Doktorandplats (PhD) inom hivepidemiologi Part-time

PhD Position in HIV Epidemiology

Are you interested in contributing to better health for people living with HIV?

Being a PhD student means being accepted into a research-level education where you follow an individual study plan. A PhD student dedicates themselves to a research project under supervision, complemented by courses and other learning activities. A PhD requires four years of full-time education at the research level.

Research Group

The PhD student will join a research group led by Johanna Brännström, MD and Senior Physician in Infectious Diseases at the Infectious Diseases Clinic, Södersjukhuset, Stockholm, which is part of a larger research group led by Docent Christina Carlander, conducting multi-disciplinary research on HIV epidemiology and comorbidity and belonging to the Department of Medicine, Huddinge at Karolinska Institutet.

The research group works to improve health outcomes for people living with HIV. Through innovative use of Swedish national health registers and quality databases, the group studies various aspects of HIV care, combining traditional epidemiological methods with modern approaches such as machine learning and prospective biomarker studies. The goal is to develop practical clinical tools for individualized patient care. The group offers a stimulating scientific environment with opportunities for collaboration with leading researchers both nationally and internationally.

PhD Project and Duties

A significant proportion of people with HIV are diagnosed late, already with severe immunosuppression, resulting in increased morbidity and mortality. Although an increased risk of comorbidity in people with HIV is well known, the importance of untreated infection duration is still poorly understood, largely because CD4+ T-cell counts, the conventional measure of infection duration, exhibit large inter- and intra-individual variation. This project uses a novel approach by utilizing individual-based estimates of the timing of HIV infection, derived from biomarkers including CD4+ T-cell counts and viral genetic sequence data. By anchoring the follow-up to the estimated time of HIV transmission rather than diagnosis, and matching HIV-negative controls from the same time point, the project will capture the full duration of untreated and treated HIV exposure. This will enable a thorough assessment of whether individuals diagnosed early, before significant immunosuppression, differ meaningfully in their long-term trajectories of comorbidity compared to the HIV-negative population. Additional sub-studies will examine the effect of untreated infection duration on immunological recovery after treatment initiation, as well as time trends in HIV presentation and mortality over different time periods. The project will be conducted within COSMOHS (Cohort Study on Morbidity and HIV in Sweden), a longitudinal study linking Swedish national health and demographic registers. Under supervision, the PhD student will conduct literature reviews, contribute to study design and data analyses, and communicate results through scientific publications and conference presentations.

What do we offer?

A creative, international, and inspiring environment filled with competence and curiosity. Karolinska Institutet is one of the world's leading medical universities. Here we conduct successful medical research and have the largest range of medical education in Sweden. At KI, you will meet researchers from different research areas working together. It is the cross-border cooperation that contributes to KI's world-leading position in research. As a PhD student, you are offered an individual research project, a well-trained supervisor, a wide range of elective courses, and the opportunity to work in a successful research group. Karolinska Institutet has collaborations with leading universities around the world, providing opportunities for international exchanges. As an employed PhD student, you will receive a contractual salary, free training in our modern health care facilities, and compensation for medical care.

Eligibility Requirements for Research-Level Education

To participate in the selection for a PhD position, you must demonstrate both the basic (A) and the specific (B) eligibility requirements before the application period closes.

It is your responsibility as an applicant to demonstrate your eligibility by following the instructions on the webpage Eligibility for Research-Level Education.

A) Basic Eligibility Requirements

You meet the basic eligibility requirement for research-level education if you:

1. have completed an advanced level degree (master's or master's level degree), or
2. have completed course requirements of at least 240 university credits, of which at least 60 university credits are at an advanced level, or
3. have otherwise acquired essentially equivalent knowledge.

Follow the instructions on the webpage Eligibility for Research-Level Education.

*If you believe you have equivalent knowledge, follow the instructions on the webpage Assessment of Equivalent Knowledge for Basic Eligibility for Research-Level Education.

B) Specific Eligibility Requirements

You meet the specific eligibility requirement for research-level education if you:

– certify knowledge of English (equivalent to English B/English 6 at the upper secondary level with a passing grade).

Follow the instructions on the webpage English Language Requirements for Doctoral Education.

Verification of Documents Karolinska Institutet verifies documents to detect forgeries. Karolinska Institutet reserves the right to revoke admission decisions if forgeries or inaccuracies are detected. Submission of false documents is a criminal offense under Swedish law and is considered grounds for legal action.

Skills and Personal Qualities

• Applications are welcomed from students with a university education in medicine. A medical degree or equivalent is required to assess the clinical relevance of various comorbidities and their connection to HIV.
• Previous experience in epidemiological research, particularly in HIV or infectious disease epidemiology, is meritorious, as are skills in statistical software such as SAS, STATA, and/or R.
• Experience in mentoring or teaching university-level students is meritorious, as the PhD student will be involved in mentoring medical students conducting their theses.
• Scientific publications are meritorious, with particular emphasis on works where the candidate is the first author.
• Good written and oral proficiency in English is required.

We place great importance on personal qualities in this recruitment. You work independently and thrive in collaboration with others, have good communication skills, a professional attitude, and a genuine curiosity for scientific problem-solving.

Terms

The PhD position entails an employment as a PhD student for a maximum of 4 years full-time. The position is initially funded at 20% of full-time, with a planned increase over time, ensuring that the entire PhD project can be completed within a maximum of 8 years.

Application

You apply for the PhD position in the recruitment tool Varbi. Use the button at the top right and follow the instructions. We welcome applications in English, but it is also fine to apply in Swedish.

Your application should include these documents:

– A personal letter and curriculum vitae – Any thesis projects and publications – Other documents that strengthen the above-requested skills and qualities – Documents that support the basic eligibility requirement (see A above) – Documents that support the specific eligibility requirement (see B above)

Selection

Selection among eligible applicants is made with consideration of their ability to benefit from research education. A comprehensive assessment of the applicants' merits and suitability will be made.

The following assessment criteria are applied at Karolinska Institutet:

– Documented subject knowledge of significance for the research area – Analytical skill – Other documented knowledge/experiences that may be of significance for the current research education

All applicants will be informed when the recruitment is completed.

Links: Department of Medicine, Huddinge Christina Carlander's Research Group