Postdoctoral Researcher in biology of long nong coding RNAs in macrophages

Do you want to contribute to top quality medical

The labs of Harald Lund and Alastair Kerr are seeking a postdoctoral fellow for an interdisciplinary project investigating the role of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNA) in tissue resident macrophages. The project will employ CRISPR-based gene regulation to explore the function of lncRNA in brain and peripheral nerve macrophages both in vitro and in vivo. Join our multidisciplinary and creative research groups working in state-of-the-art labs in Biomedicum at Karolinska Institutet. We offer a chance to contribute with your expertise and ideas to an exciting project with potential to make groundbreaking discoveries.

Your mission

We have recently described neuroprotective macrophages in the spinal cord (Zhu et al., Nat Neurosci, 2026) and the peripheral nervous system which present a distinct transcriptional signature marked by several lncRNA. We hypothesize that these lncRNA are central to the specialized function of these cells. This project will investigate whether these lncRNA can regulate neuroprotective pathways in central and peripheral nervous system macrophages. The Postdoctoral Fellow will employ state-of-the-art methodology to map and manipulate lncRNA (Kerr et al., Nat Commun, 2022) in cultured macrophages followed by transcriptomic, proteomic and mechanistic characterization. Functional lncRNA  will then be interrogated in vivo using targeted manipulation in a mouse model of neurodegeneration, combined with behavioral and ex vivo analyses using flow cytometry and imaging.

As a Postdoctoral Fellow in this project, you will be part of KIRI, the Karolinska Institutet Research Incubator, a unique initiative at KI established to build a community for interdisciplinary research and breakthrough discoveries. To carry out such a project you will have access to two PI:s both with complementary expertise that will facilitate the success of such a cross-disciplinary project. You will also have the opportunity to meet other KIRI postdocs, present your work at scientific events, and take part in KIRI activities. Read more about KIRI here:
https://ki.se/en/research/ki-research-incubator-kiri

Your profile

To be eligible for employment as a postdoctoral researcher, 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.

• A PhD in immunology, neuroscience, metabolism or other relevant field
• Expertise in in vitro and in vivo model systems
• An ability to analyze omic datasets using R/Python or equivalent programming language. This should be highlighted in the cover letter through published examples in journals or online
• A strong publication record
• Ability to interpret complex information and resolve research issues
• Ability to communicate research ideas and results in an effective way
• Strong written and spoken English skills
• Recommendation letter from previous supervisors

• Strong experimental background in molecular biology
• In vivo assessment of mouse models, behavioral assessment, tissue dissection
• Experience of other relevant techniques such as: In vitro CRISPR-based gene perturbation, Flow cytometry, and Immunofluorescence and RNA-FISH imaging

Personal suitability is of great importance when evaluating candidates.

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.

Location: Solna

Choose to work at KI – Ten reasons why

Application

• 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 February 8 2026.

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!