including your research project (the form can be found here)
• Up to ten published papers and optionally one manuscript, in PDF format
• PhD certificate
• If you have a PhD that is older than seven years and want to claim deductible time, you must attach a certificate of deductible time in Swedish or English.

Welcome to apply no later than September 2nd, 2025 (time 23.59 CEST).

For more information about the calls, conditions regarding funding and employment, see here.

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