Postdoctoral Researcher in Intracellular Protein Degradation in Neurodegenerative Diseases

Do you want to contribute to top quality medical research?

The Dantuma lab at the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology has a long-standing interest in understanding the role of intracellular protein degradation in neurodegenerative diseases. The reason for this interest stems from observations that many neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, are characterized by the accumulation of misfolded proteins in affected neurons. This raises the question why these dysfunctional proteins are not efficiently cleared by the ubiquitin-proteasome system, which is the main intracellular degradation system for destruction of aberrant proteins. The overarching aim of this study is to develop a fluorescent cell-based assay for high-content screening and further analysis of small molecules that stimulate degradation of misfolded protein using advanced fluorescence microscopy.

Your mission

The Postdoctoral Researcher will develop a cell-based assay that can be used in a high-content screen for small molecules that stimulate the clearance of neurodegeneration-associated proteins. A variety of cell biology techniques will be used to reach this goal. These techniques include, but are not limited to, advanced molecular biology, flow cytometry, fluorescence microscopy, cell culture, high-throughput screening and genetic manipulation. Good collaborative efforts are required.

Your profile

To be eligible for employment as a postdoctor a doctoral degree or a foreign degree deemed to be equivalent to a Swedish doctoral degree is required. This eligibility requirement must be fulfilled at the latest at the time of the employment decision. It is considered as an advantage if you have completed your doctoral degree within the last three years, if there are special reasons, your degree may have been completed earlier.

Particularly meritorious: 

• A broad expertise within the fields of intracellular protein degradation.
• Knowledge about the current literature on the ubiquitin-proteasome system in diseases.
• Practical experience working with analysis of the ubiquitin-proteasome system.
• Excellent skills in basic biochemical and molecular biology techniques.
• Experience with a broad range of techniques in cell biology, in particular cell culture, flow cytometry and fluorescence microscopy.

Meritorious: 

• A solid track record from the PhD and postdoctoral period, preferably in the field of intracellular protein degradation.
• Experience in high-content screening.
• Experience with presenting research at international scientific conferences.

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. At Karolinska Institutet, 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.

The Dantuma laboratory offers an inspiring environment for your research. Our research is driven by curiosity and focuses on different aspects of proteases, including the role of human proteases in cancer and neurodegeneration. The groups is located in the new Biomedicum building housing over 1000 researchers belonging to five departments of the Karolinska Institutet and state-of-the-art core facilities.

Location: Stockholm

[Video about a Karolinska Institutet, how we work towards "a better health for all"]

Application

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

• A complete resumé, 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 through the Varbi recruitment system.

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