Assistant Professor in Precision Cancer Medicine

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.   

Are you interested in improving cancer diagnostics and treatment and aspire to pursue ground-breaking research in precision cancer medicine?

Welcome to the Department of Oncology-Pathology where preclinical and clinical cancer research are tightly interconnected. With 37 research groups and approximately 300 staff members, we offer an exceptionally dynamic and strong research environment to generate novel scientific discoveries leading to improved diagnostics, treatments, and quality of life for patients with cancer.

Our research and educational facilities are located at Bioclinicum within the Karolinska University Hospital that houses approximately 1000 life science researchers. We are also located within the Science for Life Laboratory which provides access to advanced technologies including genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, spatial biology, cellular and molecular imaging, and bioinformatics

Our close connection with The Swedish Childhood Tumor Biobank, The Theranostic Trial Center, and The Karolinska Comprehensive Cancer Center, enable pre-clinical and clinical scientists to engage in collaborative projects for early clinical testing of precision therapies, to enhance cancer diagnostics and early detection, and to develop innovative clinical trials in cancer patients.

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, 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: Solna

Description of the subject area 

Precision cancer medicine is a strategic research area at the Department of Oncology-Pathology with the goal to improve diagnosis and treatment of cancer through individualized approaches. Research areas include molecular mechanisms of tumorigenesis, systems medicine where omics data are combined to understand disease mechanisms and develop personalized treatments, development of biomarkers, novel treatment strategies, and understanding treatment-related side-effects. 

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.

This is a full-time position where your responsibility is to conduct research in precision cancer medicine with the expectation to develop a high-quality competitive research environment. You are expected to secure external research funding, disseminate your research findings, and contribute to undergraduate and doctoral education, supervise PhD students and postdocs, and engage in national and international collaborations.

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 experience in:

1) research using in vivo and/or in vitro models as well as patient-derived ex vivo models,

2) advanced technologies to analyze tumor characteristics,

3) supervising in wet or dry lab contexts, and

4) documented dissemination of high quality and cancer relevant research.

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!