Postdoctoral Researcher in Nuclear Organization and Mammalian Embryo Development

Do you want to contribute to top quality medical research?

We are seeking a highly motivated and creative postdoctoral researcher to join our research team focusing on nuclear organization and chromatin architecture during mammalian oocyte maturation and early embryonic development in the newly formed laboratory of Prof. Jan Ellenberg.

Our research environment combines cutting-edge live-cell imaging, genome engineering, and multi-omics approaches to uncover fundamental mechanisms governing cell fate transitions. Ellenberg lab provides world-class resources and a collaborative network at SciLifeLab, one of Europe’s leading centers for life science research. This position offers a unique opportunity to drive independent research at the forefront of developmental and quantitative cell biology.

Your mission

You will lead experimental research aimed at understanding how chromatin architecture and nuclear organization regulate oocyte maturation and early embryonic development. The project will involve dissecting the molecular mechanisms underlying large-scale chromatin reorganization and maternal-to-zygotic transition.

Your profile

To be eligible for employment as a postdoctoral researcher, 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.

Required qualifications include:

A PhD in Biology, Developmental Biology, Cell Biology, or a related field.
A strong background in chromatin biology, nuclear organization, mammalian embryo or oocyte development with solid publication record in peer-reviewed journals.
Expertise in fundamental molecular biology techniques, including cell culture, Western blotting, immunoprecipitation, qPCR, immunohistochemistry/immunofluorescence, plasmid construction, transfection, FACS sorting, etc.
Proficiency in microscopy techniques, such as confocal, live‑cell, and super‑resolution imaging, as well as quantitative image analysis using FIJI, Imaris, or similar tools.
Experience with mouse tissue isolation and surgery procedures.
Familiarity with multi‑omics approaches, such as Hi‑C, RNA‑seq, ATAC‑seq, CUT&Tag, and whole‑genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS).
Demonstrated ability to independently lead research projects.
Good communication skills and ability for teamwork in an international environment
Strong written and oral communication skills in English.

Meritorious for the position:

Extensive hands-on experience in mammalian oocyte manipulation, including in vitro fertilization (IVF), microinjection techniques such as intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), nuclear transfer and/or mercury-assisted microinjection in a strong advantage.
Practical experience in Trim-Away protein degradation assay.
Hand-on expertise in CRISPR/Cas9 genome engineering and reporter stem cell line generation.
Experience with advanced microscopy techniques like expansion microscopy and fluorescence correlation microscopy (FCS).

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: The Division of Genome Biology, SciLifeLab, Solna

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 2026-04-08

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

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