Research Specialist in Neuroscience

Do you want to contribute to top quality medical research?

Our research group studies different types of stem cells, how stem cells in the brain and spinal cord develop into the neurons and glial cells that arise during fetal development, and how this changes during continued maturation, aging, and in various diseases. An important part of our research concerns the role of stem cells in spinal cord injuries and stroke, and how stem cells can be used in the treatment of these conditions. We have also recently launched a new research project investigating so-called cancer stem cells in tumors of the brain and spinal cord.

Your mission

You will be part of the research group of Erik Sundström and Xiaofei Li in the Division of Neurogeriatrics, Department of NVS. You will be responsible for the ongoing activities within the Developmental Tissue Bank, one of KI’s core facilities, including planning activities, practical handling of tissue samples, documentation, as well as contact with other research groups, the biobank, and participating healthcare staff. You will also be responsible for the various permits required for the core facility. The main part of your work will consist of performing or contributing to the different analyses we conduct on samples collected in the core facility. Depending on your background and experience, this may include cell culture, immunohisto-/cytochemistry, microscopy, RNA-sequencing, spatial gene expression analysis, genetic editing, etc

Eligibility requirements

For employment as Research Specialist at Karolinska Institutet, the eligibility requirements stated in the Guidelines for non-teaching positions at Karolinska Institutet are applied in relation to the established profile of employment.

To be eligible for employment as a Research Specialist, in addition to holding a Degree of Doctor, PhD, or having a foreign degree deemed equivalent to a Swedish doctoral degree, the applicant must have demonstrated research expertise as well as have documented postdoctoral research experience.

We are looking for a research specialist, seeking someone with a strong research interest, who is careful and responsible. You should enjoy working with colleagues both within and outside the research group. You should have good ability to analyze potential problems that may arise.

You should hold a Ph.D. in neuroscience, cell biology, molecular biology, molecular genetics or similar.

You must have good knowledge of both Swedish and English, spoken and written.

Assessment criteria

It is particularly meritorious that the applicant has shown

• experience with dissection of laboratory animals, preferably also prenatal tissue.
• experience with sterile techniques/cell culture
• experience in writing research grant applications 

It is meritorious that the applicant has shown

• knowledge and experience in immunohisto-/cytochemistry, confocal microscopy, and/or sectioning with cryostat.

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: Solna

Information about us, our research group and the core facility can be found at:

Erik Sundström

Xiaofei Li

Developmental Tissue Bank

Choose to work at KI - Ten reasons why

Application

We prefer that Your application is written in English. An application must contain the following documents:  PhD certificate, resumé, qualifications and description of planned research, presented in accordance with Karolinska Institutet's qualifications portfolio.

Welcome to apply at the latest 2025-10-28

The application must be submitted through the Varbi recruitment system.

Permanent position is initiated by a six months trial period.

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