Doctoral (PhD) student position in spatial proteomics of mitochondrial disease

Solna, Sweden

No Swedish requiredPosted yesterday

You apply off-site, with the employer or the job board. I never handle applications.

Do you want to contribute to top quality medical research?

To be a doctoral student means to devote oneself to a research project under supervision of experienced researchers and following an individual study plan. For a doctoral degree, the equivalent of four years of full-time doctoral education is required.

The research group

You will join the group “Proteomes of Metabolism”, led by Assistant Professor Florian Rosenberger, within the Division of Molecular Metabolism at MBB. The group develops and applies cutting-edge single-cell proteomics technologies, including Deep Visual Proteomics, to answer a fundamental question: why do metabolic diseases, especially mitochondrial defects, affect different cell types in different ways?

The group is a multidisciplinary team including postdocs, fellow students, a staff scientist and clinician scientist. We are part of the Division of Molecular Metabolism, five research groups working on metabolism and mitochondrial biology, with weekly division seminars and journal clubs. The group is also part of SciLifeLab, providing access to a technology environment close to translation into the clinic, biotech and industry. Co-supervision is provided by Associate Professor Charlotte Stadler, Head of the National Spatial Proteomics Facility at SciLifeLab, who contributes long-standing expertise in antibody-based and multiplexed imaging, and by Professor Nils-Göran Larsson (MBB), internationally leading in mitochondrial genetics, who provides the established mouse models of mitochondrial disease.

The Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics (MBB) is one of the largest departments at Karolinska Institutet, focused on basic research in biomedical sciences. We have a long and proud history of ground-breaking science, particularly developing innovative methods and applying them to understand fundamental human biology and the mechanisms that cause disease.

MBB is located in the beautiful Biomedicum research centre, along with four other departments. You will join a vibrant community of over a thousand researchers, with outstanding facilities and a wide range of talents. Biomedicum is situated close to both the Karolinska University Hospital (for clinical collaborations) and the Science for Life Laboratory, a national research infrastructure of unique technologies.

The doctoral student project and the duties of the doctoral student

Mitochondrial diseases present a paradox, where identical mutations cause very different clinical phenotypes. The origin of this clinical heterogeneity remains unresolved, because current methods cannot follow cellular dysfunction as it unfolds within intact tissue. The doctoral student will harness spatial single-cell proteomics together with an established mouse model of mitochondrial disease in which genetically identical cells differ in their degree of mitochondrial dysfunction. Combining Deep Visual Proteomics (high-content imaging, AI-guided segmentation, laser microdissection and ultra-sensitive mass spectrometry) with multiplexed imaging of OXPHOS complexes, the student will (1) build an OXPHOS-stratified, multi-modal atlas of the mouse model, and (2) resolve how subcellular organisation changes along a disease trajectory, using deep-learning image analysis.

The doctoral student will take a leading role across both parts of the project with graduated independence, moving from method development and validation in the first years towards independent application and integration of the full pipeline. Duties include wet-lab work such as histology and multiplexed staining, imaging, image analysis and bioinformatic data analysis, computational method development, manuscript preparation, and participation in doctoral courses, journal clubs and conferences. The candidate will be part of a highly collaborative and international environment, with close interaction between experimental and computational work. The working language is English.

What do we offer?

A creative and inspiring environment full of expertise and curiosity. Karolinska Institutet is one of the world's leading medical universities. Our vision is to pursue the development of knowledge about life and to promote a better health for all. At Karolinska Institutet, we conduct successful medical research and hold the largest range of medical education in Sweden. As a doctoral student you are offered an individual research project, a well-educated supervisor, a vast range of elective courses and the opportunity to work in a leading research group. Karolinska Institutet collaborates with prominent universities from all around the world, which ensures opportunities for international exchanges. You will be employed on a doctoral studentship which means that you receive a contractual salary. Employees also have access to our modern gym for free and receive reimbursements for medical care.

