Research Specialist in muscle physiology including animal models Full-time NEW

Research Specialist in Muscle Physiology Including Animal Models

At the Division of Neuropediatrics, within the Department of Women's and Children's Health at Karolinska Institutet, research is conducted with a focus on child development. The division specializes in the interaction between the nervous system and skeletal muscle, including in children with cerebral palsy and muscular dystrophies. We are now seeking a Research Specialist to strengthen our work in both clinical and preclinical projects. You will work in the research group led by Associate Professor Ferdinand von Walden, with primary responsibility for animal models, wet lab work, and physiological and metabolic testing in mice.

The position of Research Specialist is a permanent appointment. Our research focuses on ribosomal compositional changes and mitochondrial metabolism in muscle cells, utilizing both animal models and clinical biological material. In this role, you will be responsible for the planning and execution of animal studies, as well as independently conducting and supervising molecular biology techniques for students and research staff.

To be eligible for employment as a Research Specialist, in addition to holding a Degree of Doctor, PhD, or having a foreign degree deemed equivalent to a Swedish doctoral degree, the applicant must have demonstrated research expertise as well as have documented postdoctoral research experience.

We are seeking a researcher with documented experience in studies of skeletal muscle function. Knowledge of functional, cellular, and molecular aspects of muscle growth, atrophy, and metabolism is considered an advantage. Experience with methods relevant to the study of ribosomal changes in skeletal muscle in health and disease is particularly meritorious. Applicants should have documented experience in molecular analysis methods suitable for skeletal muscle, extensive experience with animal experiments, and a record of publications in international scientific journals.

It is particularly meritorious that the applicant has shown:

• Demonstrated ability, as the responsible researcher, to manage breeding and plan animal experiments using transgenic mouse strains (FELASA Function C certification required).
• Experience in animal studies employing metabolism-focused techniques, including the assessment of glucose metabolism, surgical models for muscle regeneration, and exercise physiology.
• Experience in planning, conducting, and analyzing muscle physiology studies in mouse models, including plasmid-based protein overexpression via electroporation and ex vivo assessment of muscle function.
• Experience in planning, conducting, and analyzing RNA methylation patterns using the RiboMeth-Seq method is meritorious.
• Ability to work independently in the laboratory using techniques such as qRT-PCR, Western blotting, immunohistochemistry, ELISA, cell culture, and immunoprecipitation.
• Understanding of and experience with how transgenic mouse models mechanistically complement human biological studies.
• Strong ability to collaborate with clinically active researchers.
• Ability to lead projects and to collaborate and/or work independently.

It is meritorious that the applicant has shown:

• Experience presenting at international and national conferences.
• Experience supervising students at the doctoral, master's, and undergraduate levels.
• Excellent proficiency in communicating with colleagues in English.

After an overall assessment of the expertise and merits of the applicants in relation to the subject area, Karolinska Institutet will determine which of them has the best potential to contribute to a positive development of the activities at KI.

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 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.

Location: Solna

Choose to work at KI – Ten reasons why

We prefer that your application is written in English, but you can also apply in Swedish. An application must contain the following documents: PhD certificate, résumé, qualifications and description of planned research, presented in accordance with Karolinska Institutet's qualifications portfolio.

Welcome to apply at the latest 2026-04-07

The application must be submitted through the Varbi recruitment system.

Permanent position is initiated by a six months trial period.