Postdoc in Lung Cancer Proteomics and Molecular biology

Do you want to contribute to top quality medical research?

Karolinska Institutet, Department of Oncology-Pathology, Orre/Lehtiö research group

Do you want to contribute to the development of next generation precision medicine in Lung Cancer?

Lung cancer alone is responsible for an estimated two million deaths world-wide every year. New diagnostic and therapeutic strategies are desperately needed to combat this disease and ease the suffering of patients. Precision medicine refers to the tailoring of medical treatment to the individual characteristics of each patient. We are looking for a passionate postdoc interested in the concept of precision medicine to work experimentally in projects aiming to improve the understanding and treatment of lung cancer with a focus on targeted therapy and immunotherapy. The research will include defining and understanding the biology behind different lung cancer subgroups, how they relate to clinical outcomes, and how this information can be used to guide therapy selection.

The position will be placed in the Lung Cancer team headed by Associate Professor Lukas Orre. The team is embedded in the larger research group Cancer Proteomics Mass Spectrometry led by Professor Janne Lehtiö and located at Science for Life Laboratory (SciLifeLab). The overall aim of this research group is to generate and investigate multi-omics tumor data in a translational setting to improve cancer treatment. The group members are from various disciplines working as a team to study genes and proteins in the context of biological networks. The generated knowledge is used to improve our understanding of how molecular changes in a tumor impact the proteome, and to discover new disease biomarkers for prediction of therapy response.

SciLifeLab is a national infrastructure and research center in technology and data driven life sciences and Karolinska Institutet is one of the four founding universities of SciLifeLab. We offer a very stimulating and diverse work in a team of highly motivated co-workers with expertise in cutting-edge technology closely associated with the large data-driven life science community.

Your mission

We seek a highly motivated postdoc in proteomics and molecular biology, interested in translational cancer research with an emphasis on MS-based proteomics. The postdoc position requires solid expertise in molecular biology and/or proteomics data generation. Furthermore, good communication skills and the willingness to work in a team environment are essential. The postdoctoral research offers great possibility for innovative research combining discovery methods such as proteomics with methods for mechanistic investigation and validation, performed together with a dedicated group of scientists.

The postdoc employment will focus on applying experimental methods on biologically/clinically relevant research questions and on analyzing the acquired data followed by validation and expansion on the findings using public domain data. The research will include mechanistic investigation of the biology behind different lung cancer subgroups, experimental testing of the predicted novel therapeutic strategies in model systems, and the development of strategies to use the generated information to guide future therapy selection in lung cancer. The PostDoc will, together with a multi-disciplinary team of scientists, plan, perform and analyze proteomics and molecular biology experiments, with the aim to understand the biology of lung cancer subgroups in context of improving lung cancer treatment. More specifically, this includes both applying our in-house developed proteomics methods as well as setting up targeted molecular biology methods for mechanistic investigation and validation of specific findings. Targeted investigations will include both generation and application of genetic models, e.g., through knock-out/silencing or overexpression of genes, as well as drug sensitivity testing. Experimental design and statistical analysis of the quantitative data are important components of the work, and it is expected that the applicant is acquainted with software related to omics data analysis.  

Your profile

To be eligible for employment as a postdoctor, a PhD or a foreign degree deemed to be equivalent to a Swedish PhD is required. This eligibility requirement must be fulfilled at the latest at the time of the employment decision. Completion of your doctoral degree within the last three years is considered an advantage. If there are special reasons, your degree may have been completed earlier.

To be eligible for the postdoctoral position, the person must have obtained a doctorate or a foreign degree deemed to be equivalent to a doctorate. 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) start date of the postdoctoral education. The head of the department determines whether their previous training and scholarly qualifications correspond to a Swedish doctorate or higher.

Qualifications

• PhD in biology, medicine, or another related relevant field.
• Documented prior experience as a postdoc.
• Documented broad working experience in cell- and molecular experimental methods such as gene editing/silencing, multiplex imaging methods, drug response testing and standard methods (e.g western blot and qPCR).
• Knowledge and work experience in MS-based proteomics.
• Knowledge of cancer biology and current translational cancer research.
• Knowledge in statistical methods and programming experience in R.
• Experience of collaboration between different disciplines.
• Excellent communications skills.
• Fluent in English language.

Additional merits

• Previous documented track record in MS-based proteomics analysis of clinical sample cohorts.
• Knowledge and work experience in the field of lung cancer biology and precision medicine.
• Knowledge and work experience in immunology.
• Strong publication track record with significant own contribution (e.g first name authorship).
• Experience of analysis of data from high-throughput methods such as transcriptomics or proteomics.

Understanding of bioinformatics and the ability to interpret omics data in a biological context.

Experience in teaching and presenting scientific data.

Since the position involves both independent work and close interaction with several researchers, emphasis is placed on personal skills such as:

• Strong emphasis on personal skills.
• Ability to work independently.
• Very good collaborative skills.
• Excellent communication skills and analytical skills.
• Curious and eager to solve biological questions.

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. 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. 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: Science for Life Laboratory in Solna

Choose to work at KI – Ten reasons why
Lehtiö Lab

Application

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

• PhD certificate
• 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 25^th April.

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

The employment is 2 years, with possibility of extension. 

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