Karolinska Institutet, the Department of Medicine, Huddinge

Do you want to contribute to top quality medical research?

To be a doctoral student means to devote oneself to a research project under supervision of experienced researchers and following an individual study plan. For a doctoral degree, the equivalent of four years of full-time doctoral education is required.

Division
The Department of Medicine at Huddinge comprises seven units, three research centers and, around 70 independent research groups. The Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine (HERM) is a research unit within the Department of Medicine Huddinge which brings together basic and clinical research competences to pursue cutting-edge research to improve the understanding of mechanisms involved in normal and malignant hematopoiesis (https://ki.se/en/medh/center-for-hematology-and-regenerative-medicine).

Description of the research group
Dr. Sidinh Luc is an Assistant Professor at the Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine (HERM), at the Institute of Medicine, Huddinge (MedH), Karolinska Institutet (https://ki.se/en/medh/sidinh-luc-group). Her research group consists of 4 people and is now expanding with a PhD student. Dr. Luc was recruited from Boston Children’s Hospital/Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Harvard Medical School to establish her research group and research program at HERM. The group is in a highly interactive research environment within cellular and molecular regulation of hematopoiesis that includes both preclinical and clinical research groups. The research focus of the Luc laboratory is to study the function and epigenetic regulation of hematopoietic stem cells in normal development using genetic mouse modeling, cell and molecular biological methods on small cell numbers and single cell analyses (Luc et al., Cell Rep. 2016 Sep 20;16(12):3181-94; Luis and Luc et al., Nat Immunol. 2016 Dec;17(12):1424-1435.

The doctoral education project and the duties of the doctoral student
The doctoral education project is partly funded through Karolinska Institutet’s KID-funding. The project focus is to study the role of epigenetic regulators, specifically histone deacetylases in regulation of hematopoietic stem cell lineage commitment using mouse modelling techniques. The student will get training in wet laboratory methods needed for the project including flow cytometry, cell culture, molecular biology techniques and mouse procedures. Additionally, the student will use multiple bioinformatics tools to analyse the data from large scale experiments such as assay for Transposase-Accessible Chromatin using sequencing (ATAC-seq), Chromatin Immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq) and bulk and single-cell RNA sequencing techniques. 

During the PhD period the student will also learn to a) methodically plan, execute and evaluate experiments and results, b) perform literature review and write project plans and papers to be published in peer-reviewed journals and c) communicate his/her research with oral presentations.

The PhD student is expected to take responsibility of the research activity of the project and work in close collaboration with other lab members as well as with collaborators within and outside of Karolinska Institutet.

The PhD student is also expected to be a talented and enthusiastic aspiring researcher with strong drive to perform basic research. He or she is expected to develop into an independent scientist who can play a leading role in the elaboration of scientific hypotheses, experimental design, experimentation, data analyses and presentation/publication of the research.

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. As a doctoral student you are offered an individual research project, a well-educated supervisor, a vast range of elective courses and the opportunity to work in a leading research group. Karolinska Institutet collaborates with prominent universities from all around the world, which ensures opportunities for international exchanges. You will be employed on a doctoral studentship which means that you receive a contractual salary. Employees also have access to our modern gym for free and receive reimbursements for medical care.

Skills and personal qualities
We are looking for a highly motivated and engaged candidate with a degree in Biomedicine, Immunology, Molecular biology, Biochemistry, Genetics, Computational Biology or similar fields Candidates with a combined background covering biology, math and programming are highly encouraged to apply. Earlier demonstrated experience in flow cytometry, animal techniques, molecular biology techniques, hematopoietic methods or in computational/programming skills needed to learn how to perform bioinformatics will be beneficial and looked upon favorably. Furthermore, the candidate should be curiosity-driven, methodical, honest and passionate for science. She/he should able to work both independently and as part of the research team. Good written and verbal communication skills in English are required. The applicant will be evaluated based on education and previous experience as well as personal suitability.

To build a strong and creative research team, we are looking for high achievers from universities around the world. We will offer an intellectually stimulating environment for an intrinsically motivated student that will strive to become an independent scientist.

More specifically,

- Applicant should have a high personal drive and motivation.

- Applicant should be honest and methodical.

- Applicant should be curiosity-driven and be eager to solve problems.

- Applicant should be efficient and able to contribute productively in a team.

- Applicant should be fluent in English (written and spoken).

- Emphasis will be put on personal suitability.

Eligibility requirements for doctoral education
In order to participate in the selection for a doctoral position, you must meet the following general (A) and specific (B) eligibility requirements at latest by the application deadline.

It is your responsibility to certify eligibility by following the instructions on the web page Entry requirements (eligibility) for doctoral education.

A) General eligibility requirement
You meet the general eligibility requirement for doctoral/third-cycle/PhD education if you:

  1. have been awarded a second-cycle/advanced/master qualification (i.e. master degree) or
  2. have satisfied the requirements for courses comprising at least 240 credits of which at least 60 credits were awarded in the advanced/second-cycle/master level, or
  3. have acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad.*

Follow the instructions on the web page Entry requirements (eligibility) for doctoral education.

*If you claim equivalent knowledge, follow the instructions on the web page Assessing equivalent knowledge for general eligibility for doctoral education.

B) Specific eligibility requirement

You meet the specific eligibility requirement for doctoral/third-cycle/PhD education if you:

- Show proficiency in English equivalent to the course English B/English 6 at Swedish upper secondary school.

Follow the instructions on the web page English language requirements for doctoral education.

Verification of your documents
Karolinska Institutet checks the authenticity of your documents. Karolinska Institutet reserves the right to revoke admission if supporting documents are discovered to be fraudulent. Submission of false documents is a violation of Swedish law and is considered grounds for legal action.

Terms and conditions
The doctoral student will be employed on a doctoral studentship maximum 4 years full-time.

Application process
Submit your application and supporting documents through the Varbi recruitment system. Use the button in the top right corner and follow the instructions.

Your application should contain the following documents:

- A personal letter and a curriculum vitae (Swedish or English)
- Degree projects and previous publications, if any (Swedish or English)
- Any other documentation showing the desirable skills and personal qualities described above (Swedish or English)
- Documents certifying your general eligibility (see A above)
- Documents certifying your specific eligibility (see B above)

Selection
A selection will be made among eligible applicants on the basis of the ability to benefit from doctoral education. The qualifications of the applicants will be evaluated on an overall basis.

Karolinska Institutet uses the following bases of assessment:

- Documented subject knowledge of relevance to the area of research
- Analytical skill
- Other documented knowledge or experience that may be relevant to doctoral studies in the subject.

 All applicants will be informed when the recruitment is completed.

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

Type of employment PhD placement
Contract type Full time
First day of employment According to agreement
Number of positions 1
Full-time equivalent 100%
City Huddinge
County Stockholms län
Country Sweden
Reference number STÖD 2-2397/2020
Contact
  • Sidinh Luc, Sidinh.luc@ki.se
Union representative
  • Belinda Pannagel, SACO, Belinda.pannagel@ki.se
  • Carina Eklund, OFR, Carina.eklund@ki.se
Published 28.May.2020
Last application date 30.Jun.2020 11:59 PM CEST

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