Research Specialist in Cardio-metabolic diseases - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Do you want to contribute to top quality medical research?

We are looking for a dedicated researcher within the field of cardiometabolic disease to drive a new project in functional genomics within the “Cardio Metabolic Unit” at the department of medicine, Huddinge.

Description of the subject area

CMU aims to improve the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cardiometabolic diseases such as dyslipidemia, atherosclerosis, diabetes, NAFLD/NASH. Molecular mechanisms of genetic, dietary, and hormonal regulation of cholesterol, triglyceride, bile acid, and lipoprotein metabolism are explored in human and preclinical models. Influence of diurnal rhythms, microbiota, and novel drugs are studied, also in major collaborations with industry. Members participate in national and international networks of associations and foundations, participate in multicenter clinical trials, and serve as experts in pathophysiology and pharmacology, molecular biology, biochemistry, genomics, cell-based systems, and mass spectrometry.

Your mission

You will contribute to a project within functional genomics of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which may affect as many as a third of the population today. As with many complex diseases, NAFLD has also a genetic component. In this newly started project, you will assist in translating genetic associations of NAFLD and surrogate markers to biology, and new knowledge on the natural history of the disease. To that end you will be using state-of-the-art large-scale CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) screens and Perturb-seq, to screen genetic associations for putative causal genes. In this translational project we will also validate putative target genes using molecular biology techniques. The position demands expertise in analyzing single-cell RNA-seq data, genetic associations analysis, cell culturing of our validated liver cell system (HepaRG cells), as well was techniques such as western blotting, qPCR, library preparation for sequencing and lentiviral transduction.

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.

In addition to the eligibility criteria, the applicant should demonstrate:

• Strong background and knowledge in the field of cardiometabolic diseases
• Robust experience from designing and conducting CRISPRi and Perturb-seq experiments
• Skills in the analysis of RNA-, and single-cell RNA-seq data
• Experience from cell sorting and analysis using FACS
• Robust experience from cell culturing/in vitro experimentation, specifically experience from culturing liver cell lines, ideally HepaRG cells
• Statistical analysis using R for RNA-sequencing data (bulk and single-cell) and plink for the analysis of genetic data
• Excellent communication skills and organization skills
• Excellent English oral communication, and in writing
• Ability to work independently and as a part of a team

Assessment criteria

It is particularly meritorious that the applicant has shown:

• Experience from molecular biology techniques; cloning, lentiviral transduction, design of sgRNAs, western blotting, ELISA, qPCR, as well as library preparation for sequencing
• Very good communication skills in Swedish for the communication and dissemination of achieved results, and with collaborators
• Experience from supervision of students
• Experience from the analysis of genetic data
• Experience from grant writing

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. Here, we conduct successful medical research and hold the largest range of medical education in Sweden. At KI, you get to meet researchers working with a wide range of specialisms and methods, giving you ample opportunity to exchange knowledge and experience with the various scientific fields within medicine and health. It is the crossover collaborations, which have pushed KI to where it is today, at the forefront of global research. Several of the people you meet in healthcare are educated at KI. A close relationship with the health care providers is important for creating groundbreaking top quality education and research. Karolinska Institutet is also a state university, which entitles you to several benefits through our collective agreement.

Location: Department of Medicine, Huddinge, Flemingsberg

Read more about the Cardio Metabolic Unit (CMU)

Choose to work at KI - Ten reasons why

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 2023-02-17. This is a time-limited employment of one year.

The application must be submitted through the Varbi recruitment system.

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