Postdoctoral studies in molecular sub-phenotyping of obstructive lung disease related to pre-term birth (scholarship)

Do you want to contribute to top quality medical research?

We have an opening for 1-2 postdoctoral researcher wishing to join a multidisciplinary systems medicine project investigating premature birth related lung disease (PRLDs). The successful candidate will be joining a multidisciplinary research team of clinicians, experimental scientists, statisticians and bioinformaticians to investigate the role of early life events in the development of early onset obstructive lung disease.

Duties

The overall project involves molecular characterization at the mRNA, miRNA, and proteome level from multiple lung compartments to construct a model of disease. The work will be conducted on one of several unique clinical cohorts designed to investigate different aspects of chronic obstructive airways disease, including but not limited to our cohort investigating post-COVID related chronic lung disease, and our LUNAPRE cohort (www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02923648) investigating preterm birth related lung disease (PRLD). The latter consists of very-to-extremely prematurely born young adults with or without bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in the neonatal period that have been followed since birth, as well as control groups of healthy and asthmatics born at term. The overall goals of these projects involve molecular sub-phenotyping and mechanistic investigations of the obstructive lung disease in this heterogeneous, relatively unknown, and rapidly growing patient group. The specific research projects will be adapted to the experience and interest of the successful candidates, and may include RNA-seq, miRNA-seq and proteome characterizations of various compartments including single cell- and bulk cell-, and extracellular vesicles (EV) cargo from the lung of the patient cohort, from  lung organoid model systems, as well as from ethically sound free range large farm-animal models of PRLDs. The studies are performed in close collaboration with clinicians at both the Karolinska University Hospital, Danderyd Hospital and  Sach’s Children’s Hospital at the Southern Hospital in Stockholm, enabling the successful candidate to be directly involved in translational systems medicine efforts.

Entry requirements

We are looking for a talented and highly motivated researcher with a Ph.D. in a relevant discipline, preferably molecular biology, biochemistry, systems medicine or omics-related field, bioinformatics, or biostatistics. Practical experience within the respiratory field, with a combination of wet-lab and biostatistics/bioinformatics experience is desirable. Specific experience with lung samples and/or lung organoid work, extraction and analysis of scarce samples, and/or CRISPR-mediated gene editing is a merit. The successful candidate must have good communication and collaborative skills, and excellent knowledge of written and spoken English is essential. Demonstrated excellent communication skills and an ability to interact socially and scientifically with other post docs and students in the laboratory and with collaborators in various networks are essential. Previous post doc experience and a strong publication record are strong merits.]

Postdoctoral scholarships may be established for foreign researchers who pursue their postdoctoral research in Sweden. Persons who are resident in Sweden and/or have carried out all or part of their academic education at KI or some other educational institution in Sweden cannot be considered for scholarships from KI. 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.

Expertise in the above highlighted research fields, as well as demonstrated collaborative skills will be the primary basis for the assessment.

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

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.

Research environment

The post-doctoral researchers will be part of the Pulmonomics research group (www.pulmonomics.net), headed by Associate professor Åsa Wheelock . The Pulmonomics group is a multidisciplinary research group, located at the Center for Molecular Medicine (CMM). As part of both the Division of Immunology and Respiratory Medicine, Dept of Medicine Solna and the Karolinska University hospital Dept of Allergy and Respiratory Medicine, we are well positioned to perform truly translational work. Our research interests can be broadly defined as developing a respiratory systems medicine framework for molecular sub-grouping of chronic inflammatory diseases of the lung. We focus equal efforts on translational studies in patient cohorts, and innovation & methodology development in the fields of proteomics, multivariate modeling and data integration. Candidates with an interest in Innovation are encouraged to pursue this avenue through our link to the business incubator Uppsala Innovation Center.  

Our translational systems medicine studies encompass profiling at multiple molecular levels (mRNA, miRNA, proteomes, metabolomes and lipid mediators) from multiple lung compartments (airway epithelium, alveolar macrophages, exosomes, and bronchoalveolar exudates) using a range of omics platforms, in combination with extensive clinical phenotyping. The strength of our approaches is the ability to integrate information from multiple molecular levels and anatomical locations both to improve the statistical power of detecting and defining molecularly distinct sub-groups in small patient cohorts, and to improve our understanding of disease mechanisms on a systems level.  

Read more at https://staff.ki.se/people/asa-wheelock or https://www.linkedin.com/in/asa-wheelock/

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: Cover Letter, Curriculum vitae including full publication list and short description of Research Visions & Experience (Max 2 pages) along with contact information of 3 references.

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

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