Research assistant

Division
MTC is offering a research assitant position in the field of Bioinformatics to work in the group of Dr.

Vicente Pelechano. The group combines experimental and computational approaches to develop and apply novel genome-wide techniques to investigate eukaryotic transcription and gene expression (Pelechano et al.Nature 2013, Chabbert et al. Mol. Syst. Biol. 2015, Pelechano et al. Cell 2015).

We are especially interested in understanding the regulatory mechanisms leading to the appearance of divergent gene expression programs in clonal cell population (http://pelechanolab.com/). Different cells in a population can present varying responses to the same stimulus. In some cases these differences are attributable to genetic mutations, such as the appearance of drug-resistant cells in bacterial and cancer populations. However, in other cases identical (clonal) cells can also display phenotypically heterogeneous responses. This non-genetic heterogeneity has a poorly understood origin but a significant impact on biology and human health. We combine the development of state-of-the art genome-wide approaches with the molecular dissection of fundamental biological problems.

Our lab is located in the newly established Science for Life Laboratory (SciLifeLab, http://www.scilifelab.se/) in the Karolinska Institute campus. SciLifeLab is equiped with state-of-the-art instrumentation and core facilities, and is home to the second largest sequencing cluster in Europe. SciLifeLab Stockholm is a joint effort between Karolinska Institute, the Swedish Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) and Stockholm University, and hosts research groups with diverse backgrounds and expertise, including basic biology, drug discovery, genomics, bioengineering, and translational medicine.

Duties
The available research assistant position concerns contributing to the development of computational approaches to study ribosome dynamics and RNA metabolism. The candidate will focus on the computational analysis of newly developed methods to study ribosome dynamics, mRNA degradation and tRNA processing (e.g. Pelechano et al. Cell 2015). The candidate will work together with PhD students and postdoctoral researchers in the lab and is expected to contribute his/her own ideas to the common goal of understanding how RNA biology and post-transcriptional regulation contributes to the appearance of differences across clonal populations of cells. The candidate will perform original research in genomics and computational biology, and acquire the required experimental and computational skills necessary for the completion of the project. The candidate will contribute to the implementation of analytical pipelines and integrate different kinds of genomic data to answer biologically relevant questions. The successful candidate will show scientific initiative and collaborate with other team members. The candidate is expected to communicate the scientific results by writing up scientific papers and attending scientific meetings. The ideal candidate is also expected to participate in the general duties of the team and to effectively communicate with scientists of very diverse backgrounds in a highly interdisciplinary and international environment.

Entry requirements
The successful applicant should be a positive, flexible person with good communication skills and abilities to collaborate and work in a highly dynamic international research team. The candidate needs to be able to work both in a team as well as independently. The successful applicant should have experience interpreting biological data and computationally testing their hypothesis. The successful candidate is expected to have good knowledge of molecular biology (e.g. Master level). The candidate should be proficient in NGS data analysis, Python and UNIX/Linux. Experience in other scripting languages (e.g. R, Perl) will be beneficial. Preferred experience also includes familiarity with eukaryotic translation, RNA biology, ribosome profiling analysis, CLIP or CRAC methods, RNA-Seq, and general molecular biology techniques. A strong interest in interdisciplinary technology development, and novel and creative thinking abilities are essential. Applicants wishing to integrate computational and experimental biology approaches are also encouraged to apply.

Application process
The application is to be submitted in Varbi recruitment system.

An employment application must contain the following documents in English:

- Cover letter motivating the application
- A complete curriculum vitae, previous academic or industrial positions, academic title, current position, academic distinctions, and committee work. Please include email details of potential referees.
- A complete list of publications
- A summary of current work (no more than one page)
- Verifications for crediting of illness, military service, work for labour unions or student organisations, parental leave or similar circumstances
At Karolinska Institutet a 6-month trial period is required for all permanent appointments.

Karolinska Institutet is one of the world’s leading medical universities. Its vision is to significantly contribute to the improvement of human health. Karolinska Institutet accounts for the single largest share of all academic medical research conducted in Sweden and offers the country’s broadest range of education in medicine and health sciences. The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet selects the Nobel laureates in Physiology or Medicine.
Pursuant to the regulations of the Swedish National Archives, applications are kept on file for two years after the appointment has gained legal force. The regulations do not apply to attachments that have been printed or otherwise published.
Karolinska Institutet strives to provide a workplace that has approximately the same number of women and men, is free of discrimination and offers equal opportunity to everyone.
For temp agencies and recruiters, and to salespersons: We politely, yet firmly, decline direct contact with temp agencies and recruiters, as well as those selling additional job announcements.