项目介绍

2026年6月26日

The University of Gothenburg tackles society’s challenges with diverse knowledge. 58 000 students and 6800 employees make the university a large and inspiring place to work and study. Strong research and attractive study programmes attract researchers and students from around the world. With new knowledge and new perspectives, the University contributes to a better future.

Doctoral position in Medical Science  

Project title: Deciphering NK cell immunity in endometriosis and ovarian cancer

The Department of obstetrics and gynecolog  is located at the Institute of Clinical Sciences at the Faculty of Medicine at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg.

General information about being a doctoral student at the University of Gothenburg can be found on the university’s doctoral student pages. 
https://www.gu.se/en/doctoral-studies

Duties   

The PhD education in Medical Science comprises carrying out a scientific project and completing at least 30 credits of courses at third-cycle level. The doctoral student must also write a scientific compilation thesis or monograph corresponding to at least 120 credits. For more information about third-cycle studies at Sahlgrenska Academy, see https://www.gu.se/en/sahlgrenska-akademin/doctoral-studies

Doctoral studies comprises four years of full-time study, and leads to a doctoral degree.    

As part of your employment as a doctoral student, you may have departmental duties corresponding to up to 20 % of full-time employment, distributed throughout your study period, and result in a corresponding extension of the studies. Departmental duties usually consist of teaching at first- and second-cycle levels, but may also include research and administration.  

Project description:  

Endometriosis (EN) and ovarian cancer (OC) are common gynecological diseases in which dysregulated immune responses are thought to play important roles in disease development and progression. EN affects approximately 10% of women of reproductive age and is associated with chronic pain and infertility, while OC remains one of the deadliest gynecological malignancies. Emerging evidence suggests that defects in natural killer (NK) cell-mediated immune surveillance may represent a shared mechanism linking EN and OC, creating new opportunities for immune-targeted therapies.

The aim of this PhD project is to characterize how innate lymphoid cells (ILCs), including NK cells, shape the immune environment in EN and OC, to identify mechanisms regulating their activity, and to define novel therapeutic targets. The project combines translational immunology with patient-derived material and advanced cellular analyses to improve our understanding of disease initiation, progression, and malignant transformation.

The doctoral student will work with clinical samples from patients with EN and OC. The project includes establishment and maintenance of primary cell cultures and organoids from patient samples, functional NK cell killing assays, co-culture experiments, and high-dimensional spectral flow cytometry for detailed immune profiling. Computational analysis of multi-parameter cytometry data, as well as multiplex spatial analyses of tissue specimens, will be integrated to characterize immune cell populations and their interactions within diseased tissues.

The research is conducted in a highly translational and interdisciplinary environment with close collaborations between basic scientists, clinicians, and national and international partners. The project offers opportunities to gain expertise in advanced immunological methods, patient-sample-based research, and translational cancer biology.

Experience with primary cell culture, NK cell killing assays, flow cytometry, and clinical samples is advantageous. As the project involves patient sampling, biobanking, and experimental workflows, strong organizational skills are valuable.

Eligibility   

Doctoral education requires general eligibility and, where appropriate, specific eligibility as set out in the general syllabus for the subject.  

The general eligibility requirements for doctoral studies are:    

1. having completed a degree at second-cycle level, or
2. the fulfilment of course requirements totalling at least 240 credits, of which at least 60 credits must be at second-cycle level, or  
3. the acquisition of equivalent knowledge in some other way, either in Sweden or abroad. 

Specific entry requirements for this subject, according to the general syllabus, are: 
having completed the English B/6 course or is considered to have acquired equivalent knowledge through previous studies

Assessment criteria   

The selection of applicants who meet the basic and specific eligibility requirements will be based on the ability to assimilate the doctoral studies. The assessment shall attach particular importance to documented qualifications for:

– specific knowledge and skills within the subject area and related research fields
– experience of scientific theory and relevant research methodology
– scientific analysis and presentation verified through an academic paper, degree project, scientific
journals or the like.

Admission and employment   

Once you have been admitted to doctoral studies, you will be employed as a doctoral student at the University of Gothenburg.

The provisions for employment as a doctoral student can be found in ordinance SFS 1993:100.

Initial employment as a doctoral student may apply for a maximum of one year, and may be renewed by a maximum of two years at a time.

A doctoral student may be employed as a doctoral student for a maximum of eight years, but the total period of employment may not be longer than the equivalent of full-time education at doctoral level for four years.

Location: Sahlgrenska Academy, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Department of obstetrics and gynecology. Extent: 100%. First day of employment: as agreed.

The University applies a local agreement on salaries for doctoral students.

Please note, doctoral studies at the Institute of Clinical Sciences require physical presence to conduct the studies. If the admitted applicant needs a residence permit for higher education to pursue studies in Sweden, the institute has the right to revoke the admission decision if the applicant cannot present a valid residence permit no later than at the start of the studies.

Contact information 

For more information about the project please contact the project supervisor,
Elin Bernson, Institute of Clinical Sciences,
e-mail: elin.bernson@gu.se

Unions 

Union representatives at the University of Gothenburg can be found here:   
https://www.gu.se/om-universitetet/jobba-hos-oss/hjalp-for-sokande   

Application   

You can apply to be admitted to doctoral education via the University of Gothenburg’s recruitment portal.   

It is your responsibility to ensure that the application is complete as per this notice, and that the University receives it by the final application deadline.   

You must include the following, in pdf format

• Personal letter
• CV
• Diploma and transcripts showing that you meet with the general entry requirement
• Proof of completion of English 6 course or the acquired equivalent knowledge through previous studies

If your degree is from a university outside of Sweden, make sure that you attach a diploma and full transcripts that makes assessing your degree easier.  

For information on what you need to submit in order to fulfill the English language requirement see https://www.universityadmissions.se/en/entry-requirements/english-language-requirements/

Applications must be received by: 2026-08-05