Doctoral (PhD) student position with a doctoral grant in engineered extracellular vesicles and oligonucleotides - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

We are recruiting a student for doctoral education.

For more information regarding doctoral (PhD) education, see: http://www.ki.se/doctoral.

Research group
The Department of Laboratory of Medicine, located in Huddinge Campus, is one of the Karolinska Institutet’s largest departments with 9 research divisions including the Clinical Research Centre (CRC), where the project will be carried out. 350 people are employed at the department, half of which are PhD-students. The Centre provides the facilities needed for cell- and molecular biology research and the possibility to perform research in vivo. EL Andaloussi’s research group, currently comprising of 18 FTEs, works primarily on : 1) extracellular vesicles, in particular exosomes, as therapeutic delivery vehicles and 2) splice switching oligonucleotides to modulate endogenous splicing mechanism of genes in a therapeutic context and 3) development of cell penetrating peptides (CPPs) for delivery of nucleic acids and gene editing modalities. The lab has different on-going projects related to the exosome field and oligonucleotides/peptide field. The lab also has a wide number of close collaborations with labs both within and outside Karolinska Institutet. Most of the projects are focusing on development of therapeutic oligonucleotides and engineered exosomes for treatment of inflammation.

The doctoral education project and the duties of the student
The PhD-project will mostly revolve around the development of CPP-based delivery vectors for delivery of gene editing modalities, including Cas9, or mRNAs encoding for them. In parallel engineered EVs will be developed with focus on non-hepatic delivery of Cas9.

Most of the research will be conducted utilizing cell lines and animal models. The first part of the work will involve engineering of therapeutically active exosomes with proteins and mRNAs. Second part will involve designing new CPPs that can form nanoparticles with proteins/nucleic acids for systemic delivery in CNS-related diseases.

A PhD-thesis at Karolinska Institutet encompasses 4 years full-time studies. Further information regarding the post graduate education can be found on http://www.ki.se/doctoral. Registration and the PhD-thesis will start in the spring of 2018. Prospective candidates should be highly motivated with the ability to work independently and as part of a team.

The applicants should have a solid background in molecular biology or biotechnology and immunology. Practical lab experience is essential, especially in the following areas: cloning, expression and purification of recombinant proteins, fluorescent/confocal microscopy (ICC and IHC), protein analysis (Western blot, ELISA and IP), cell culture work (knock-in and –out, establishing cell lines and cell assays), purification and quantification of extracellular vesicles, RNA expression analysis (rtPCR, qPCR and ddPCR), designing of cell penetrating peptide (CPP) experiments, and experience from work with novel protein delivery vectors.

If the applicants have previous experience within the exosome field, oligonucleotides and CPPs this would be considered as a merit. In addition, excellent proficiency in both spoken and written English is highly desired. The successful candidate should be able and willing to work in a team to pursue his/her research, previous documentation of shown co-operation abilities are of merit. Personal suitability is of great importance when evaluating the applicants. We are looking for an energetic and passionate person who fits in, and actively contributes to our team.

Entry requirements for doctoral education at KI
To be eligible for doctoral education, the following requirements have to be met:

General entry requirements
A person meets the general entry requirements for doctoral/third-cycle/PhD education (according to Higher Education Ordinance Chapt 7, section 39) if he/she:

1. has been awarded advanced/second-cycle/master qualification (i.e. master degree) or
2. has satisfied the requirements for courses comprising at least 240 credits of which at least 60 credits were awarded in the second-cycle/master level, or

3. has acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad.

For more information regarding the general entry requirements, please see:
https://ki.se/en/phd/entry-requirements-eligibility-for-doctoral-education

Furthermore, English proficiency is required.

Specific entry requirements 
Proficiency in English equivalent to the course English B/English 6 at Swedish upper secondary school. Applicants who meet the general entry requirements (1 or 2 above) from a university in one of the Nordic countries fulfill the English language requirement.

For information on how other applicants can certify their English proficiency (such as through IELTS or TOEFL, previous upper secondary or university level studies), please see:
https://ki.se/en/phd/entry-requirements-eligibility-for-doctoral-education

State here any other formal entry requirements, beside the above, that an applicant must have to be considered for this project.

Assessment criteria
A selection will be made among qualified applicants on the basis of the ability to benefit from doctoral education. Karolinska Institutet uses the following bases of assessment:

- Documented subject knowledge of relevance to the area of research

- Analytical skill

- Other documented knowledge or experience that may be relevant to doctoral studies in the subject.

The qualifications of the applicants will be evaluated on an overall basis. A decision concerning the doctoral student position will be made after admission to third-cycle studies. For additional information about third-cycle studies at Karolinska Institutet, see http://www.ki.se/doctoral.  

Terms and conditions
All doctoral students at KI receive financial support during their doctoral education and employment on a doctoral studentship is the most common sort of support.

Application process
The application must contain the following documents in Swedish or in English:

• A personal letter and a curriculum vitae
• Academic degree diplomas, transcripts of records in original language and, if applicable, authorised translations
• Copies of degree projects and any previous publications
• Proof of English proficiency as stated in the specific requirement above

All documents certifying the entry requirements must be scans of originals (scans of copies or certified copies will not be accepted). The scanned documents must be in color and both the front and the back of the documents must be scanned. Please note that there are specific documentation requirements for a number countries, please read the instructions at:

https://ki.se/en/phd/entry-requirements-eligibility-for-doctoral-education

The application and supporting documents are to be submitted through the Varbi recruitment system.