Postdoc studies on drug discovery to target glioblastoma/astrocyte cross-talk (scholarship)

Our research team is seeking an ambitious postdoc with prior laboratory experience to work on an exciting drug discovery project in the glioblastoma tumor microenvironment field. The project is performed in collaboration with SciLifeLab and partners at AstraZeneca, UK.

The position will be placed in the group of Prof. Arne Östman at the department of Oncology-Pathology (Arne Östmans group ). The Östman group has long focused on understanding and exploiting tumor microenvironment features with regard to tumor growth, metastasis and response to treatment.

Östman group is part of the Department of Oncology-Pathology , Karolinska Institutet. This department is the only department at Karolinska Institutet specifically dedicated to cancer research. Approximately 300 people from over 40 nations are currently working at the department, performing basic, translational and clinical cancer research. The department is composed of 37 research groups, and have around 110 PhD students.

The candidate will perform a broad spectrum of studies, including in vitro validation of hit compounds identified following previous drug screening activities, mechanistic studies aimed at target validation, and target identification studies using innovative methods. Selected compounds will be analyzed in orthotopic mouse GBM models and candidate targets will be evaluated through analyses of patient-derived tissue.

Scholarships for postdoctoral qualification can be established for foreign researchers who place their qualifications 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.

The applicant shall have excellent communication skills (fluent in English, written and spoken) and be highly motivated to perform top-quality research in an international environment where English is the first language. Prior research experiences shall be documented as publications in peer-reviewed journals.

Working experience with cell culture, qPCR, Western Blot, drug potency assays, analysis of mouse tumor models, IHC/IF and image analysis are considered valuable qualifications.

Critical, scientific thinking are highly desired to enhance development of the project.

Excellent knowledge of common analysis software such as Excel and GraphPad is required.

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.

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)

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