Postdoctoral studies in tumor immunology - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Do you want to contribute to top quality medical research?

Our research group is part of a highly interactive research environment at the Division of Rheumatology and is pursuing basic scientific questions in autoimmunity and cancer. The main research focus is to understand molecular mechanisms of immune cell responses, and for this we are currently developing new optogenetic tools to interrogate spatial and temporal aspects of immune responses in vivo.

Your mission

CRISPR/Cas has emerged as a powerful and versatile system for controlling gene activity and introduction precise mutations in the genome. Spatiotemporal control of CRISPR/Cas activity could therefore be useful in future therapeutic settings (e.g. to fine-tune the performance of CAR T-cells), and for addressing new biological questions. Current methods for spatiotemporal control of CRISPR/Cas systems are Cas-centered and are mainly based on light-induced dimerization of split-Cas. However, these current systems are unable to harness the full potential of CRISPR/Cas, e.g. being unable to control base editing and gene expression in vivo. Therefore, we have developed a new more efficient and versatile blue-light based optogenetic system that unleashes the full potential of optogenetic CRISPR/Cas. In contrast to current optogenetic systems, our new system is compatible with all Cas proteins and therefore unleashes the full potential of optogenetic CRISPR/Cas, including spatiotemporal control of point-mutations (“base editing”) and gene expression. The specific aim of this project is to develop optogenetic CRISPR/Cas for use in T lymphocytes to allow for spatiotemporal investigations of anti-tumor responses in vivo.

Your profile

We are seeking a highly talented postdoctoral fellow with a strong background in molecular biology, tissue engineering and CRISPR/Cas. In addition, experience with electrical engineering (especially with a focus on LED light sources) and knowledge in programming is highly meriting. The successful candidate should be self-motivated and have excellent interpersonal, communication, and organizational skills. The candidate must be able to integrate well into the group and the international and multidisciplinary research environment as a whole. Excellent knowledge of spoken and written English is a requirement. The selected candidate will be a part of a team, and collaborate closely with graduate and undergraduate students.

Qualified to be employed as a postdoctor is one who has obtained a doctorate or has equivalent scientific competence. It is considered as an advantage if you have completed your doctoral degree within the last three years, if there are special reasons, your degree may have been completed earlier. 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) date of employment. This must be substantiated by the applicant's main supervisor, director or equivalent.

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. Our vision is to pursue the development of knowledge about life and to promote a better health for all. 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. Karolinska Institutet is also a state university, which entitles you to several benefits through our collective agreement.

Location

The position is located within the Department of Medicine, Solna. The department consists of twelve divisions and each division consists of several research groups. The position is located within the research group Espinosa. The group is part of a highly interactive research environment at the Division of Rheumatology, and is actively pursuing questions in basic immune responses in autoimmunity and cancer. The main research focus of Dr. Espinosa’s group is to understand how immune cell responses are controlled in systemic autoimmune diseases and in cancer.

Application

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

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)

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

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