Postdoctor - Oral microbiota in human health & disease (scholarship)

Do you want to contribute to top quality medical research?
The Department of Dental Medicine at Campus Flemingsberg focuses on the education of dentists and dental hygienists.

In addition, we perform research, dental specialization training and provide patient care. Karolinska Institutet and the rest of Scandinavia have been world leaders in dentistry for decades.

Division

The Department of Dental Medicine works with research and education within dental medicine and medicine with clinical training sites for future dental surgeons. We offer a top international learning and research environment for researchers, students, technical and administrative personnel. In KI´s new ANA Futura laboratory we are creating a leading translational integrated research environment equipped for cutting-edge research, where the boundaries between departments and clinics are torn down and researchers collaborate on the basis of common research profiles.

Location
A postdoc scholarship position is available in the research group of Prof. Margaret Sällberg Chen  https://staff.ki.se/people/marche at the Division of Oral Diagnostics and Rehabilitation, Section for Oral Diagnostics and Surgery. The scholarship position is for 1 year with possibility for extension.

Duties
This postdoctoral research position is immediately available in the research group of Prof Margaret Sällberg Chen. It is suitable for a scientist with research background on microbiota and human health. The candidate will join a multidisciplinary team that investigates mechanistic pathways in prevention of chronic disorders and cancer The focus of this postdoctoral study will be oral microbes and host cell interactions in human health, including microbial functions and responses to novel drug treatments.

The team recently discovered that oral microbiota can translocate into pancreatic tumors (GUT 2019, Front Immunol 2020) and has isolated the microbiota with implications in pancreas carcinogenesis (Gut Microbes 2021, J Proteome Res 2021). The group is active in developing translational studies to support cancer patient diagnostic and cancer prevention strategies (J Hepatol. 2019, JCI Insight 2021, Leukemia 2021, EBioMedicine 2021, Immunity 2022, Blood 2022). The candidate will learn our novel research models and participate in collaborative studies with possibility to discover new diagnostic/therapeutic biomarkers. The work will be conducted in an innovative and friendly environment with focus on diagnostics and precision health.

The position is suitable for highly motivated researchers who are strong in molecular biology as well as microbiological methods. Good laboratory knowledge in culture of bacteria and/or fungi, human cells, and PCR related analysis is a must. Familiar with human sample processing and biobanking, RNA/DNA preparation for microbiome analysis. The studies require good organisational and analytical skills. Interest in assay standardisation and biostatistics is a plus.

Qualifications
To qualify the applicant must hold a doctoral degree or a foreign qualification equivalent to a doctorate. A PhD in life science, biomedicine or biomedical sciences within subjects of microbiology, molecular biology or equivalent is preferred. In additional to laboratory experiences, he or she should have good writing and presentation skills. Applicants must have excellent communication skills in English.

Entry requirements
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.

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
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)
- Motivation letter
- Name of two references

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

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