Postdoctoral Researcher in human tissue immunology

We are recruiting a highly motivated and skilled postdoctoral researcher who has a specific interest in the role of cytotoxic lymphocytes, in particular NK cells, in the human lung during homeostasis and in respiratory diseases such as respiratory viral infections and lung cancer. Our Team has a long-standing interest in NK cells in the lung, and we are offering an international research environment, cutting-edge technologies, and unique collaborative projects with other researchers and clinicians.

Together with us, you will be pioneering in the emerging field of human tissue-resident NK cells. Within our ongoing projects, you will be responsible for mapping distinct NK cell subsets in the healthy human lung as well as identify key factors affecting lung and blood NK cell phenotype and function in influenza, COVID-19, and lung cancer. A particular long-term interest of the group is to understand how cytotoxic lymphocytes behave in tissues and how they can be harnessed for cellular immunotherapy in pathological conditions. The work includes several close collaborations with other research groups, but you will also work on individual projects that you will be responsible for to push forward.

The position is in the Team of Dr Nicole Marquardt  (Senior Research Specialist) at the Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine (HERM)  at the Department of Medicine, Huddinge. HERM is highly interactive and international and consists of approximately 90 research fellows and is a nationally leading and internationally competitive environment for studies of the human immune system in the context of malignancy and infectious diseases. HERM offers state-of-the art cell culture, flow cytometry, molecular biology, and imaging facilities.

You have a PhD in the field of immunology and have a great interest in immunology in tissues, and you are dedicated and independent, with strong communication skills. The applicant must be familiar with relevant laboratory techniques, in particular high-parameter flow cytometry, cell sorting, tissue dissection and cell isolation, cell culture, and NK cell-relevant in vitro assays. An interest in molecular biology techniques such as RNA isolation and RNA-sequencing as well as gene expression data analysis is of advantage. The applicant must be willing to work in a BSL3 environment, previous related work experience is a merit. Fluency in English (written and verbal) is required.

Sound scientific and technical proficiency are highly important. Additionally, the applicant should have strong presentation skills and be able to summarize and present own scientific projects to national and international audiences, e.g. at seminars or conferences. Previous first-authorships on scientific publications in the field of NK cells and/or tissue immunology is a merit, and experience in working with human immune cells from peripheral blood and/or human tissues is highly valued.

To be eligible for employment as a postdoctor a doctoral degree or a foreign degree deemed to be equivalent to a doctoral degree is required. This eligibility requirement must be fulfilled at the latest at the time of the employment decision. It is considered as an advantage if you have completed your doctoral degree within the last three years, if there are special reasons, your degree may have been completed earlier.

A creative and inspiring environment with wide-ranging expertise and interests. Karolinska Institutet is one of the world's leading medical universities. At Karolinska Institutet, we conduct successful medical research and hold the largest range of medical 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. Karolinska Institutet is also a state university, which entitles you to several benefits through our collective agreement.

Location: Flemingsberg

The Team of Nicole Marquardt

The Department of Medicine Huddinge 

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

• A complete resumé, 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 summary of current work (no more than one page)

Welcome to apply at the latest 2023-10-10.

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