Postdoctoral Researcher in Human Organoids and Viral Infection Biology Full-time

Postdoctoral Researcher in Human Organoids and Viral Infection Biology

The Systems Virology Lab at Karolinska Institutet sits at the forefront of understanding how viruses interact with the human host at a systems level. Integrating cutting-edge single cell multi-omics approaches, with advanced experimental models such as human organoids, the lab deciphers the molecular and cellular mechanisms that govern viral pathogenesis, immune evasion, and disease progression. Our research spans a broad spectrum of clinically relevant viruses, with a particular focus on retroviruses (e.g. HIV, HTLV), arboviruses (e.g. Dengue, Zika), interrogating how host–virus dynamics shape outcomes across tissues. By combining computational systems biology with rigorous experimental virology, we translate complex biological data into mechanistic insights with direct relevance to therapeutic and diagnostic innovation. Based at one of the world's leading medical universities, the lab fosters an international, collaborative, and intellectually ambitious environment where early-career scientists are empowered to develop as independent researchers and contribute to science that matters. The present project is nested in EU Horizon project COMBAT and other projects supported by the Swedish Research Council.

Your Mission

As a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Systems Virology Lab, your mission is to push the boundaries of viral pathogenesis research using state-of-the-art human organoid models. You will take full ownership of generating, maintaining, and differentiating brain, gut, and placental organoids, optimizing robust protocols that serve as the experimental backbone of the lab's research programme.

Your Profile

To be eligible for employment as a postdoctoral researcher, a PhD or a foreign degree deemed to be equivalent to a Swedish PhD is required. This eligibility requirement must be fulfilled at the latest at the time of the employment decision. Completion of your doctoral degree within the last three years is considered an advantage. If there are special reasons, your degree may have been completed earlier.

The ideal candidate for this postdoctoral position holds a PhD in virology, cell biology, developmental biology, neuroscience, or a closely related biomedical field, with a strong hands-on background in 3D cell culture systems such as organoids or spheroids. Direct experience generating, maintaining, and differentiating at least one of the target organoid types, brain, gut, or placental, is essential, ideally coupled with familiarity with iPSC culture and differentiation protocols.

Technically, the candidate should be proficient in confocal and fluorescence microscopy, standard molecular biology techniques, immunofluorescence on 3D tissue sections; experience with single-cell RNA sequencing or CRISPR would further strengthen the application.

Beyond technical skills, the role calls for someone who is deeply autonomous, ownership-driven, and capable of optimizing and troubleshooting complex protocols with minimal supervision, as the organoid systems will serve as the experimental backbone of the entire research programme. The ability to train junior lab members, contribute to scientific writing, and collaborate effectively within a multidisciplinary team is equally important. The strongest candidates will likely be those who completed their PhD on brain or gut organoid models with some exposure to infection biology, or established virologists who have worked extensively with complex 3D tissue models, supported by a publication record reflecting expertise in one or both of these areas.

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. At Karolinska Institutet, 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 benefits through our collective agreement.

The Systems Virology lab offers a uniquely interdisciplinary training environment where a postdoc can develop a hybrid scientific identity that spans wet lab experimentation and data-driven, quantitative reasoning. The lab integrates large-scale approaches such as transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and network biology and to understand how viruses rewire host cell systems at a global level. This means the PostDoc will gain exposure to cutting-edge multi-omics technologies and, increasingly, to computational tools and bioinformatics pipelines that are highly valued across both academia and industry. Working with human organoids adds another layer of translational relevance, as the findings are directly applicable to understanding human disease rather than being limited to animal models or oversimplified cell lines. The combination of complex tissue modelling and systems-level analysis positions you at the very frontier of infection biology, making your profile competitive for independent research positions, grants, and collaborations. Beyond technical training, a systems virology environment tends to foster a culture of integrative thinking, where you learn to connect molecular mechanisms to tissue-level and organism-level outcomes, a skill that is increasingly rare and sought after. The current postdoc offers the chance to build a scientifically distinctive profile at the crossroads of virology, stem cell biology, and systems biology, which opens doors well beyond the traditional virology career path.

Location: Flemingsberg

Application

An employment application must contain the following documents in English or Swedish:

• PhD certificate
• A complete resumé, 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)

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

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