Doctoral (Ph.D.) student position with doctoral grant in the area of immunometabolism of human adipose tissue - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

A doctoral student is admitted to third-cycle/doctoral education. A doctoral education consists of supervised research, combined with courses and other educational activities. An individual study plan is established for each doctoral student. For a doctoral degree, the equivalent of four years of full-time doctoral education is required.

Department of Medicine, Huddinge
The Department of Medicine at Huddinge comprises seven units, three research centers and around 70 independent research groups. The department is located at the Karolinska South Campus in Huddinge with research facilities at the Karolinska University Hospital, NOVUM and the new laboratory environments NEO and Futura https://ki.se/en/staff/neo-a-new-hub-of-biomedical-research 

Unit of Endocrinology and Lipid laboratory
The Unit of Endocrinology and Lipid laboratory is offering a PhD student position in the field of white adipose tissue immunometabolism. The unit has a fully equipped wet lab at NEO and consists of about 20 people including medical doctors, post-doctoral fellows, PhD-students, research nurses and technical staff and focuses on the role of human adipose tissue in common metabolic disorders. Our studies span from genetic and molecular studies in different in vitro systems to clinical assessments in human subjects. Our primary aim is to better understand the mechanisms that link fat mass to metabolic disorders. The student will work in the group led by associate professor Jurga Laurencikiene and professor Mikael Ryden to study the crosstalk between human adipose tissue immune cells and adipocyte progenitor cells as well as adipocytes isolated from subjects with different cardiometabolic conditions such as obesity, type 2 diabetes and coronary atherosclerosis.

The doctoral student’s project
Using unique clinical material collected from longitudinal and cross-sectional studies as well as state-of-the-art methodologies, we will characterize adipose tissue immune cell populations under different metabolic conditions and investigate their functional importance in primary adipocyte models, which is a novel approach giving important insights into the pathophysiology of human WAT. The student will use multi-color flow cytometry, RNA-seq, multiplex secretion analysis, high throughput microscopy, in vitro cultures of WAT-resident cells as well as standard molecular biology techniques to functionally characterize the interaction between immune and metabolic cells in human fat tissue. Various in vitro techniques for adipocytes/progenitors are well established in Laurencikiene/Ryden’s laboratory and for macrophages in Myriam Aouadi’s (a co-supervisor) laboratory. The PhD student will be involved in planning/designing and performing experiments; analyzing/interpreting the data and presenting the results at national and international meetings. During the first year the student will get a close guidance and will start working on the project that has already resulted in a wealth of preliminary results. Later the student will be expected to play a strong role in designing approaches, selecting candidate genes and pathways relevant for clinical metabolic phenotypes, planning and carrying out further molecular studies. In addition, the student will be able to visit our collaborators’ labs outside Sweden.

Skills and personal qualities 
We are seeking a highly talented and enthusiastic doctoral candidate with master degree in biomedicine, molecular biology, nutrition, biochemistry or corresponding field. The successful candidate should be self-motivated and able to keep herself/himself informed on developments of the relevant research field, have excellent communication and organizational skills, and the ability to work productively and dynamically in a team. The applicant must be able to integrate well into the group and like to work closely in a team. Previous experience from working in a metabolic research lab, including knowledge of cell culture and techniques such as flow cytometry is highly desired but not obligatory. Experience in adipose tissue research is a merit.

Eligibility requirements for doctoral education
In order to participate in the selection for a doctoral position, you must meet the following general (A) and specific (B) eligibility requirements at latest by the application deadline.

It is your responsibility to certify eligibility by following the instructions on the web page Entry requirements (eligibility) for doctoral education.

A) General eligibility requirement

You meet the general eligibility requirement for doctoral/third-cycle/PhD education if you:

1. have been awarded a second-cycle/advanced/master qualification (i.e. master degree) or
2. have satisfied the requirements for courses comprising at least 240 credits of which at least 60 credits were awarded in the advanced/second-cycle/master level, or
3. have acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad.*

Follow the instructions on the web page Entry requirements (eligibility) for doctoral education.

*If you claim equivalent knowledge, follow the instructions on the web page Assessing equivalent knowledge for general eligibility for doctoral education.

B) Specific eligibility requirement

You meet the specific eligibility requirement for doctoral/third-cycle/PhD education if you:

• Show proficiency in English equivalent to the course English B/English 6 at Swedish upper secondary school.

Follow the instructions on the web page English language requirements for doctoral education.

Verification of your documents
Karolinska Institutet checks the authenticity of your documents. Karolinska Institutet reserves the right to revoke admission if supporting documents are discovered to be fraudulent. Submission of false documents is a violation of Swedish law and is considered grounds for legal action.

Terms and conditions
The doctoral student will be employed on a doctoral studentship 4 years full-time. PhD student will be supported by salary paid by KID grant and grants of the supervisors. The PhD studies at full time are maximum 4 years. Requirements for graduate students are contained in the Higher Education Chapter 5,§1-7.

Application process
Submit your application and supporting documents through the Varbi recruitment system. Use the button in the top right corner and follow the instructions.

Your application should contain the following documents:

• A personal letter and a curriculum vitae (Swedish or English)
• Degree projects and previous publications, if any (Swedish or English)
• Any other documentation showing the desirable skills and personal qualities described above (Swedish or English)
• Documents certifying your general eligibility (see A above)
• Documents certifying your specific eligibility (see B above)

Selection
A selection will be made among eligible applicants on the basis of the ability to benefit from doctoral education. The qualifications of the applicants will be evaluated on an overall basis.

KI 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.

All applicants will be informed when the recruitment is completed.