The research team for systemic lupus erythematosus and precision medicine at Karolinska Institutet conducts clinical, translational and experimental research aimed at improving the understanding of disease mechanisms and enabling more individualised treatment strategies. This postdoctoral position offers the opportunity to work in an interdisciplinary project on lupus nephritis, combining advanced disease models with spatial analysis of human kidney biopsies. The successful candidate will join an internationally oriented research environment with close links to clinical medicine, biomedical science and patient-relevant research questions.
As a postdoctoral researcher, you will work in a project aimed at characterising a TLR7-driven macrophage–complement axis in lupus nephritis. The project combines experimental mouse models with analyses of human kidney biopsies to understand how local inflammation and complement activation contribute to renal tissue injury.
Your responsibilities will include:
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establishing and analysing an imiquimod-induced model of lupus-like autoimmunity and lupus nephritis
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investigating intrarenal macrophage accumulation and activation
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assessing local complement activation and the expression of complement-related markers
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evaluating how therapeutic intervention affects disease manifestations and the proposed macrophage–complement axis
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analysing human kidney biopsies from patients with lupus nephritis using spatial tissue profiling approaches
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integrating experimental and clinically relevant data and contributing to manuscripts, conference presentations and scientific reporting.
We are looking for a highly motivated candidate with a strong interest in autoimmunity, immunology and inflammatory kidney disease. You should be independent, analytical and enthusiastic about working in a multidisciplinary research environment.
Required qualifications:
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a PhD in immunology, molecular biology, biomedicine, rheumatology, nephrology or another relevant field
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documented experience in experimental or translational immunology research
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experience with in vivo models, tissue analysis, immunofluorescence, flow cytometry, molecular biology techniques or related methods
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strong ability to independently plan, conduct and interpret research
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excellent oral and written communication skills in English
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good collaborative skills and willingness to work closely with researchers from different disciplines.
It is meritorious if you have experience in:
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systemic lupus erythematosus, lupus nephritis or other autoimmune diseases
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complement biology, macrophage biology or TLR signalling
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spatial biology, multiplex immunofluorescence or image analysis
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bioinformatic or quantitative analysis of complex biological datasets.
To be eligible for employment as a postdoctoral researcher, a PhD or a foreign degree deemed to be equivalent to a Swedish PhD is required. This eligibility requirement must be fulfilled at the latest at the time of the employment decision. Completion of your doctoral degree within the last three years is considered an advantage. If there are special reasons, your degree may have been completed earlier.
A creative and inspiring environment with wide-ranging expertise and interests. Karolinska Institutet is one of the world's leading medical universities. At Karolinska Institutet, we conduct successful medical research and hold the largest range of medical education in Sweden. At KI, you get to meet researchers working with a wide range of specialisms and methods, giving you ample opportunity to exchange knowledge and experience with the various scientific fields within medicine and health. It is the crossover collaborations, which have pushed KI to where it is today, at the forefront of global research. Several of the people you meet in healthcare are educated at KI. A close relationship with the health care providers is important for creating groundbreaking top quality education and research. Karolinska Institutet is also a state university, which entitles you to several benefits through our collective agreement.
Location:
The position is located within the team Clinical and translational research in lupus and autoimmunity led by Associate Professor Ioannis Parodis. The team is organizationally located at the Centre for Molecular Medicine (CMM) at the Division of Rheumatology. The position is located within the Department of Medicine, Solna. The department consists of ten divisions, and each division consists of several research groups. The group conducts research on systemic lupus erythematosus, lupus nephritis and precision medicine, with a particular focus on biomarkers, disease mechanisms and the integration of clinical information with advanced molecular profiling. The work spans clinical cohorts, experimental models, and translational applications.
An employment application must contain the following documents in English or Swedish:
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PhD certificate
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A complete resumé, including date of the thesis defence, title of the thesis, previous academic positions, academic title, current position, academic distinctions, and committee work
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A complete list of publications
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A summary of current work (no more than one page)
KI applies individual and differentiated salary setting in accordance with our collective agreements RALS and RALS-T
The application is to be submitted through the Varbi recruitment system.
Anställningsform: tidsbegränsad anställning | Anställningens omfattning: heltid | Antal lediga befattningar: 1 | Sysselsättningsgrad: 100 | Ort: Stockholm | Län: Stockholms län | Land: Sweden | Referensnummer: STÖD 2-2302/2026 | Kontakt: Ioannis Parodis +46722321322, Ioannis Parodis +46722321322, | Facklig företrädare: Louisa Cheung, SACO , Louisa Cheung, SACO , Farzad Hedayaty, SACO-s , Farzad Hedayaty, SACO-s , Maria Eldh, OFR/ST , Maria Eldh, OFR/ST , | Publicerat: 2026-05-26 | Sista ansökningsdag: 2026-07-15
