Research Specialist in Human genetics and genomics of liver disease

Do you want to contribute to top quality medical research?

We are looking for a dedicated researcher in statistical and medical genetics that will drive the frontier of human genetics within the Endocrinology unit at the Department of medicine, Huddinge.

Description of the subject area

CMU (Cardio Metabolic Unit) aims to improve the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cardiometabolic diseases such as dyslipidemia, atherosclerosis, diabetes, MASLD/MASH. 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 on the genetics of Metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), previously known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). MASLD has a strong genetic component and in this newly launched project, you will analyze whole-genome and exome-sequencing data from a large population-based cohort and smaller clinical studies, aiming to identify potential new gene targets for treating the disease. Additionally, you will investigate the enrichment of deleterious mutations in metabolic pathways. You will also perform RNA sequencing analyses of diverse tissues including liver and adipose.

To that end, you will conduct genetic association analyses at the GWAS level, utilizing single nucleotide polymorphisms or generating genetic risk scores to identify common genetic variants that increase MASLD susceptibility. Furthermore, you will analyze the enrichment of rare variants in liver disease and perform transcriptomic analyses to identify genes differentially expressed in the condition. You will also explore whether certain metabolic pathways are responsible for the onset and progression of liver disease, and examine the causal associations between MASLD and cardiometabolic syndrome using Mendelian Randomization.

This position requires extensive expertise in statistics and genetics and proficiency in programming languages such as MATLAB, R, or Python. The position requires also a clear understanding of molecular biology and performing experiments in cell cultures with RNA and protein analyses.

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 in statistics and genetics with advanced expertise in programming language in MATLAB and R, and knowledge in the field of cardiometabolic diseases. Additionally, the applicant must be at least familiar with Python.

Proven experience of these topics:

• Genome and exome wide association study (GWAS, meta-analysis).
• Analyses of enrichment of common and gene-/region-based rare variant analysis (e.g., burden and SKAT).
• Experience in eQTL/pQTL analyses.
• Mendelian randomization (MR) and mediation analysis.
• Advanced statistical genetics Genome-scale metabolic and constraint-based modeling.
• Supervised and unsupervised clustering approaches for generating partitioned polygenic risk score.

Assessment criteria

It is particularly meritorious that the applicant has shown:

• Proved Experience in advanced analyses of common genetic variants
• Analyses of large phenotypic, genomic and transcriptomic datasets.
• High-impact publications in relevant journals as first and corresponding author
• Excellent communication skills in English, both in written and oral form, for the communication and dissemination of achieved results, and with collaborators

Moreover, teamwork capacity is very important for this job. Great emphasis will be placed on personal suitability.

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: Flemingsberg

Choose to work at KI - Ten reasons why

Department of Medicine, Huddinge

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 25 October, 2024.

Permanent position is initiated by a six months trial period.

The application must be submitted through the Varbi recruitment system.

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