Postdoctoral studies (scholarship) in metabolomic epidemiology

Do you want to contribute to improving human health?

Asthma is among the most common chronic diseases with an estimated 339 million cases worldwide, resulting in over 250,000 deaths each year. A major challenge is that “asthma” is an umbrella diagnosis for obstructive airway diseases with variable clinical presentations (phenotypes) and distinct mechanistic pathways (endotypes). There is a need to identify the fundamental biochemical dysregulations (metabotypes) associated with the etiology and pathophysiology of asthma in order to improve quality of life for individuals with asthma.

Division

The Unit of Integrative Metabolomics in the Institute of Environmental Medicine (IMM) consists of multiple researchers focused on the use of metabolomics to perform molecular phenotyping of individuals in response to disease or environmental stressors. These efforts are combined with integrative modeling to identify biochemical pathways associated with specific disease sub-phenotypes towards the goals of 1) understanding the etiology of disease processes & 2) identifying markers of the onset as well as resolution of system-based stress. The Unit is housed in the Biomedicum building at the Karolinska Institute in a new purpose-built mass spectrometry facility. The Unit includes multiple mass spectrometers and the associated sample processing equipment as well as dedicated wet and dry laboratory space.

Duties

We have an opening for an individual wishing to join a multidisciplinary team aimed to understand the biochemical dysregulations that drive the development of asthma. Towards that end, the successful applicant will take the lead in analyzing multiple projects that involve integrating metabolomics and lipidomics data with other omics (e.g., proteomics, transcriptomics) as well as clinical phenotyping data. For examples of previous efforts, please see: PMID: 34824054, PMID: 35314841, PMID: 34737220, PMID: 32667261, PMID: 29545283, PMID: 30335973. The primary challenge will be to identify the key molecular drivers of the different sub-types of asthma. Much of the work will involve the use of data from the U-BIOPRED project to investigate severe asthma (https://bit.ly/41gv8iY), as well as metabolomics data from multiple intervention trials to investigate the use of biologics to treat asthma. The overarching aim is to use the findings to develop diagnostic tests for identifying molecular sub-phenotypes of asthma.

Your profile

We are looking for highly motivated candidates with a Ph.D. in epidemiology, data science, or statistics – or who can demonstrate via publications the acquisition of the necessary experience. Individuals with the following skills are encouraged to apply: excellent quantitative and applied research skills in data analysis, demonstrated proficiency in statistical language (e.g., R, Matlab), good bioinformatics knowledge of metabolomics, and strong oral and written communication skills. The candidates’s time will be devoted to data analysis, manuscript preparation, and career development. Prior experience working biological datasets, or high-dimensional data and knowledge in biology and respiratory diseases is a significant merit. Excellent communication skills and an ability to interact socially and scientifically with other members of the laboratory and with international collaborators are essential.

Entry requirements

Scholarships for postdoctoral qualification can be established for foreign researchers who place their qualifications in Sweden. The purpose of scholarships for postdoctoral qualification is to promote internationalization and contribute to research qualification after a doctorate or equivalent.
A scholarship for carrying out postdoctoral research can be granted for a maximum of two years within a four year period following the receipt of a doctoral degree or equivalent.
To be eligible for a postdoctoral scholarship, the person must have obtained a doctorate or a foreign degree deemed to be equivalent to a doctorate. 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) start date of the post doctoral education.

The head of the department determines whether their previous training and scholarly qualifications correspond to a Swedish doctorate or higher.

Location: 

Institute of Environmental Medicine, Solna

http://www.metabolomics.se/  https://ki.se/en/imm/unit-of-integrative-metabolomics 

Type of scholarship

The amount is tax free and it is set for twelve months at a time, paid out on a six months basis. In exceptional cases, shorter periods may be acceptable.

Application process

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

• A complete curriculum vitae, including date of the thesis defense, title of the thesis, previous academic positions, academic title, current position, academic distinctions, and committee work
• A complete list of publications
•  A cover letter outlining the candidate’s interest in the position (no more than one page)

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

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