About
Karolinska Institutet (KI), Huddinge, Sweden, the Department of Medicine at Huddinge comprises seven units, three research centres, and a total of around 70 independent research groups.
As an integral part of the Department, the Endocrinology unit is studying the role of human white adipose tissue in common cardiometabolic diseases.
The unit is headed by Professor Mikael Rydén and encompasses a fully equipped wet laboratory in the recently inaugurated NEO building and a clinical research centre at the adjacent Karolinska University Hospital at the Karolinska Institutet South Campus.
Funded Postdoctoral Position Description
We are looking for two ambitious post-doctoral fellows with solid training in cell and molecular biology to join our team of researchers in the European Research Council (ERC)-funded synergy project SPHERES.
This six-year-long project starts the 1st of April 2020 and involves two other groups (located in Toulouse and Nice, respectively) and has been awarded a total budget of 9.7 MEUR to study lipid storage capacity in white adipocytes and its causal role in metabolic disease. To achieve this ambitious goal, we will involve a plethora of the most advanced, beyond the state-of-the-art, techniques including novel approaches such as adipocyte spheroid cultures, gene editing, high-content imaging and proximity labelling studies.
Responsibilities
The research environment, which integrates several different research disciplines and involves experts in clinical medicine, cell and molecular biology as well as bioinformatics. The two postdocs will work on complementary and essential parts of the project as follows:
Position 1: Studies of adipocyte spheroids derived from individual donors.
We have set up human adipocyte spheroid cultures and characterized them in detail. This allows us for the first time to study unilocular lipid droplets in vitro both longitudinally and inter-individually.
This cell culture system will form the basis for mechanistic studies of lipid storage. The applicant will focus his/her work on advanced mechanistic/metabolic studies in this as well as other model systems.
We are therefore looking for a person with solid training in cell biology and cell culture systems and preferably with a background from the field of diabetes and/or lipid metabolism.
Experience from adipocyte work and/or cellular fractionation is welcome, but not a formal requirement.
Position 2: Gene editing in human adipocyte cell culture systems
We have set up different approaches of gene editing in human adipocytes mediated by CRISPR/Cas9 engineering.
This allows us for the first time not only to delete but also to endogenously tag different proteins.
This is a prerequisite for studies of protein interactomes and high-content imaging. The applicant is required to have solid training in cell and molecular biology as well as imaging. Background from the field of diabetes and/or lipid metabolism is welcome, but not a formal requirement.
Entry requirements
The candidates must hold a PhD equivalent to a Swedish doctoral degree in life sciences preferably in the broad fields of cell and molecular biology.
The candidates must have a solid wet laboratory experience and master standard techniques used in everyday research practice.
The candidate must be driven, ambitious, self-motivated, have excellent communications skills and a proven ability to interact effectively and work productively in an interdisciplinary team. Fluency in English is a requirement.
Highlights Funded Postdoctoral Position
QUALIFICATION: PhD
JOB TYPE:Postdoctoral
DISCIPLINE: Life Science
HOURS: Full Time
DURATION: Fixed Term
LOCATION: Flemingsberg
How to Apply
An application must contain the following documents in English:
- A personal letter explaining the interest in the position
- A complete curriculum vitae, including date of the thesis defence, title of the thesis, list of publications, previous academic positions, academic title, current position, academic distinctions, and committee work.
- Contact details for two referees
- A summary of current work (no more than one page)
The application is to be submitted through the Varbi recruitment system.
