Postdoctoral studies in cardiometabolic vascular disease (scholarship)

Do you want to contribute to top quality medical research?

We are seeking a highly motivated and ambitious individual to join the research group (Division of Cardiology) of Associate Professor Zhichao Zhou as a Postdoctoral Fellow to investigate novel disease mechanisms underlying diabetes-associated cardiovascular complications and identify new therapeutic targets and reliable biomarkers to prevent cardiovascular dysfunction and predict cardiovascular events.

We are located in a modern research hub called BioClinicum at Karolinska Institutet in Solna where you will be working in an international and interdisciplinary research environment. Together with other research groups, the Cardiovascular Theme offers state-of-the art cell culture, molecular biology, functional analysis and microscopy facilities.

Division

The Division of Cardiology conducts basic, translational, and clinical research across a broad spectrum of cardiovascular disease, including heart failure, atherosclerosis, arrhythmias, valvular disorders, cardiometabolic vascular complications, and cardiovascular epidemiology.

Duties

The vascular complication in cardiometabolic disease research group led by Associate Professor Zhichao Zhou at Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Solna has a postdoc position in cardiovascular research open for a highly motivated scientist. The project is focused on problems related to type 2 diabetes-associated vascular complications. The aim of this project is to characterize the function of red blood cell-derived non-coding RNAs in the development of vascular dysfunction in type 2 diabetes. Studies are designed using a combination of clinically-based and molecular mechanistic investigations. Materials from well-characterized patients with type 2 diabetes, rodent diabetic models, gene-modified mouse models and cell models are used. Research projects involve in vitro (including isolation of red blood cells, extracellular vesicles and animal tissues, cell culture, immunohistochemistry, Western blot and qPCR), ex vivo (vessel reactivity assessment with Wire myograph) and in vivo experimental methods (including rat and mouse work).

Entry requirements

Applicants should have:

• A strong research background in experimental and/or translational cardiovascular research documented by publications of studies related to cardiovascular disease and vascular biology.
• The applicant should have experience from studies of isolated arteries and/or animal work.
• Experience from laboratory methods including Western blotting, immunohistochemistry, and cell cultures is expected.

Meritious:

• Previous experience (documented experience) with non-coding RNA study.

We welcome a creative, hardworking, and enthusiastic team-player to our dynamic research group. The candidate is expected to take part in experimental design, experimentation, presentation, and preparation of publications. The candidate should have good social and communication skills as well as good spoken and written English language level, to effectively integrate in the research group.

Postdoctoral scholarships may be established for foreign researchers who pursue their merit in Sweden. A foreign researcher is a person living in another country who comes to Sweden with the intention of only staying in Sweden for all or part of their postdoctoral education at KI. Persons who are resident in Sweden and/or have carried out all or part of their academic education at KI or some other educational institution in Sweden cannot be considered for scholarships. 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.

What do we offer?

A creative and inspiring environment with wide-ranging expertise and interests. Karolinska Institutet is one of the world's leading medical universities. Here, we conduct innovative medical research and provide the largest range of biomedical 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. Students and employees have free access to our modern gym facilities with trained staff on site.

Location

The position is located within the Department of Medicine, Solna. The department consists of ten divisions and each division consists of several research groups. The position is located within the research group Vascular complications in cardiometabolic disease.

Type of scholarship

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.

Application process

AnapplicationmustcontainthefollowingdocumentsinEnglishorSwedish:

• 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)
• Additional applications documents

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

Want to make a difference? Join us and contribute to better health for all

Anställningsform: postdoktoralt stipendium | Anställningens omfattning: heltid | Antal lediga befattningar: 1 | Sysselsättningsgrad: 100 | Ort: Stockholm | Län: Stockholms län | Land: Sweden | Referensnummer: STÖD 2-3796/2026 | Kontakt: Zhichao Zhou , | Facklig företrädare: Louisa Cheung, SACO , Farzad Hedayaty, SACO-s , Maria Eldh, OFR/ST , | Publicerat: 2026-09-16 | Sista ansökningsdag: 2026-10-14