Assistant Professor in Human physiology or medicine of extreme environments

Karolinska Institutet, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology

Join a global community of excellence

Are you a bold, creative researcher ready to shape the future of medical science? Karolinska Institutet (KI), one of the world’s foremost medical universities, is launching a major recruitment initiative in 2025. KI is seeking 20 outstanding early- career researchers to join us as Assistant Professors in a wide range of subject areas.

At KI, we foster a vibrant, international research environment where curiosity, innovation, and excellence thrive. We are looking for inspiring, driven, and visionary scientists with exceptional research achievements and the potential to become future leaders in their fields. 

The Department of Physiology and Pharmacology (FyFa) conducts internationally renowned research and education in physiology, pharmacology, as well as anesthesiology and intensive care. The department has 400 employees, 30 research groups and 90 doctoral students. We offer a dynamic research environment in the Biomedicum Research Center at Campus Solna. At FyFa, you will have the opportunity to work in a collegial and collaborative environment with engaged and supportive researchers and administrators.

The department is currently establishing a state-of-the-art core facility and Human Laboratory for patient-related and human research including equipment specially designed for extreme physiology or medicine, such as a human centrifuge, pressure chambers, climate chambers and thermal baths.

What do we offer?

If you meet our requirements and propose a groundbreaking research project, we are prepared to employ you as an Assistant Professor for six years and support you with a generous funding package of SEK 12 million to cover your salary and other research costs. KI offers the opportunity to be promoted from a time-limited (six-year) position as Assistant Professor to permanent employment as Senior Lecturer. You can read more about it here.

At KI, you’ll be part of an interdisciplinary research community. Our researchers work across a wide range of fields and methodologies within medicine and health, creating rich opportunities for knowledge exchange and cross-disciplinary collaboration. You’ll also benefit from close connections with healthcare providers, ensuring your research remains closely aligned with real-world clinical practice.

As a state university, KI offers a comprehensive benefits package governed by collective agreements. These include annual salary reviews, wellness allowance, supplementary insurance, and opportunities to participate in institutional decision-making.

We also understand that a successful research career is supported by a strong personal foundation. That’s why we are committed to supporting not only our researchers but also their partners and families, recognising the vital role they play in your life and well-being.

Learn more about what KI and Sweden can offer, and the different calls!

Location: Campus Solna

Description of the subject area 

As part of our strategic expansion, we seek creative qualified applicants to lead independent research programmes in human physiological responses and adaptations to extreme environmental conditions. The successful candidate will be an emerging research leader with demonstrated excellence in basic and medical human physiology, particularly in environmental and/or occupational physiology. 

Research Focus and Priorities
The role involves launching innovative research programmes centred on environmental physiology, exploring mechanisms that enable human survival and performance in challenging environments. Priority areas include:

- High-altitude physiology and hypoxic adaptation
- Thermal physiology in extreme heat and cold
- Microgravity and space physiology
- High G-force tolerance and physiological/cardiovascular responses
- Physiological responses in remote or challenging environments
- Metabolic and cardiovascular adaptations to environmental stressors
- Biochemical pathways in oxygen-limited environments
- Integrated responses to multi-stressor environments and/or conditions

Research Approaches
We welcome diverse methodologies, including advanced physiological monitoring, mechanistic studies, field-based and laboratory simulations, and translational approaches bridging basic science and applied outcomes. While exercise physiology may intersect with this research, the core focus is on fundamental physiological responses to environmental stressors, with exercise as a tool or controlled variable.

Your mission 

This Assistant Professor position offers a unique opportunity to build a strong academic profile—primarily by developing your independence as a researcher, while also gaining valuable teaching and pedagogical experience.

Your role involves collaborating with multidisciplinary teams. The ideal candidate will possess a talent for team building and leadership, fostering innovation and driving scientific excellence, to position the unique resources we offer as a leader in the field of human medical physiology research in extreme environments. Equally important are exceptional communication skills and a genuine commitment to mentoring early-career researchers, fostering a collaborative, inclusive, and intellectually stimulating research environment. 

The primary responsibilities of this position centre on developing an internationally competitive, independent research programme in the field, including securing funding and establishing a self-sustaining research group. While teaching is not a requirement for employment, at FyFa you will have the opportunity to teach in subject areas relevant to your research topic, develop graduate level courses, and recruit top level PhD students. Researchers holding an assistant professorship will be expected to take an active part in teaching commitments at the department.

Eligibility requirements 

To be eligible for an appointment as Assistant Professor, you must demonstrate good scientific skills according to KI’s eligibility criteria as follows:

• A PhD (or equivalent degree) in a relevant subject area
• At least two peer-reviewed original scientific publications as first or last author, in addition to the doctoral thesis

Priority is given to those who were awarded a PhD (or attained equivalent competence) no more than seven years prior to the expiry of the deadline for the application.

Those who have been awarded a doctoral degree or attained equivalent research competence earlier will also be considered if there are special circumstances for absence from research (deductible time), such as: parental leave, long-term illness, positions of trust in trade union organizations or mandatory service in total defence.

The circumstances, dates and extent must be clearly specified in the application and verified by relevant documentation.

For this call, exceptions are made from all pedagogical requirements specified in the instructions regarding the Appointment procedure for teachers at KI. However, you must complete three weeks of higher education pedagogical courses in accordance with the Association of Swedish Higher Education Institutions’ recommendations, no later than two years after starting your employment as an Assistant Professor (unless you can certify that you have completed equivalent training before starting the position).

Candidates will be evaluated based on both scientific and pedagogical qualifications, with greater emphasis placed on scientific excellence. The full set of assessment criteria is outlined in the  instructions regarding the Appointment Procedure for Teachers at KI.

Particularly meritorious is:

• the scientific quality, originality, and feasibility of your research plan within the relevant subject area
• documented experience in research environments outside KI, with special consideration given to international research experience

These criteria reflect our commitment to fostering globally competitive researchers who contribute to high-impact science and academic excellence.

It is further meritorious that you have demonstrated:

• the ability to publish in internationally leading journals within your respective field, with a prominent position in the author lists, preferably as first author and/or senior author
• the ability to secure substantial external funding as principal investigator

The criteria listed will form part of the overall assessment of the applicant. All criteria will be assessed but they should not individually be seen as requirements.

Offers will be extended to the best candidate based on an overall assessment of the applicant’s expertise and merits in relation to the subject area.

Application guidelines

All applicants are expected to follow the application instructions carefully. Failure to comply with the guidelines or misrepresentation of qualifications may negatively impact on the evaluation of your application.

The application should consist of the following documents, written in English:

• A personal letter (maximum 1 page)
• Application form, including your research project (the form can be found here)
• Up to ten published papers and optionally one manuscript, in PDF format
• PhD certificate
• If you have a PhD that is older than seven years and want to claim deductible time, you must attach a certificate of deductible time in Swedish or English.

Welcome to apply no later than September 2nd, 2025 (time 23.59 CEST).

For more information about the calls, conditions regarding funding and employment, see here.

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