Karolinska Institutet, Department of Women's and Children's Health

The Department is organized in 10 divisions: Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pediatrics, Pediatric Endocrinology, Pediatric Surgery, Neuropediatrics, Pediatric Oncology, Neonatology, Reproductive Endocrinology, Neuropsychiatry (KIND), Reproductive and Perinatal Health. The divisions have separate scientific profiles and vary in size and have several research groups, dealing with both basic and clinical science.

We are recruiting a doctoral (PhD) student. For more information regarding doctoral education at Karolinska Institutet (KI), see:
http://ki.se/en/phd/about-doctoral-education-at-ki

Research group
The research group is in the division of Pediatric Endocrinology. The group focuses on pediatric growth disorders, bone growth and chondrocyte physiology. We aim to reveal mechanisms of bone impairment and osteoporosis, its intrinsic and hormonal regulations. The research is translational, aiming for potential clinical applications. It involves animal experiments including genetically modified mice, tissue- and cell culture and common molecular techniques.

The doctoral education project and the duties of the student
We are looking for a highly motivated person with interest in pediatric endocrinology. The PhD student will study new treatment strategies to prevent bone growth impairment and osteoporosis in childhood cancer survivors. Prof. Lars Sävendahl will act as the principal supervisor and as co-supervisors Dr. Farasat Zaman, Prof. Claes Ohlsson, and Prof Per Kogner. This PhD project is supported by a KID grant from Karolinska Institutet.

Area of responsibilities:
1. Animal experiments including genetically-modified mice
2. Cell- and bone organ cultures
3. Techniques for cellular and molecular biology

The successful candidate is expected to play a critical role in formulating scientific research hypotheses, testing hypotheses using proper study design, analyzing data, presenting and interpreting results, and writing scientific reports and articles in English.

Entry requirements for doctoral education at KI
In order to participate in the selection for a doctoral position at Karolinska Institutet, the following requirements have to be met:

General entry requirements

A person meets the general entry requirements for doctoral/third-cycle/PhD education (according to

Higher Education Ordinance Chapt 7, section 39) if he/she:

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

Specific entry requirements
Proficiency in English equivalent to the course English B/English 6 at Swedish upper secondary school is an entry requirement for doctoral education at KI. Applicants who meet the general entry requirements (1 or 2 above) from a university in one of the Nordic countries has met the requirements in English.

Follow the link below for information on how other applicants can certify their English proficiency (such as through IELTS or TOEFL, previous upper secondary or university level studies).

For more information regarding general and specific entry requirements, please see: http://ki.se/en/phd/entry-requirements-eligibility-for-doctoral-education

Skills and personal qualities
The applicant should be self-motivated, have good analytical competence, and a high capacity to work productively in a team. Documented fluency in English is a requirement. As the project is truly translational, having an MD degree is desired. Furthermore, previous research experience of handling animals, X-ray analysis, apoptosis assays, bone organ culture, growth plate analysis, chondrocyte cell culture or MSC culture is a plus.

Terms and conditions
The doctoral student will be employed on a doctoral studentship (Sw: doktorandanställning) during the 4 years doctoral education.

Application process
The application and supporting documents are to be submitted through the Varbi recruitment system.

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

  • A personal letter and a curriculum vitae
  • Documents certifying the entry requirements*: Academic degree diplomas, transcripts of records, and if applicable, authorised translations
  • Copies of degree projects and any previous publications
  • Proof of English proficiency
  • Any other documentation showing the desirable skills and personal qualities described above

*All documents certifying the entry requirements must be scans of originals (scans of copies or certified copies will not be accepted). The scanned documents must be in color and both the front and the back of the documents must be scanned. Please note that there are specific documentation requirements for a number countries, please read the instructions at: http://ki.se/en/phd/entry-requirements-eligibility-for-doctoral-education

If an applicant claims equivalent konwledge (point 3 under general entry requirements above) for the eligibility assessment, a form has to be filled in and submitted. Please find more information here: https://ki.se/en/phd/assessing-equivalent-knowledge-for-general-eligibility-for-doctoral-education

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.

The selection process will include several steps. The most suitable applicants will proceed to the next step which includes personal interviews. All applicants will be informed when the recruitment is done.

Type of employment PhD placement
Contract type Full time
Reference number 2-7547/2018
Contact
  • Professor Lars Sävendahl, 070-5635120
Union representative
  • Carina Eklund, OFR, 08-585 826 65, carina.eklund@ki.se
  • Henry Wölling, SEKO, henry.wolling@ki.se
  • John Inge Johnsen , SACO, +46 8 51777 784, john.inge.johnsen@ki.se
Published 08.Jan.2019
Last application date 28.Jan.2019 11:59 PM CET

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