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Doctoral (PhD) Student Position in Neural Stem Cells : Stockholm, Sweden

The main goal of our research is to study the mechanisms by which human neural stem cells balance between self-renewal and differentiation. We investigate cellular models of human neuroepithelial stem cells derived from iPS cells of patients with neurodevelopmental disorders or health controls. Using the in vitro models we are investigating cellular, molecular and mechanical mechanisms regulating normal and diseased behavior of the neural stem cells.

This PhD project has, in competition, been awarded with central funding from Karolinska Institutet Doctoral student (KID) funding. The main supervisor will be Assistant Professor Anna Falk with Assistant Professor Ana Teixeira and Professor Jonas Muhr as co-supervisors.

A doctoral position is an available doctoral education project to which a PhD student is to be recruited. After the selection process the process for admission to doctoral education will commence. An admission decision will not be taken until an individual study plan has been approved by the departmental admission board. For more information regarding doctoral (PhD) education, see: http://www.ki.se/doctoral

Area of responsibilities/Duties


The project is Stem Cell based and focuses on cell culture, including culture of human pluripotent stem cells, neural differentiation and culture of neural stem cells and neurons. In addition to knock down studies using viral delivery methods and stem cells culture on various biomaterials including 3D. Analysis includes molecular biology methods as RNA and DNA preparations, RT-PCR, Western blotting, flow cytometry, microscopy, bioinformatics.

PhD studies correspond to four years full-time work and include scientific work, courses, and presentations at seminars and conferences. The PhD student will be responsible for drafting detailed study protocols for each study of the thesis, conduct data collection, literature reviews, statistical analyses, and draft scientific manuscripts as first author, in collaboration with the supervisors.

More information can be found on our departmental website: http://ki.se/en/neuro/falk-laboratory

Entry requirements for doctoral education at KI

To be eligible for doctoral education following requirements has to be met:

General entry requirements
A person meets the general entry requirements for doctoral/third-cycle/PhD education (according to Higher Education Ordinance Chapt 7, section 39) if he/she:

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

Specific entry requirements
Proficiency in English equivalent to the course English B/English 6 at Swedish upper secondary school:
Proficiency in the English language can be documented by an internationally recognized test such as TOEFL or IELTS, see web-link below for more information. Applicants who meet the general entry requirements (1 or 2 above) from a university in one of the Nordic countries fulfill the requirements in English.

For more information regarding general and specific entry requirements: http://ki.se/en/education/entry-requirements-eligibility-for-doctoral-education

Skills and personal qualities

We are looking for a highly motivated and enthusiastic individual with an interest in stem cell biology. The applicant should possess maturity and have an open mind and an interest in working independently. The individual should also have well-developed social competence and a good ability to work in teams. Preference will be given to applicants who have experience in reprogramming, culture of pluripotent stem cells, culture of neural stem cells, immunocytochemistry, confocal microscopy, RT-PCR and virus work. Experience with bioinformatics analysis is a merit. Documented knowledge of human stem cell culture, which is instrumental for the research in the Falk laboratory, is needed. Participation on a research project that has/will result in a scientific publication is also a merit. The applicant should be fluent in English, with good communication and writing skills. Much importance will be given to the overall assessment of the applicant.

Assessment criteria

A selection will be made among qualified applicants on the basis of the ability to benefit from doctoral education. 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

The qualifications of the applicants will be evaluated on an overall basis. The vacancy will be filled on condition that the successful applicant is admitted to doctoral (third-cycle) education.

Terms and conditions

The most common way of financial support for doctoral students at KI is doctoral grant the first year and a doctoral studentship (doctoral employment) for year 2, 3 and 4. During the time between recruitment and admission a short-term employment can be offered for up to 6 months.

Application process

An application must contain the following documents in Swedish or English:

• A personal letter and curriculum vitae
• A copy of degree certificates and associated certificates
• A copy of degree projects and any previous publications

The application is to be submitted to MyNetwork recruitment system…