Postdoctoral studies in Virology and Cell Biology (scholarship)

Do you want to contribute to top quality medical research? 

The Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology (MTC) at Karolinska Institutet conducts research and teaching within immunology, infection biology, cell biology and cancer. MTC has about 40 research groups and our key words are multidisciplinary, bridging, national and international collaborations.

Division

The Division of Virology and Immunology at MTC comprises ten research groups working on aspects of molecular virology, viral immunity, T- and B-cell biology and vaccine responses to complex antigens. We share a well-equipped laboratory space in the Biomedicum building with access to state-of-the-art microscopy, flow cytometry and protein science facilities and to a well-equipped BSL3 laboratory.

A postdoctoral position is available in Prof Gerald McInerney’s research group. The laboratory focuses on the cell biology of virus infection, with a particular interest in alphaviruses, including chikungunya virus. We have a wide network of collaboration partners in virology, immunology, vaccinology, structural biology and biophysics, computational biology, and other fields of interest. Some recent publications from the group: Götte et al., PLoS Pathogens 2019; Hanke et al., Nature Comms 2020 and 2022; Long et al., Nature Comms 2024. Further information can be found at our website www.alphavirus.org.

Duties

The successful candidate will employ proteomics-based methods to uncover novel interaction partners in alphavirus infections and in infection-related cellular conditions. Screening methods, using CRISPR and RNAi as well as drug libraries will be used to identify novel cellular players in viral infection. In addition, hypothesis-driven investigations should reveal mechanisms of importance in viral infection and host responses.

The postdoctoral fellow will have or will develop expertise with classical virology and cell biology methods as well as to contribute to the development of new techniques and methods to study cell biology of viral infection. The work will be presented in prominent academic journals and at international conferences. The successful candidate will contribute to the day-to-day supervision and training of project students and junior staff.

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. Here, we conduct innovative medical research and provide the largest range of biomedical 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. Students and employees have free access to our modern gym facilities with trained staff on site.

Entry requirements

Postdoctoral scholarships may be established for foreign researchers who pursue their postdoctoral research 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.

In addition to the above requirements for the position:

• Have or will soon obtain a PhD or equivalent degree in virology, cell biology or another relevant field
• Interest in laboratory supervision of MSc and PhD students as well as formal undergraduate teaching activities
• Good interpersonal skills and ability to work in teams
• Good communication skills in spoken and written English
• Ability to work creatively and independently

Meritorious for the position:

• Experience with use of a variety of -omics methodologies to study virology and/or cell biology and skills in interpreting large datasets from such techniques
• A track record of publications in high quality peer-reviewed academic journals

Location: Solna

https://ki.se/en/research/research-areas-centres-and-networks/research-groups/regulation-of-gene-expression-during-viral-infection-gerald-mcinerney-group

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 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)
• Names and contact details of at least two academic referees

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

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