Postdoctoral Researcher in Mechanics of Heart Regeneration

Do you want to contribute to top quality medical research?

Salamanders possess extraordinary regenerative abilities and remarkable resistance to tumor formation. We are seeking an ambitious postdoctoral researcher to investigate the role of cell-cell junctions and mechanical cues in terminating regenerative programs in the salamander heart. This project is supported by European Research Council and aims to uncover fundamental principles of tissue regeneration and its regulation, with potential implications for regenerative medicine and cancer biology.

Description of the research group

The research group led by Principal Researcher Dr. Elif Eroglu focuses on how mechanical cues guide cardiac regeneration using the Iberian-ribbed newt as a model. Our work is primarily directed towards epicardium, the outer layer covering the heart, and its interaction with the cardiac muscle. We use advanced methods to study regenerative programs running in parallel in the newt heart, their coordination and their timely termination.

Your mission

We are seeking a highly motivated postdoctoral researcher to join our team for an exciting project focused on understanding how regeneration is terminated in a timely manner. The overarching aim is to explore how cell proliferation and differentiation are controlled and coordinated in relation to the changing physical properties of the regenerating heart. The project will utilize our dedicated state-of-the-art two-photon microscope and involve in vivo and in vitro force measurement techniques. 

This position is embedded in a vibrant and interdisciplinary research environment, offering excellent opportunities for scientific development, collaboration, and career advancement.

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.

The ideal candidate will have multidisciplinary qualifications (physics/maths, biology/engineering and such) and a deep passion for microscopy. Experience working with experimental animal models, intravital imaging (or another advanced microscopy technique) and force measurement techniques is highly desirable, though not all are required. Strong data analysis skills are essential. Experience working in Matlab, R, Python, or similar programming environments, and a demonstrated ability to integrate and interpret multi-modal datasets, will be considered a major asset. As part of this project candidate will be required to:

• Carry out microsurgical procedures on salamanders to enable experimental interventions.
• Design and conduct experiments to study mechanotransduction during cardiac regeneration.
• Perform intravital imaging and quantitative image analysis to trace cells of interest longitudinally.
• Develop and apply computational tools for image processing and data analysis.

The candidate should be able to work independently, manage complex projects, and collaborate effectively in an interdisciplinary research environment. Strong analytical thinking, problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and the ability to critically evaluate results are essential. The position requires intellectual curiosity, flexibility, and a willingness to bridge experimental and computational approaches.

Proficiency in written and spoken English is required for effective communication, manuscript preparation, and collaboration within an international research environment.

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: Stockholm

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)

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!