Doctoral (PhD) student position in Reproductive Medicine - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

We are recruiting a doctoral (PhD) student. For more information regarding doctoral education at Karolinska Institutet (KI), see: http://ki.se/en/phd/about-doctoral-education-at-ki

A doctoral student is admitted to third-cycle/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.

Research group
The doctoral education project will be carried out in Associate Professor Pauliina Damdimopoulou’s research laboratory at the Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology of Karolinska Institutet. Research and education at the Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology are focused on the many aspects of women’s reproductive health as well as fetal physiology and stem cell biology.

Damdimopoulou laboratory is located at the Campus Flemingsberg of Karolinska Institutet and focuses on human ovarian biology as well as effects of toxic chemicals on fertility.

The doctoral student project and the duties of the doctoral student
The aim of the doctoral education project is to develop fertility preservation options for girls and young women via thorough analysis of human ovarian tissue. The project will be based on other on-going projects in the Damdimopoulou group that focus on characterization of adult ovarian tissue. The work will be performed within a national fertility preservation project, and in collaboration with other Scandinavian researchers. The work will require visits to laboratories in Finland and Estonia.

The duties of the doctoral student include single-cell level transcriptomic analyses of ovarian tissue, ovarian follicle culture studies, and histological analyses. Techniques utilized will include collection and cryopreservation of human ovarian tissue samples, immunostainings and histological analyses, single cell RNA-sequencing, FACS analyses, and bioinformatics analyses.

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.

Skills and personal qualities
We are looking for a motivated and talented person with a master degree in a suitable bioscience such as reproductive or cell biology. The candidate must have hands-on experience from cell culture, immunostainings, histological analyses, reproductive biology and statistical modelling. The following skills are considered as merits: gene expression analysis, evaluation of human ovarian histology, cryopreservation of tissue, work with single cells/oocytes/embryos, and statistical analyses in R.

The research environment is international, and the project involves tight collaboration with several other research groups and clinicians. Fluent spoken and written English is therefore a necessity, as well as good social skills. The project will also require meticulous documentation, and the candidate must have a detailed, careful and well-organized work ethic. 

Finally, the successful candidate must be self-driven and motivated, able to work independently and in a team, and capable of trouble shooting and coordinating work between different laboratories. We put great emphasis on personal qualities in the selection of candidates

Terms and conditions
The doctoral student will be employed on a doctoral studentship maximum 4 years full-time.

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) )(max 1 page letter, max 2 page CV)  
• 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.

KI 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.