Doctoral student in Medical Science

Doctoral student in Medical Science - Functional and spatial omics in type 2 diabetes

Reference number PAR 2025/7

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Doctoral position in Medical Science

The Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology is located at the Institute of Biomedicine at the Faculty of Medicine at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg.

Doctoral 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 here.

Project: This PhD project will combine cutting-edge single-cell studies with transcriptomics to establish why the insulin-secreting beta-cells fail in type 2 diabetes. This is of considerable scientific and clinical importance, as deteriorating insulin secretion is a key disease component of type 2 diabetes, which is one of the major threats to human health. We will use several novel genomic methodologies to simultaneously study single-cell function and gene expression. The project will also investigate how the crosstalk between different islet endocrine cell types affects insulin secretion and overall islet function. This is yet a largely unexplored area that the PhD student will study using a method to map the transcriptomic heterogeneity of beta-cells in human live pancreatic slices that has been established in the Camuñas lab (www.camunaslab.org). New potential treatment to key genes will be tested in vivo using a workflow developed by the co-supervisory lab (Prof. A. Rosengren).

Overall, the PhD student will get a unique translational training in genomics, spatial transcriptomics, cell physiology, imaging, bioinformatics, and in vivo studies. By being part of an interdisciplinary research environment, the PhD student will also get insight into the clinical aspects of diabetes, which is essential to bridge the gap between preclinical and clinical research. The co-supervisory labs are part of the Wallenberg Center for Molecular and Translational Medicine (WCMTM) which includes additional training and networking opportunities and have a broad network of international collaborators.

We are looking for a motivated candidate with an interest to work with a highly interdisciplinary team of scientists using state-of-the-art technologies. It is desirable that you have a background in quantitative sciences, medical sciences, molecular biology, and/or related fields. Regardless of background, you should have a good knowledge of cell and molecular biology, as well as strong motivation to learn programming. You should also have an interest in biomedical sciences and a basic understanding of cell and organismal biology, as well as the ability to work independently and in a team. Furthermore, experience in experimental research on islets of Langerhans and/or experience in working with pancreatic biopsy samples is an advantage. Experience in molecular biology techniques such as RNA extraction, library preparation for single-cell RNA sequencing, and methods for spatial transcriptomics is also an advantage, as is experience in programming in Python or R and bash/shell scripting. Experience in single-cell data analysis tools, machine learning-related packages, high-performance computing, and/or scientific workflow management tools is an advantage. Ability to communicate in English, both written and spoken, is essential.

Doctoral studies comprise four years of full-time study and lead 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, resulting 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.

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.

The specific entry requirements for this subject, according to the general syllabus, are: having successfully 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:

1. specific knowledge and skills within the subject area and related research fields
2. experience of scientific theory and relevant research methodology
3. 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 SFS1993:100. 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 Biomedicine, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology. 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 Biomedicine 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 of Biomedicine 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 principal supervisor
Joan Camuñas-Soler, Associate Senior Lecturer, Institute of Biomedicine,
e-mail: joan.camunas@gu.se

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 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 make assessing your degree easier.

If your degree has not been verified by a Swedish authority you need to provide contact details to the issuing university, registrar, or similar, that can verify the degree at our request.

Applications must be received by: 2025-02-27

Information for International Applicants

Choosing a career in a foreign country is a big step. Thus, to give you a general idea of what we and Gothenburg have to offer in terms of benefits and life in general for you and your family/spouse/partner, please visit:

The University works actively to achieve a working environment with equal conditions and values the qualities that diversity brings to its operations.

Salaries are set individually at the University.

In accordance with the National Archives of Sweden’s regulations, the University must archive application documents for two years after the appointment is filled. If you request that your documents are returned, they will be returned to you once the two years have passed. Otherwise, they will be destroyed.

In connection to this recruitment, we have already decided which recruitment channels we should use. We therefore decline further contact with vendors, recruitment, and staffing companies.

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