Postdoctoral Researcher in Intracellular Protein Degradation in Cancer

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 cancer. Inhibition of protein degradation by the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) has emerged as a new way to target malignancies with proteasome inhibitors currently being used for the treatment of various hematological malignancies. Our group has performed screens to identify novel compounds to inhibit protein degradation and kill cancer cells. The overarching aim of this study is to identify the molecular mechanism responsible for the inhibition of the UPS by these compounds. We anticipate that this may not only shed light on the reason for the ability of these compounds to kill cancer cells but, at the same time, may also give new insights into the role of the UPS impairment in neurodegenerative diseases, which is another main research focus of our group.

Your mission

The Postdoctoral Researcher will study the molecular mechanisms of novel compounds that inhibit the UPS. 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 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.

Assessment criteria

It is particularly meritorious that the applicant has shown:

• A broad expertise within the fields of intracellular protein degradation (in particular, the UPS and/or autophagy).
• Knowledge about the current literature on protein degradation in diseases (in particular, cancer and/or neurodegeneration).
• Practical experience working with analysis of the UPS and/or autophagy.
• 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.

It is meritorious that the applicant has shown:

• A solid track record from the PhD and postdoctoral period, preferably in the field of intracellular protein degradation.
• Experience with presenting research at international scientific conferences.
• Experience working with small compounds and/or experimental drugs.
• Experience analyzing large data sets.

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?

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 group 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.

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.

Location: Solna

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
• Contact information of at least two references
• A summary of current work (no more than one page)

Welcome to apply!

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

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