项目介绍

2026年10月24日

Do you want to contribute to top quality medical research?

To be a doctoral student means to devote oneself to a research project under supervision of experienced researchers and following an individual study plan. For a doctoral degree, the equivalent of four years of full-time doctoral education is required.

The research group

The project is based within the research team of Maarten van de Klundert, which is part of senior professor Anders Sönnerborgs activities at the department of Medicine, Huddinge, Centrum of Infectious Medicine – Clinical Infectious Disease. The team has a strong research focus on HIV-1.

The PhD position is based at ANA Futura Laboratory, Campus Flemingsberg, a modern and international research environment with access to advanced infrastructure and opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration.  The position will be closely integrated with the clinical microbiology laboratory at Karolinska University Laboratory, the National Reference Laboratory for HIV-1 and Retroviruses.

You will work in a collaborative environment involving researchers with complementary expertise in molecular virology, HIV-1 immunology, and bioinformatics.

The doctoral student project and the duties of the doctoral student

The PhD position is part of the national Graduate School: Biomedical Laboratory Scientists for Excellence – Future Educators in Health and Medical Care, (BioLabX). Therefore, only graduated Biomedical laboratory scientists are eligible to apply for the position

In this doctoral project, you will investigate the HIV-1 reservoir in clinical samples from people living with HIV-1. It is closely connected to an ongoing clinical cohort at Department of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska University Hospital, and combines established clinical sampling with molecular and bioinformatic analyses of HIV-1 proviruses.

You will establish and optimise workflows for the analysis of HIV-1 proviral DNA to characterise HIV-1 proviral sequences with respect to genetic diversity, viral subtype, drug-resistance mutations, hypermutation, and other sequence features. For data analysis, you will use advanced bioinformatics and phylogenetic analysis. You will also be involved in biobanking of all incoming samples, and later characterise immunological characteristics of selected study participants, for instance by FACS analysis, ELIspot assays, assessing HIV reactivation and more.

In addition to mandatory courses specific to the PhD education at Karolinska Institutet, the BioLabX program includes a shared course package consisting of two subject-specific doctoral courses. The program also comprises a seminar series, workshops, and annual retreats that are mandatory for the doctoral students.

What do we offer?

A creative and inspiring environment full of expertise and curiosity. 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. As a doctoral student you are offered an individual research project, a well-educated supervisor, a vast range of elective courses and the opportunity to work in a leading research group. Karolinska Institutet collaborates with prominent universities from all around the world, which ensures opportunities for international exchanges. You will be employed on a doctoral studentship which means that you receive a contractual salary. Employees also have access to our modern gym for free and receive reimbursements for medical care.

Eligibility requirements for doctoral education

In order to participate in the selection for a doctoral position, you must meet the following general (A) and specific (B) eligibility requirements at latest by the application deadline.

It is your responsibility to certify eligibility by following the instructions on the web page Entry requirements (eligibility) for doctoral education.

A) General eligibility requirement

You meet the general eligibility requirement for doctoral/third-cycle/PhD education if you:

1. have been awarded a second-cycle/advanced/master qualification (i.e. master degree), or
2. have satisfied the requirements for courses comprising at least 240 credits of which at least 60 credits were awarded in the advanced/second-cycle/master level, or
3. have acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad.*

Follow the instructions on the web page Entry requirements (eligibility) for doctoral education.

*If you claim equivalent knowledge, follow the instructions on the web page Assessing equivalent knowledge for general eligibility for doctoral education.

B) Specific eligibility requirement

You meet the specific eligibility requirement for doctoral/third-cycle/PhD education if you:

– Show proficiency in English equivalent to the course English B/English 6 at Swedish upper secondary school.

Follow the instructions on the web page English language requirements for doctoral education.

Verification of your documents Karolinska Institutet checks the authenticity of your documents. Karolinska Institutet reserves the right to revoke admission if supporting documents are discovered to be fraudulent. Submission of false documents is a violation of Swedish law and is considered grounds for legal action.

(A) and (B) can only be certified by the documentation requirement for doctoral education.

Skills and personal qualities

The successful candidate is required to have:

• A strong interest in HIV research, molecular virology and translational biomedical research.
• Good analytical skills and an ability to interpret experimental and quantitative data.
• Excellent ability to speak, read and write in English.
• A degree in Biomedical Laboratory Science or an equivalent degree 

The following qualifications are desirable:

• Experience of experimental laboratory work in molecular biology, microbiology, virology or a related field.
• Experience with DNA and RNA sequencing, especially NGS and phylogeny.
• Basic programming and/or bioinformatic experience, for example in R, Python or related tools, and working in linux environments.
• Experience working with immunological methods and assays, such as PBMC isolation, FACS, ELIspot, intracellular cytokine staining (ICS) etc. 

It is considered an advantage to have some knowledge of Swedish. Particular emphasis will be placed on the applicant’s motivation for doctoral studies, scientific curiosity and analytical ability. 

Terms and conditions

The doctoral student will be employed on a doctoral studentship maximum 4 years full-time.

Application process

Submit your application and supporting documents through the Varbi recruitment system. Use the button in the top right corner and follow the instructions. We prefer that your application is written in English, but you can also apply in Swedish.

Your application must contain the following documents:

– A personal letter and a curriculum vitae
– Degree projects and previous publications, if any
– Any other documentation showing the desirable skills and personal qualities described above
– Documents certifying your general eligibility (see A above)
– Documents certifying your specific eligibility (see B above)

Selection

A selection will be made among eligible applicants on the basis of the ability to benefit from doctoral education. The qualifications of the applicants will be evaluated on an overall basis.

Karolinska Institutet uses the following bases of assessment:

– Documented subject knowledge of relevance to the area of research
– Analytical skill
– Other documented knowledge or experience that may be relevant to doctoral studies in the subject.

All applicants will be informed when the recruitment is completed.

KI applies a salary scale when setting salaries for doctoral students. 

Links:
Maarten van de Klundert´s team
 Anders Sönnerborg´s research group
Department of Medicine, Huddinge

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