Postdoctoral Fellow in Molecular Toxicology

Department of Environmental Science, Stockholm University

The Department of Environmental Science (ACES) is one of the largest departments at the Faculty of Science at Stockholm University. The Department is divided into four units with more than 190 researchers, teachers, doctoral students and technical/administrative staff from over 30 countries. Research and teaching focuses on chemical contaminants, atmospheric science, biogeochemistry and (eco)toxicology. As an employee at the Department of Environmental Science you will be part of a dynamic environment with work being done in leading research areas and with a strong international profile.

ACES also has research programmes in toxicology and exposomics at SciLifeLab, Sweden’s national research center for molecular biosciences, located at Karolinska Institute’s Campus Solna. SciLifeLab offers infrastructure access for state-of-the-art high-throughput molecular technologies and serves as a collaboration hub for Stockholm University, Karolinska Institute, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, and Uppsala University. The center brings together a broad range of scientists across traditional university and department boundaries to facilitate networking and multidisciplinary studies within two main focus areas: health and environmental research.

Project description
We seek a postdoctoral fellow with strong skills in molecular toxicology, or in a closely related field, to develop and apply human cell-based methods for detection of endocrine and/or epigenetic effects of real-world environmental chemical mixtures. You will work in an established team of toxicologists and analytical chemists currently investigating the endocrine effects of chemical contaminant mixtures found in human blood. The project will make effective use of state-of-the-art infrastructure for in vitro toxicology, including liquid handling robotics and high-throughput screening technologies at Science for Life Laboratory (SciLifeLab). You will have access to cell culture facilities and high content analysis (HCA) instrumentation to further explore effects at the sub-cellular level. The position is a two year postdoctoral fellowship fully funded by the Swedish Research Council Formas. Please remember to write a research plan/statement that includes a desciption of your research approach.

Main responsibilities
The postdoctoral fellow will be supervised by Professors Oskar Karlsson and Jonathan Martin in the Exposure & Effects Unit, Department of ACES. The successful candidate will work primarily at SciLifeLab (Solna). The major objective will be to establish sensitive cellular assays to measure the epigenetic and molecular effects of environmental chemical mixtures that we have measured in blood by exposomics. You will also use high-throughput screening strategies to identify which chemical(s) are responsible for the mixture-effects. The postdoctoral fellow will be expected to plan, conduct, interpret and communicate the research and results.

Qualification requirements
Postdoctoral positions are appointed primarily for purposes of research. Applicants are expected to hold a Swedish doctoral degree or an equivalent degree from another country.

Assessment criteria
The degree must have been completed at latest before the employment decision is made, but no more than three years before the closing date. An older degree may be acceptable under special circumstances. Special reasons refer to sick leave, parental leave, elected positions in trade unions, service in the total defense, or other similar circumstances as well as clinical attachment or service/assignments relevant to the subject area.

In the appointment process, special attention will be given to research skills in molecular toxicology and cell culture work. Previous research experience in epigenetics, molecular biology, mixture toxicology, high content cell imaging and analysis will be considered a great asset. The provided research plan/statement will also be used to rank the candidates.

Terms of employment
The position involves full-time employment for a minimum of two years and a maximum of three years, with the possibility of extension under special circumstances. Start date as per agreement.

Stockholm University strives to be a workplace free from discrimination and with equal opportunities for all.

Contact
Further information about the position can be obtained from Associate Professor Oskar Karlsson, oskar.karlsson@aces.su.se or Professor Jonathan Martin,  telephone: +46 72 146 27 73, jon.martin@aces.su.se.

Union representatives
Ingrid Lander (Saco-S), telephone: +46 708 16 26 64, saco@saco.su.se, Alejandra Pizarro Carrasco (Fackförbundet ST/Lärarförbundet), telephone: +46 8 16 34 89, alejandra@st.su.se, and seko@seko.su.se (SEKO).

Application
Apply for the position at Stockholm University’s recruitment system. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that the application is complete in accordance with the instructions in the job advertisement, and that it is submitted before the deadline.

Please include the following information with your application

• Your contact details and personal data
• Your highest degree
• Your language skills
• Contact details for 2–3 references

and, in addition, please include the following documents

• Cover letter
• CV – degrees and other completed courses, work experience and a list of publications
• Research proposal (no more than 2 pages) describing:
  – why you are interested in the field/project described in the advertisement
  – what strategy, including types of cells and assays would you utilize to make advancements in this field
  – what makes you suitable for the project in question
  –after two years, what do you wish to have accomplished as a postdoc?
• Copy of PhD diploma
• Letters of recommendation (no more than 3 files)
• Publications in support of your application (no more than 3 files).