Assistant Professor in skin wound healing across aging and diseases

Do you want to contribute to top quality medical research? 

Join the Xu Landén research group at Karolinska Institutet and contribute to leading-edge research in skin wound healing. Located within KI’s world-class environment, our group combines molecular biology, bioinformatics, and clinical collaboration to uncover mechanisms of tissue repair and chronic wounds. You will work in a vibrant, interdisciplinary environment with access to advanced omics platforms and strong translational networks. We offer a supportive culture for scientific growth, international collaboration, and career development.

Your mission 

We are seeking a highly motivated Assistant Professor to establish a research program focused on the role of coding (mRNAs) and non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) in human skin wound healing. Chronic non-healing wounds are a prevalent and severe medical problem with poorly understood molecular mechanisms. The recent discovery of ncRNAs, including microRNAs, circular RNAs, and long non-coding RNAs, as potent regulators of gene expression offers new opportunities for therapeutic innovation; however, their functional roles in wound repair remain largely unexplored.

The successful candidate will lead projects to decode the expression dynamics and regulatory functions of mRNAs and ncRNAs in human healing and non-healing wounds. This includes the integration of high-throughput technologies such as bulk and single-cell RNA sequencing, ATAC-seq, ChIRP-seq, ChIP-seq, spatial transcriptomics, and methylome profiling to map RNA modifications, RNA–protein–DNA interactions, chromatin accessibility, and gene regulatory networks. The research will rely on both human tissues and cells as well as murine models. You will be also expected to develop independent research lines, apply for external funding, supervise junior researchers, contribute to teaching, and actively engage in scientific collaborations.

The employment as Assistant Professor is time limited for four years with the right to apply for promotion to Senior Lecturer. 

Eligibility requirements 

The required skills of the successful candidate are:

• A PhD in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Biostatistics, or a related discipline including where sufficient bioinformatics expertise is demonstrated in life sciences.
• Expertise in the analysis of next-generation sequencing data, including bulk and single-cell sequencing data.
• Expertise in data integration, visualization, and interpretation.
• Previous experience working with skin biology, non-coding RNA research, or wound healing.
• Ability to deliver high-quality scientific outputs with a strong publication record.
• Good interpersonal skills and the ability to work both independently but also as a part of a large team.
• Fluency in English, both verbal and written, and good communication skills.

It is considered a merit if the candidate has experiences in one or more of the following areas:

• Previous receipt of research funding in related fields.
• Large data integration of genomics, epigenomics, and transcriptomics profiles.
• Machine learning methods such as deep learning for analysis of multi-omics data.

Those eligible for employment as an Assistant Professor are individuals who have been awarded a PhD or attained equivalent research competence. Preference should be given to those who were awarded a PhD or attained equivalent research competence no more than seven years, normally, prior to the expiry of the application period for the position as assistant professor. 

Those who have been awarded a PhD or attained equivalent research competence earlier may however be considered if special grounds exist.  

Special grounds refer to: 

• parental leave
• positions of trust in trade union organizations 
• mandatory service in the total defense forces 
• long-term illness 

Ground, dates and extent must be clearly specified in the application and verified with relevant documentation. 

Appointment to the position of Assistant Professor requires good scientific skills and good pedagogical skills (see the instructions regarding the Appointment Procedure for Teachers at Karolinska Institutet). 

It is a requirement that you have completed three weeks of courses on teaching in higher education as indicated in the recommendations of the Association of Swedish Higher Education Institution. If you lack such education at the time of employment, you must undergo such education during the first two years of employment. 

Bases of assessment 

In assessing the candidates, suitability for the position and scientific expertise will form the basis for the selection of this recruitment.

For employment as Assistant Professor at Karolinska Institutet, the eligibility requirements and assessment criteria stated in the Instructions regarding the Appointment Procedure are applied in relation to established profile of employment. 

What do we offer? 

A creative, international and inspiring environment with wide-ranging expertise and interests. Karolinska Institutet is one of the world's leading medical universities. Here, 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 good benefits through our collective agreement.  

Location

The position is located within the Department of Medicine, Solna. The department consists of ten divisions and each division consists of several research groups. The position is located within the research group of Xu Landén, within the Centre of Molecular Medicine (CMM).

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Application

We prefer that Your application is written in English, but You can also apply in Swedish. An application must contain the following documents: Resumé, qualifications and description of planned research, presented in accordance with Karolinska Institutet’s qualifications portfolio.

The application is to be submitted through the Varbi recruitment system

Particular assessment for promotion to Senior Lecturer

An Assistant Professor employed in accordance with the Higher Education Ordinance Chapter 4 Section 12a shall be promoted to Senior Lecturer if he or she is eligible for an employment as Senior Lecturer in accordance with the Instructions regarding the Appointment Procedure for Teachers at Karolinska Institutet and is assessed to be suitable for such employment in accordance with the assessment criteria that KI has decided should be applied when being promoted to Senior Lecturer. The assessment criteria stated in the Instructions regarding the Appointment Procedure for Teachers at Karolinska Institutet that was valid at the time of appointment as Assistant Professor will be applied when applying for promotion to Senior Lecturer. Current assessment criteria is found here. Such promotion results in a permanent position as Senior Lecturer. 

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