Doctoral Student at the Research Unit of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine

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We are now looking for a highly motivated Doctoral Student to join the research group of Associate Professor Eija Pirinen in a project aiming to understand mitochondrial dysfunction in obesity and develop novel mitochondria activating therapy options.

Description

Applications are invited for a full-time fixed-term doctoral student position in the research group of Eija Pirinen, at the Research Unit of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine. The research of the Pirinen lab aims to understand mechanisms behind mitochondrial dysfunction in obesity and to develop novel treatment options to boost mitochondrial function and promote weight loss success in obesity. Open position is part of the project that uses the Pirinen lab recentlyestablished 3D cell culture model of human adipocytes to study mitochondrial metabolism in obesity and after different types of weight loss interventions and to screen mitochondria activating compounds. Both patient derived material (tissues, blood, and cells) and commercial preadipocytes are used in these studies. The position is a full-time fixed-term position with the current funding available for a period of four years.

The research project is carried out under Fibrobesity programme funded by the Academy of Finland, targeting obesity-related fibrotic pathologies.

Qualification requirements
The successful candidate for the doctoral student position must possess a Master´s degree in the field of life sciences such as molecular biology, biochemistry, biotechnology, or related fields. Prior experience in mitochondrial metabolism and cell culture experiments is considered a surplus. The selected candidate should be able to work independently as well as in a group with a drive to excel in research. Fluency in both written and spoken English is required. Most importantly, we expect the candidate to have a high motivation to conduct high-level obesity and mitochondrial metabolism related research.

What we offer
We offer a research environment with excellent technological facilities and a motivating and supporting international community at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Oulu. We can also offer access to state-of-the-art methods and facilities located at Oulu, Finland as well as across Europe for doing cutting edge research in obesity and mitochondrial metabolism. We offer you a place in a highly talented research group, working to solve globally significant research problems. University´s wide variety of support services are at your disposal, allowing you to focus on research work. The position is fixed-term for 4 years starting at the earliest from 01.01.2022. A trial period of 6 months is applied in the position.

Salary
The salary will be based on the demand levels 2 – 4 of the salary system of Finnish Universities for teaching and research personnel. In addition, a salary component based on personal work performance will be paid (maximum of 50 % of the job-specific component). Typical starting gross salary will be approx. 2,400 – 2,500 € per month, depending on qualifications.

How to apply

Applications, together with all relevant enclosures, should be submitted using the electronic application form by December 31, 2021 (23:59 Finnish local time). The application should be written in English and include the following:
1) A motivation letter (max. 2 pages) summarizing applicant’s educational background, professional experience and expertise and describing why applicant is interested in this position. Also, information on personal research interests, experience and career plans are valuable to provide here.
2) A complete Curriculum vitae (max. 4 pages) in accordance with the guidelines of the Finnish Advisory Board on Research Integrity http://www.tenk.fi/en/template-researchers-curriculum-vitae including a list of publications (if available) and contact information of at least two referees who may be asked to give a statement on the candidate.
3) Certificates/Diplomas: Scanned copy of the original doctoral degree certificate and transcript of records and, when necessary, official translations to Finnish or English.

Only applications containing all relevant appendices and submitted through the online recruitment system will be considered. Top candidates will be invited to an on-site or remote interview. All applicants will be notified when the selection process is completed.

Further information
For further information, informal enquires can be sent to Eija Pirinen by E-mail eija.pirinen@helsinki.fi with a subject line “Regarding doctoral student position”.

Edited: application period has been extended.