Postdoctoral studies in Computational Pediatric Cancers Biology (scholarship) Full-time

Postdoctoral Studies In Computational Pediatric Cancers Biology (Scholarship)

Do you want to contribute to top quality medical research?

Join an interdisciplinary research environment where computational biology, single-cell analysis, and cancer evolution are combined to address key challenges in pediatric cancer. Our projects investigate how neuroblastoma cell populations evolve during disease progression and how this evolution contributes to metastasis, relapse, and treatment resistance. You will analyze high-dimensional molecular data, develop and apply computational approaches to reconstruct tumor evolution, and collaborate closely with experimental and clinical researchers. The position offers an opportunity to advance fundamental knowledge while generating insights that may support improved treatment strategies for children with cancer.

Division

The Division of Pediatric Oncology and Pediatric Surgery at the Department of Women's and Children's Health brings together interdisciplinary research in pediatric oncology and surgery, including basic and translational laboratory research, clinical studies, survivorship research, healthcare science, and epidemiology. The division's overall goal is to improve the survival, treatment, care, and quality of life of children and adolescents with cancer, hematologic diseases, and conditions requiring pediatric surgery. Within this environment, the advertised project is connected to childhood cancer research and applies computational, evolutionary, and multi-omics approaches to understand tumor heterogeneity, disease progression, metastasis, relapse, and treatment resistance across different pediatric cancers.

Duties

The postdoctoral researcher will develop and apply computational methods to study cancer evolution across multiple pediatric cancer types using large-scale, multi-omics datasets. The work will involve single-cell data, bulk sequencing (bulk-seq) data, and publicly available datasets from major cancer genomics resources and research consortia. The position requires programming primarily in Python and R for data processing, statistical analysis, visualization, multi-omics integration, and the development of reproducible bioinformatics workflows. Responsibilities will also include applying principles of molecular evolution to investigate tumor heterogeneity, clonal dynamics, disease progression, metastasis, relapse, and treatment resistance.

The successful candidate is expected to have strong programming skills and experience working with complex biological datasets. Knowledge of molecular evolution, cancer genomics, single-cell analysis, bulk sequencing analysis, multi-omics integration, and computational biology is essential. Experience with machine learning, algorithm development, data structures, high-performance computing, and software development best practices is considered an advantage. The researcher will collaborate closely with experimental and clinical researchers, contribute to scientific publications, present research findings, and participate in the development of new projects involving different pediatric cancers.

Entry Requirements

Postdoctoral scholarships may be established for foreign researchers who pursue their merit in Sweden. A foreign researcher is a person living in another country who comes to Sweden with the intention of only staying in Sweden for all or part of their postdoctoral education at KI. Persons who are resident in Sweden and/or have carried out all or part of their academic education at KI or some other educational institution in Sweden cannot be considered for scholarships. The purpose of scholarships for postdoctoral qualification is to promote internationalization and contribute to research qualification after a doctorate or equivalent. This scholarship for carrying out postdoctoral research is granted for one year 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.

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. Here, we conduct innovative medical research and provide the largest range of biomedical 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 healthcare providers is important for creating groundbreaking top quality education and research. Students and employees have free access to our modern gym facilities with trained staff on site.

Location: Widerströmska House, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden

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)

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