Doctoral (Ph.D.) student position with doctoral grant in the area of gene regulation of human adipose tissue - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Karolinska Institutet, Institutionen för medicin, Huddinge
We are recruiting a student for doctoral education. A doctoral education consists of supervised research, combined with courses and other educational activities. An individual study plan is established for each doctoral student. For a doctoral degree, the equivalent of four years of full-time doctoral education is required.

The Department of Medicine at Huddinge comprises seven units, three research centers and around 70 independent research groups. The department is located at the Karolinska South Campus in Huddinge with research facilities at the Karolinska University Hospital,and the new laboratory environments NEO and Futura  labs (https://ki.se/en/staff/neo-a-new-hub-of-biomedical-research).

Unit of Endocrinology and Lipid laboratory
The Lipid laboratory (Unit of Endocrinology) is offering a PhD student position in the field of human white adipose tissue gene regulation. The unit has a fully equipped wet lab at NEO and consists of about 20 people including medical doctors, post-doctoral fellows, PhD-students, research nurses and technical staff and focuses on the role of human adipose tissue in common metabolic disorders. Our studies span from genetic and molecular studies in different in vitro systems to clinical assessments in human subjects. The primary aim of our research is to understand better the mechanisms that link fat mass to metabolic disorders. The student will work in the group led by Professor Ingrid Dahlman to study how common genetic variants and long noncoding RNAs influence adipose tissue lipid mobilization and hereby contribute to obesity and type 2 diabetes.

The doctoral student project and the duties of the doctoral student
Using a translational research approach, by applying state-of the-art functional genomics methodologies on the unique clinical material collected from longitudinal and cross-sectional studies, we will characterize the effects of genetic variants and long noncoding RNA on adipose tissue lipid mobilization. This is a novel approach expecting to give important insight into the pathophysiology of human WAT in abdominal obesity and type 2 diabetes. The student will apply in vitro cultures of adipose-resident cells, high throughput microscopy, various omics technologies such as transcriptomics, and standard molecular biology techniques to functionally characterize the regulation of lipid mobilization in fat cell (under supervision of Agné Kulyté, PhD, co-supervisor). During this project, the student will get training in bioinformatic analysis, e.g. high throughput analysis of RNA sequence data and functional annotation of the genome. Bioinformatic and long noncoding RNA analyses will be performed under supervision of Hui Gao (PhD, co-supervisor) in the Lipid laboratory. The PhD student will be involved in planning/designing and performing experiments; analyzing/interpreting the data and presenting the results at national and international meetings. During the first year the student will get a close guidance and will start working on the project that has already resulted in a wealth of preliminary results. Later the student will be expected to play a strong role in designing the projects, selecting candidate genes and pathways relevant for clinical metabolic phenotypes, and carrying out molecular studies. In addition, the student will be able to visit our collaborators’ labs outside Sweden.

Skills and personal qualities 
We are seeking a motivated and enthusiastic doctoral candidate with master degree in biomedicine, molecular biology, nutrition, biochemistry or corresponding field. The successful candidate should be self-motivated, organized person able to keep herself/himself informed on developments of the relevant research field, and the ability to work productively and dynamically in a team. The applicant must like to work closely in a team. Previous experience from working in a metabolic or genetic research lab, including knowledge of bioinformatics and cell culture techniques is highly desired but not obligatory. Experience in adipose tissue research is a merit.

Eligibility requirements for doctoral education
In order to participate in the selection for a doctoral position, you must meet the following general (A) and specific (B) eligibility requirements at latest by the application deadline.

It is your responsibility to certify eligibility by following the instructions on the web page Entry requirements (eligibility) for doctoral education.

A) General eligibility requirement
You meet the general eligibility requirement for doctoral/third-cycle/PhD education if you:

1. have been awarded a second-cycle/advanced/master qualification (i.e. master degree) or
2. have satisfied the requirements for courses comprising at least 240 credits of which at least 60 credits were awarded in the advanced/second-cycle/master level, or
3. have acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad.*

Follow the instructions on the web page Entry requirements (eligibility) for doctoral education.

*If you claim equivalent knowledge, follow the instructions on the web page Assessing equivalent knowledge for general eligibility for doctoral education.

B) Specific eligibility requirement

You meet the specific eligibility requirement for doctoral/third-cycle/PhD education if you:

- Show proficiency in English equivalent to the course English B/English 6 at Swedish upper secondary school.

Follow the instructions on the web page English language requirements for doctoral education.

Verification of your documents
Karolinska Institutet checks the authenticity of your documents. Karolinska Institutet reserves the right to revoke admission if supporting documents are discovered to be fraudulent. Submission of false documents is a violation of Swedish law and is considered grounds for legal action.

Terms and conditions
The doctoral student will be employed on a doctoral studentship 4 years full-time. PhD student will be supported by salary paid by KID grant and grants of the supervisors. The PhD studies at full time are maximum 4 years. Requirements for graduate students are contained in the Higher Education Chapter 5, §1-7.

Application process
Submit your application and supporting documents through the Varbi recruitment system. Use the button in the top right corner and follow the instructions.

Your application should contain the following documents:

- A personal letter and a curriculum vitae (Swedish or English)
- Degree projects and previous publications, if any (Swedish or English)
- Any other documentation showing the desirable skills and personal qualities described above (Swedish or English)
- Documents certifying your general eligibility (see A above)
- Documents certifying your specific eligibility (see B above)

Selection
A selection will be made among eligible applicants on the basis of the ability to benefit from doctoral education. The qualifications of the applicants will be evaluated on an overall basis.

Karolinska Institutet uses the following bases of assessment:

- Documented subject knowledge of relevance to the area of research
- Analytical skill
- Other documented knowledge or experience that may be relevant to doctoral studies in the subject.

 All applicants will be informed when the recruitment is completed.

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