Postdoctoral researcher in bacterial regulatory RNA - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Do you want to contribute to top quality medical research?

Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology (MTC) at Karolinska Institutet conducts research and teaching in immunology, infection biology, cell biology and cancer. Key words are multidisciplinary, bridging, translational, national and international collaborations

Dr. Edmund Loh’s group is focusing on RNA-mediated molecular mechanisms that are involved in bacterial pathogenesis. The pathogen of research is Neisseria meningitidis (meningococcus) and we utilise a wide variety of genetic, cell biological and biochemical methods and techniques. The research in Dr. Loh’s group focuses on the regulation of sRNAs and their gene expression patterns during various biological stress conditions.

Karlsson et al., 2020 The Lancet Microbe https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanmic/article/PIIS2666-5247(20)30146-4/fulltext  

Eichner et al., 2022 Trends in Microbiology 
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0966842X22000695

We are looking for a postdoctoral research fellow to work on a project on RNA-mediated pili regulation in the meningococcus.

Your mission

In this project, funded by a grant from the Swedish Research Council, we aim to characterise the meningococcal Type four pili regulation mediated by regulatory RNAs. Overall, we aim at unravelling both meningococcal piliation and virulence, as well as the establishment of a microfluidic infection model for the meningococcus.

The postdoctoral fellow will work with an international research team in an international collaboration to design and conduct research relevant to the research group’s agenda while receiving advanced training to enhance professional skills and research independence. The postdoc’s time will also be devoted to data and database management, analysis, manuscript preparation and career development. The candidate will be asked to collaborate with others, including graduate students, and provide her/his expertise in other projects. There are no teaching requirements but opportunities to teach can be facilitated.

Your profile

Qualified to be employed as a postdoctor is one who has obtained a doctorate or has equivalent scientific competence. It is considered as an advantage if you have completed your doctoral degree within the last three years, if there are special reasons, your degree may have been completed earlier. Applicants who have not completed a doctorate at the end of the application period may also apply, provided that all requirements for a completed degree are met before the (intended) date of employment. This must be substantiated by the applicant's main supervisor, director or equivalent.

Being fluent in spoken and written English is required. The successful candidate has a strong interest and background in bacterial pathogenesis and RNA regulation. The candidate we are looking for is highly collaborative and generous with sharing her/his knowledge. She/he is an independent researcher, with a strong interest in bacterial gene regulation and RNA biology. Key skills include working in a biosafety level 2 plus (BSL-2*) lab, bacterial gene cloning (knock-out, mutagenesis), confocal microscopy and manuscript writing.

The applicant should have the following skills:

• Extensive knowledge in bacterial gene regulation and RNA biology to independently perform experiments in a BSL-2* lab (essential)
• Ability to initiate, conduct, and publish successful research projects, evidenced by a track record of publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals in the medical area (essential).
• Work experience with meningococcus or other aerosol borne bacterial pathogens (desirable).
• Knowledge of confocal microscopy and microfluidics (desirable).
• Strong presentation skills (desirable).

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. Our vision is to pursue the development of knowledge about life and to promote a better health for all. 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. Karolinska Institutet is also a state university, which entitles you to several benefits through our collective agreement.

Location: Solna

More information about the group: https://twitter.com/LabLoh 

Application

An employment application must contain the following documents in English or Swedish:

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 2022-06-29

The application is to be submitted through the Varbi recruitment system.

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