Eligibility requirements for doctoral education

In order to participate in the selection for a doctoral position, you must meet the following general (A) and specific (B) eligibility requirements at latest by the application deadline.

It is your responsibility to certify eligibility by following the instructions on the web page Entry requirements (eligibility) for doctoral education.

A) General eligibility requirement

You meet the general eligibility requirement for doctoral/third-cycle/PhD education if you:

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

Follow the instructions on the web page Entry requirements (eligibility) for doctoral education.

If you claim equivalent knowledge, follow the instructions on the web page Assessing equivalent knowledge for general eligibility for doctoral education.

B) Specific eligibility requirement

You meet the specific eligibility requirement for doctoral/third-cycle/PhD education if you:

Show proficiency in English equivalent to the course English B/English 6 at Swedish upper secondary school.

Follow the instructions on the web page English language requirements for doctoral education.

Verification of your documents Karolinska Institutet checks the authenticity of your documents. Karolinska Institutet reserves the right to revoke admission if supporting documents are discovered to be fraudulent. Submission of false documents is a violation of Swedish law and is considered grounds for legal action.

(A) and (B) can only be certified by the documentation requirement for doctoral education.

Skills and personal qualities

Necessary qualifications:

A master's degree in Molecular Biology, Biotechnology, Bioinformatics, or a related field.
Wet-lab skills in molecular biology methods.
Experience with histology and (immuno)staining.
Background in bioinformatics and/or image analysis.
Programming skills in Python.
Documented experience with version-controlled, organised code development (e.g. GitHub); please include a link to a repository you contributed to.
Experience in interpreting biological data and testing hypotheses experimentally.
Strong motivation for interdisciplinary technology development and creative problem solving.
Good interpersonal skills and ability to work in a team.

Desirable qualifications:

Machine learning, in particular deep learning for image analysis.
Experience with mass spectrometry-based proteomics, proteomics data analysis, or Deep Visual Proteomics.
Background in mouse genetics or work with mouse models.
Knowledge of mitochondrial biology or metabolic diseases.
Documented experience of collaborative work, such as co-authored publications, shared code projects, or contributions to team-based research.

Great emphasis will be placed on personal suitability. We are looking for a motivated, creative and curious colleague with a strong interest in interdisciplinary research, who can work independently while contributing positively to a collaborative team culture.

Terms and conditions

The doctoral student will be employed on a doctoral studentship maximum 4 years full-time.

Application process

Submit your application and supporting documents through the Varbi recruitment system. Use the button in the top right corner and follow the instructions. We prefer that your application is written in English, but you can also apply in Swedish.

Your application must contain the following documents:

A personal letter and a curriculum vitae
Degree projects and previous publications, if any
Any other documentation showing the desirable skills and personal qualities described above
Documents certifying your general eligibility (see A above)
Documents certifying your specific eligibility (see B above)
A link to a code repository you contributed to (e.g. GitHub)
A 300-word assignment task (see below):

Assignment task

Applicants are required to submit a maximum 300 word reply, including one figure or sketch of their own design, to the following task:

Choose a research paper relevant to metabolism, mitochondrial biology, proteomics, and/or imaging. In your own words, describe what was done and what the main finding was. Explain why you picked this paper and what you find exciting about it.

Then propose one concrete follow-up experiment that would build on this finding. What would you measure, and what result would support the paper's conclusion versus challenge it? Your simple figure sketch should illustrate this proposed experiment, not reproduce a figure from the paper itself.

Note: It is important that your own language and reasoning, and not an LLM's, shine through. This is best achieved through the figure you will create on your own.

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.

Karolinska Institutet 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.

All applicants will be informed when the recruitment is completed.

KI applies a salary scale when setting salaries for doctoral students.

For more information about the research group and Department, please visit:

The Rosenberger research group: https://ki.se/en/research/research-areas-centres-and-networks/research-groups/proteomes-of-metabolism-florian-rosenbergers-research-group
The Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics: https://ki.se/en/mbb/research

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