Research assistant in Mucosal biochemistry Full-time NEW

Research Assistant in Mucosal Biochemistry

Do you want to contribute to top quality medical research?

Mucus is a dynamic biological interface that regulates microbial interactions, molecular exchange, and immune activation, and plays a central role in tissue homeostasis. Yet, the mechanisms governing its structure and function remain poorly understood, limiting our understanding of disease and its potential as a therapeutic target.

The workgroup that you will be a part of focuses on uncovering the principles that govern mucus-mediated protection by integrating epithelial cell identity, post-translational modifications, and physiology, with the goal of enabling new therapeutic strategies to combat mucus associated disease.

The group operates at the division of Immunology and Respiratory Medicine within a highly collaborative and interdisciplinary environment. The lab has close interactions across immunology, bioinformatics, structural biology, biochemistry, and clinical research, both locally and internationally.

Your Mission

As a research assistant, you will contribute to a project investigating how goblet cells and alterations in intestinal mucus affect barrier function in ulcerative colitis. The work includes experimental analyses of human and murine samples, including sample handling, cell and molecular biology methods, advanced microscopy, and analysis of mucus function. You will work closely with other members of the research group and contribute to the execution, documentation, and analysis of experimental studies.

Your Profile

Required qualifications:

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in biomedicine, molecular biology, cell biology, biochemistry, or a closely related field.
• Experience in experimental laboratory work within cell and molecular biology.
• Experience working in a structured manner with biological samples and experimental documentation.
• Good spoken and written English.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively as part of a research team.

Meritorious qualifications:

• Experience in tissue handling and/or working with human or murine samples.
• Experience with immunofluorescence, confocal microscopy, or other imaging techniques.
• Experience with methods such as RT-qPCR, Western blotting, FACS, or related cell and molecular biology techniques.
• Experience with histological analyses or analysis of intestinal tissue.
• Experience with image analysis, data analysis, or basic bioinformatics.
• Previous research experience in gastrointestinal biology, epithelial biology, inflammation, or mucus biology is considered an advantage.

Personal qualities:

We are looking for a person who is meticulous, responsible, and well organized, with a strong interest in experimental research. You are curious, solution-oriented, and comfortable working in a research environment where collaboration and flexibility are important parts of the daily work. Great emphasis will be placed on personal suitability.

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. Our vision is to pursue the development of knowledge about life and to promote a better health for all. At Karolinska Institutet, we conduct successful medical research and hold the largest range of medical education in Sweden. Karolinska Institutet is also a state university, which entitles you to several good benefits through our collective agreement. And you get to practice freely in our modern wellness facilities, where trained staff are on site.

Location

The position is based at the Department of Medicine, Solna. The department consists of ten divisions, each comprising several research groups. The current position is based in the Eduardo Villablanca research group within the Division of Immunology and Respiratory Medicine. The principal investigator responsible for the project within the research team is Elisabeth Nyström.

Application

KI applies individual and differentiated salary setting in accordance with our collective agreements RALS and RALS-T.

The application is to be submitted through the Varbi recruitment system. In this recruitment, you will apply with your CV without a personal letter. Instead, you will answer some questions about why you are applying for the job in the application form.

Permanent position is initiated by a six months trial period.