Assistant Professor in Geriatric Mental Health Full-time

Assistant Professor in Geriatric Mental Health

The Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society (NVS) conducts world leading research in aging, dementia, epidemiology and care sciences. This research extends from basic molecular and cell levels to clinical research and societal studies. NVS educates almost a third of KI students at basic and advanced levels. The Department has approximately 540 employees and a revenue 2025 of 580 million SEK. It comprises seven divisions, located at Campus Flemingsberg and Campus Solna.

Aging Research Center (ARC), a division within NVS, is located at KI Campus Solna, Stockholm. It is a multidisciplinary academic environment, representing medicine (e.g., neurology, epidemiology, psychiatry, geriatrics), psychology (e.g., cognition, structural, functional, and molecular brain imaging), and social gerontology (e.g., sociology, public health, social epidemiology, social work). The center has around 60 employees, it has a strong focus on research with unique research resources, such as large-scale longitudinal studies and nationwide registries.

Do you want to contribute to better health for all?

Your mission

We are seeking a highly motivated candidate with a strong interest in investigating the clinical and biological aspects of depression in later life. The position will focus on the clinical course and presentation of late-life depression, its interplay with somatic health and age-related syndromes, and its relationship with biological aging. As an assistant professor (100%) at ARC, you will develop and conduct independent research across various projects, with a particular focus on:

1. Advancing our understanding of the natural history of late-life depression in a population-based setting, including chronicity, recurrence and remission, with focus on how aging processes influence the clinical course.
2. Examining the interplay between depression, somatic conditions, and complex aging syndromes (e.g., dementia, multimorbidity, frailty), with a focus on symptom burden, patterns of co-occurrence, and the clinical outcomes resulting from these interactions.
3. Investigating the relationship between depression in late life and biological aging, with a focus on inflammatory, metabolic, vascular, and neurodegenerative processes and related biomarkers.

The candidate will be expected to develop an independent research profile within these areas and actively contribute to the broader research environment at ARC. Responsibilities will include applying for and leading national and international grants, overseeing research activities, supervising doctoral students, and teaching at undergraduate and graduate levels.

They will also be involved in data collection, including the assessment of depressive and other psychiatric symptoms among participants enrolled in the Swedish National study on Aging and Care (SNAC)-Kungsholmen (SNAC-K), which is based at ARC, as well as the collaboration with the other regional sites of the SNAC study.

The employment as Assistant Professor is time limited for 6 years with the right to apply for promotion to Senior Lecturer.

Eligibility requirements

Those eligible for employment as an Assistant Professor are individuals who have been awarded a PhD or attained equivalent research competence. Preference should be given to those who were awarded a PhD or attained equivalent research competence no more than seven years prior to the expiry of the application period for the position as assistant professor.

Those who have been awarded a PhD or attained equivalent research competence earlier may however be considered if special grounds exist.

Special grounds refer to:

• parental leave,
• positions of trust in trade union organizations
• mandatory service in the total defense forces
• long-term illness

Ground, dates and extent must be clearly specified in the application and verified with relevant documentation.

Appointment to the position of assistant professor requires good scientific skills and good pedagogical skills. See the instructions regarding the Appointment Procedure for Teachers at Karolinska Institutet.

It is a requirement that you have completed three weeks of courses on teaching in higher education, or have gained equivalent competence, as indicated in the recommendations of the Association of Swedish Higher Education Institution. If you lack such education at the time of employment, you must undergo such education during the first two years of employment

Bases of assessment

For employment as Assistant Professor at Karolinska Institutet, the eligibility requirements and assessment criteria stated in the Instructions regarding the Appointment Procedure are applied in relation to established profile of employment.

See the instructions regarding the Appointment Procedure for Teachers at Karolinska Institutet.

It is further meritorious that you have demonstrated:

• Hold an MD degree with specialization and documented clinical experience in geriatrics or psychiatry;
• Have a PhD in epidemiology with a focus on aging research;
• Research experience in mental health;
• Demonstrate experience in conducting independent research, including leading scientific studies and securing research grants in the field of aging;
• Possess strong analytical skills and proficiency in advanced statistical methods, particularly in the context of population-based cohort studies;
• Exhibit excellent communication skills and interact effectively and productively (e.g., in the form of documented international collaboration) with other researchers;
• Have previous teaching experience;
• Demonstrate excellent proficiency in oral and written English communication.

Scientific expertise will be a primary consideration during the evaluation of applicants.

What do we offer?

A creative, international and inspiring environment with wide-ranging expertise and interests. Karolinska Institutet (KI) is one of the world's leading medical universities. Here, we conduct successful medical research and hold the largest range of medical 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. Karolinska Institutet is also a state university, which entitles you to several good benefits through our collective agreement.

Location: Solna