Postdoctoral Researcher in One Health Microbiology

Do you want to contribute to better health for all?

The Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology (MTC) at Karolinska Institutet conducts research and teaching within immunology, infection biology, cell biology and cancer. MTC has about 40 research groups and our key words are multidisciplinary, bridging, national and international collaborations.

We are looking for a talented postdoctoral candidate who will work on the environmental dimension of antibiotic resistance with a focus on waterborne pathogens. The project, with a strong One Health focus that integrates both human health-related and environmental aspects, is led by Assoc. Prof. Jonatan Martín-Rodríguez and will be performed within the Juan Du team at the Center for Translational Microbiome Research (CTMR). By combining environmental surveillance with molecular microbial physiology and state-of-the-art genomics and bioinformatics, the successful candidate will benefit from a vibrant, cross-disciplinary research environment within microbial sciences.

This position is a 2 years full-time employment.

Your mission

The postdoctoral researcher will take a leading role in the following tasks:

• Collecting and analyzing environmental and wastewater samples to identify antibiotic resistance genes, isolate resistant bacteria, and perform metagenomic analyses
• Capturing, sequencing, and analyzing mobile genetic elements conferring antibiotic resistance, as well as assessing their host range
• Conducting comparative genomic analyses of resistant bacterial lineages
• Investigating genetic and physiological factors influencing the mobilization and acquisition of antibiotic resistance genes by distinct waterborne bacterial pathogens
• Preparing original manuscript drafts based on the research findings

Your profile

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

The successful candidate should have:

• Demonstrated experience in Microbiology through a relevant PhD degree and publication record. A focus on waterborne bacteria is an advantage
• Experience in field sampling techniques for waterborne pathogens. Demonstrated experience with emerging pathogens like Vibrio spp. or Shewanella spp. in the Baltic Sea region is a strong plus
• Strong expertise in genetic, metabolic and molecular biology analyses of aquatic bacteria. Experience in bacterial hypoxic/anaerobic physiology and nitrogen metabolism is key
• Experience in the assembly and analysis of bacterial genomes (Nanopore, Illumina, hybrid assemblies)
• Experience in genome, metagenome, and proteome data analysis
• Independent working skills along with the ability to integrate into a broader team and communicate effectively. Emphasis will be placed on personal suitability and ability to collaborate with and contribute to the different project tasks
• Excellent scientific writing skills. As the successful candidate is expected to take the lead in manuscript preparation, a track record of first-author publications is regarded as a strong advantage

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.

Ours is a young team that embraces international members with diverse backgrounds in life sciences. The working language is English. The successful candidate will take part in weekly scientific meetings both with local collaborators at Karolinska Instituet as well as with external partners and project stakeholders. We actively support career development by encouraging conference participation, additional training opportunities, and engagement in grant preparation alongside the PI. We have an open-minded profile and encourage applications from inquisitive candidates with an interest in curiosity-driven science.

Location: Solna

Center for Translational Microbiome Research

Choose to work at KI – Ten reasons why

Application

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

• PhD certificate
• 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)

Welcome to apply at the latest March 11.

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!