Postdoctoral position in RNA biology and DNA repair

Do you want to contribute to top quality medical research?

Karolinska Institutet, The Department of Oncology and Pathology

 Research Group

The position is based in the laboratory of Marianne Farnebo, which investigates the roles of non-coding RNA and RNA-binding proteins in DNA repair and the formation of membraneless organelles, and how defects in these processes contribute to cancer and developmental disorders. The Farnebo laboratory employs a range of techniques essential for studying RNA, DNA repair and liquid-liquid phase separation, including RNA immunoprecipitation, RNA FISH, generation of site-specific DNA damage and various biochemical approaches.

The Farnebo laboratory is located in Biomedicum, a state-of-the-art interdisciplinary research center at Karolinska Institutet, Campus Solna. Biomedicum brings together much of the experimental research at the campus under one roof to promote collaboration. The building houses approximately 1,600 researchers and staff, enabling more efficient sharing and utilization of advanced equipment.

Your mission

Although evidence that RNA regulates DNA repair and thereby genome stability is accumulating, the underlying mechanism(s) remains largely unexplored. The postdoctoral researcher will perform research focused on RNA biology and DNA repair using human cell lines as model system, including patient-derived cells with genome instability. This project aims not only to uncover novel mechanisms by which RNA regulates genome stability, but also to provide new insights into the pathogenesis and treatment of related diseases.

Recently, our laboratory discovered that synthetic oligonucleotides, which bears striking resemblance to natural RNA exert strong effects on DNA damage signaling and repair. Further investigation of these findings and their implications for human disease, including cancer and neurodegeneration, could also be a focus of the postdoctoral project. A deeper understanding of the function and regulation of RNA in DNA repair may pave the way for novel therapies based on restoring or blocking specific RNAs.

Your profile

To be eligible for employment as a postdoctor, 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.

Qualifications

To build a strong and creative research team, we are seeking high achievers from universities worldwide. We offer an intellectually stimulating environment and are looking for talented individuals who will help drive our next breakthrough discoveries. Are you ready to explore the unknown?

More specifically, the applicant

• Must have a PhD in Cell Biology, Molecular Biology or Biochemistry
• Must have proven experience and skills in basic molecular biology methods, including cell culture, cloning, confocal microscopy and Western blotting
• Should have prior experience working with DNA repair mechanisms and hands-on knowledge of molecular methods to study DNA repair
• And/or prior experience working with protein aggregation and/or neurodegeneration.
• Should have excellent documenting and presentation skills
• Should be fluent in English, both written and spoken
• Strong emphasis will be placed on personal suitability, including high motivation and the ability to contribute productively to a team

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: BioMedicum, Solna

Choose to work at KI – Ten reasons why

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 16^th October. 

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

This position is for 2 years, possibility of extension. 

The employment may be paid by Radiumhemmets forskningsfonder.

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