Research specialist in cell therapy for diabetes

Do you want to contribute to top quality medical research?

Fredrik Lanner’s laboratory, which is part of the division of obstetrics and gynecology within the department of clinical science, intervention and technology (CLINTEC), develops new stem cell–based therapies for blindness and diabetes. The laboratory operates at the interface of stem cell biology, cell therapy, transplantation technology, and advanced cell manufacturing, in close collaboration with clinical and industrial partners. We are now seeking a research specialist to further advance our ambitions to treat diabetes using pluripotent stem cells.

Your mission

As a research specialist in Lanner lab, you will have a leading role in an integrated team with members from several different labs at Karolinska Institutet with diversified expertise in stem cell-based regenerative medicine, large-scale cell production, advanced biomaterials, animal models and beta cell signaling. In this team, you will work on optimizing robust differentiation protocols for functional insulin-producing islets for clinical transplantation.

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.

Furthermore, to be eligible for employment, extensive and well-documented (published) experience in stem cell culture and the differentiation of pancreatic islets is required.

Assessment criteria

It is particularly meritorious that the applicant has shown

• Experience in large-scale antibody sorting of cells
• Experience and knowledge of fixed bed and 3D bioreactors
• Experience in vascular biology and diabetes

It is meritorious that the applicant has shown experience in 

• Microscopy
• Genetic modification
• Single-cell transcriptional analysis

As a person, you have strong collaboration and communication skills, with the ability to work in a teams and build new relationships, while also being able to take your own initiatives and work independently to drive tasks forward. Furthermore, you are highly motivated and driven to deliver work of high quality. The position involves collaboration with international colleagues, which requires good skills in English, both spoken and written. In the assessment of applicants, particular emphasis will be placed on personal qualities.

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: Flemingsberg

Choose to work at KI - Ten reasons why

Application

Welcome to apply no later than July 31, 2026.

We prefer that Your application is written in English, but You can also apply in Swedish. 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.

The application must be submitted through the Varbi recruitment system.

KI applies individual and differentiated salary setting in accordance with our collective agreements RALS and RALS-T. Permanent position is initiated by a six months trial period.

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