Postdocs in Lung Cancer Proteomics and Molecular biology (scholarship) - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Do you want to contribute to top quality medical research?

At the Department of Oncology-Pathology basic, translational and clinical research and educational activities related to cancer are carried out. Approximately 300 people from over 40 nations are currently working at the department. About 30 research groups with various cancer research profiles are involved and we have around 110 PhD students. The Department of Oncology-Pathology is responsible for undergraduate courses in Pathology, Oncology and Forensic Medicine for medical students, as well as for Tumor biology courses for biomedicine students and Pathology courses for opticians.

Division

Lung cancer alone is responsible for an estimated two million deaths world-wide every year. New diagnostic and therapeutic strategies are desperately needed to combat this disease and ease the suffering of patients. Precision medicine refers to the tailoring of medical treatment to the individual characteristics of each patient. We are looking for a passionate postdoc interested in the concept of precision medicine to work experimentally in projects aiming to improve the understanding and treatment of lung cancer with a focus on targeted therapy and immunotherapy. The research will include defining and understanding the biology behind different lung cancer subgroups, how they relate to clinical outcomes, and how this information can be used to guide therapy selection.

The postdoc will be placed in the Lung Cancer team headed by Associate Professor Lukas Orre. The team is embedded in the larger research group Cancer Proteomics Mass Spectrometry led by Professor Janne Lehtiö and located at Science for Life Laboratory (SciLifeLab). The overall aim of this research group is to generate and investigate multi-omics tumor data in a translational setting to improve cancer treatment. The group members are from various disciplines working as a team to study genes and proteins in the context of biological networks. The generated knowledge is used to improve our understanding of how molecular changes in a tumor impact the proteome, and to discover new disease biomarkers for prediction of therapy response.

SciLifeLab is a national infrastructure and research center in technology and data driven life sciences and Karolinska Institutet is one of the four founding universities of SciLifeLab. We offer a very stimulating and diverse work in a team of highly motivated co-workers with expertise in cutting-edge technology closely associated with the large data-driven life science community.

Your mission

We seek 1-2 highly motivated postdocs in proteomics and molecular biology, interested in translational cancer research with an emphasis on MS-based proteomics. The postdoc position requires solid expertise in molecular biology and/or proteomics data generation. Furthermore, good communication skills and the willingness to work in a team environment are essential. The postdoctoral research offers great possibility for innovative research combining discovery methods such as proteomics with methods for mechanistic investigation and validation, performed together with a dedicated group of scientists.

The postdoc education will focus on applying experimental methods on biologically/clinically relevant research questions and on analyzing the acquired data followed by validation and expansion on the findings using public domain data. The research will include mechanistic investigation of the biology behind different lung cancer subgroups, experimental testing of the predicted novel therapeutic strategies in model systems, and the development of strategies to use the generated information to guide future therapy selection in lung cancer. The PostDoc/s will, together with a multi-disciplinary team of scientists, plan, perform and analyze proteomics and molecular biology experiments, with the aim to understand the biology of lung cancer subgroups in context of improving lung cancer treatment. More specifically, this includes both applying our in-house developed proteomics methods as well as setting up targeted molecular biology methods for mechanistic investigation and validation of specific findings. Targeted investigations will include both generation and application of genetic models, e.g., through knock-out/silencing or overexpression of genes, as well as drug sensitivity testing. Experimental design and statistical analysis of the quantitative data are important components of the work, and it is expected that the applicant is acquainted with software related to omics data analysis.  

Entry requirements

Scholarships for postdoctoral qualification can be established for foreign researchers who place their qualifications in Sweden. The purpose of scholarships for postdoctoral qualification is to promote internationalization and contribute to research qualification after a doctorate or equivalent. A scholarship for carrying out postdoctoral research can be granted for a maximum of two years within a four-year period following the receipt of a doctoral degree or equivalent.

To be eligible for the postdoctoral positions, the person must have obtained a doctorate or a foreign degree deemed to be equivalent to a doctorate. Applicants who have not completed a doctorate at the end of the application period may also apply, provided that all requirements for a completed degree are met before the (intended) start date of the postdoctoral education. The head of the department determines whether their previous training and scholarly qualifications correspond to a Swedish doctorate or higher.

Qualifications

• PhD in biology, medicine, or another related relevant field.
• Strong publication track record with significant own contribution (e.g. first name authorship).
• Documented broad working experience in cell- and molecular experimental methods such as gene editing/silencing, multiplex imaging methods, drug response testing and standard methods (e.g. western blot and qPCR).
• Knowledge and work experience in large-scale methods such as transcriptomics and/or MS-based proteomics.
• Knowledge of cancer biology and current translational cancer research.
• Knowledge in statistical methods.
• Experience of collaboration between different disciplines.
• Excellent communications skills.
• Fluent in English language.

Additional merits

• Experience of analysis of data from high-throughput methods such as transcriptomics or proteomics.
• Understanding of bioinformatics and the ability to interpret omics data in a biological context.
• Programming experience in R.
• Experience in teaching and presenting scientific data.

Since the position involves both independent work and close interaction with several researchers, emphasis is placed on personal skills such as:

• Ability to work independently.
• Very good collaborative skills.
• Excellent communication skills and analytical skills.
• Curious and eager to solve biological questions.

Location: Science for Life Laboratory in Solna

Link: https://lehtiolab.github.io/

Type of scholarship

The amount is tax free and it is set for twelve months at a time, paid out on a six months basis.
In exceptional cases, shorter periods may be acceptable.

Application process

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

• 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
• A complete list of publications
• A summary of current work (no more than one page)

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

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