Are you a bold, creative researcher ready to shape the future of medical science? Karolinska Institutet (KI), one of the world’s foremost medical universities, is launching a major recruitment initiative in 2026. KI is looking for up to 21 outstanding early- career researchers to join us as Assistant Professors in a wide range of subject areas.
At KI, we foster a vibrant and international academic environment that values curiosity, collaboration, innovation, and high quality research. We are looking for inspiring scientists who are motivated to contribute to and further develop strong research and education environment, and who demonstrate high quality science and potential for academic leadership.
At the Department of Medicine, Huddinge (MedH) at KI, we offer a vibrant and collaborative research environment that brings together internationally recognized scientists across a broad spectrum of experimental, translational, and clinical research. Priority areas include immunology, infectious diseases, hepatology, nutrition, and metabolic disorders. MedH provides state‑of‑the‑art infrastructure that supports cutting‑edge experimental and patient‑oriented research in highly integrated academic–clinical settings.
Our department is characterized by a diverse and accomplished faculty, including multiple award‑winning investigators as well as emerging leaders in their fields. As a faculty member at MedH, you will benefit from strong academic mentorship, excellent core facilities including biosafety level 3 (BSL-3), transcriptomics and flow cytometry, access to a modern preclinical animal facility, and unique clinical cohorts and biobank resources. We are strongly committed to supporting the next generation of researchers in establishing successful, independent academic careers within a globally competitive research environment.
If you meet our requirements and propose a groundbreaking research project, we are prepared to employ you as an Assistant Professor for six years and support you with a generous funding package of total 12 million SEK over six years to cover your salary and other research costs. KI offers the opportunity to be promoted from a time-limited (six-year) position as Assistant Professor to permanent employment as Senior Lecturer. You can read more about it here.
At KI, you will be part of an interdisciplinary research community. Our researchers work across a wide range of fields and methodologies within medicine and health, creating rich opportunities for knowledge exchange and cross-disciplinary collaboration. You will also benefit from close connections with healthcare providers, ensuring your research remains closely aligned with real-world clinical practice.
As a governmental authority, KI offers a comprehensive benefits package governed by collective agreements. These include annual salary reviews, supplementary insurance, and opportunities to participate in institutional decision-making.
A successful research career is supported by a strong personal foundation. Sweden is known for being a family-friendly country, offering a high quality of life, generous parental leave, and excellent childcare and education systems — creating a welcoming environment for both researchers and their families.
At KI, we value differences in backgrounds and perspectives, and diversity, equity and inclusion are parts of our core values. KI is dedicated to our work for equal opportunities and rejects all forms of discrimination.
Learn more about what KI and Sweden can offer, and the different calls!
Location: Flemingsberg
The Infection and Immunity track focuses on the immunopathogenesis of viral and bacterial diseases of major clinical relevance, while advancing fundamental understanding of the human immune system. Research integrates state-of-the-art single-cell and systems-level approaches, including transcriptomics, proteomics, and high-dimensional analyses, with human cell-based, tissue-resolved, and antigen-specific model systems. Access to well-characterized patient cohorts, prospective clinical studies, and biobank resources enables direct investigation of host–pathogen interactions in human samples and supports mechanism-informed translational discoveries relevant to precision medicine.
The Metabolism, Liver Disease, and Nutrition track addresses molecular, cellular, physiological, and behavioral mechanisms underlying immunometabolic homeostasis and its disruption in cardiometabolic and metabolic liver diseases, obesity, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and nutrition-related disorders. Research integrates human-centric experimental, computational, and interventional approaches, including single-cell and multi-omics analyses, metabolic phenotyping, imaging, advanced cell and organotypic models, relevant animal models, and population-based studies in epidemiology and nutrition. Longitudinal and interventional clinical cohorts, together with well-annotated biobank resources, enable mechanistic insights into disease pathways, inflammation, organ crosstalk, and biomarker discovery, supporting translational advances in prevention, diagnostics, and therapy.
Together, these subject areas provide a strong foundation for candidates aiming to establish internationally competitive research programs addressing diseases with high clinical impact.
This Assistant Professor position offers excellent opportunities to build a strong academic profile—primarily by developing your independence as a researcher, while also gaining valuable teaching and pedagogical experience.
At MedH, you are expected to establish and lead a cutting-edge research group in infection and immunity, alternatively in metabolism, liver disease, or nutrition, within the research unit that best aligns with your expertise. You will develop a focused and original research program with strong scientific potential and international visibility. Key responsibilities include applying for external research funding, building collaborations within and beyond the department, and supervising PhD students and postdoctoral researchers as part of fostering a vibrant and high-performing research environment. Your work will contribute to the strategic development of the department’s scientific profile.
This position provides an excellent opportunity to launch and expand an independent research career in a world-class academic setting within one of KI’s largest and most research-intensive departments.
To be eligible for an appointment as Assistant Professor, you must demonstrate good scientific skills according to KI’s eligibility criteria as follows:
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A PhD (or equivalent degree) in a relevant subject area
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At least two peer-reviewed original scientific publications as first or last author, in addition to the doctoral thesis
Priority is given to those who were awarded a PhD (or attained equivalent competence) no more than seven years prior to the expiry of the deadline for the application.
Those who have been awarded a doctoral degree or attained equivalent research competence earlier will also be considered if there are special circumstances for absence from research (deductible time), such as: parental leave, long-term illness, positions of trust in trade union organizations or mandatory service in total defence.
The circumstances, dates and extent must be clearly specified in the application and verified by relevant documentation.
For this call, exceptions are made from all pedagogical requirements specified in the instructions regarding the Appointment procedure for teachers at KI. However, you must complete three weeks of higher education pedagogical courses in accordance with the Association of Swedish Higher Education Institutions’ recommendations, no later than two years after starting your employment as an Assistant Professor (unless you can certify that you have completed equivalent training before starting the position).
Candidates will be evaluated based on both scientific and pedagogical qualifications, with greater emphasis placed on scientific excellence. The full set of assessment criteria is outlined in the instructions regarding the Appointment Procedure for Teachers at KI.
Particularly meritorious is:
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the scientific quality, originality, and feasibility of your research plan within the relevant subject area
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documented experience in research environments outside KI, with special consideration given to international research experience
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Expertise in translational and clinical research, particularly the ability to bridge experimental findings with relevant subject areas
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Demonstrated research independence, strengthened through experience in research environments independent of PhD supervision
These criteria reflect our commitment to fostering university with diverse and globally recognised researchers who contribute to high quality science and excellent academic citizenship.
The criteria listed will form part of the overall assessment of the applicant. All criteria will be assessed but they should not individually be seen as requirements.
Offers will be extended to the best candidate based on an overall assessment of the applicant’s expertise and merits in relation to the subject area.
All applicants are expected to follow the application instructions carefully. Failure to comply with the guidelines or misrepresentation of qualifications may negatively impact on the evaluation of your application.
The application shall consist of the following documents, written in English:
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A personal letter (maximum 1 page)
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Application form, including your research project (Application form)
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Up to ten published papers and optionally one manuscript, in PDF format
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PhD certificate
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If you have a PhD that is older than seven years and want to claim deductible time, you must attach a certificate of deductible time in Swedish or English.
Welcome to apply no later than August 31, 2026 (time 23.59 CEST).
KI applies individual and differentiated salary setting in accordance with our collective agreements RALS and RALS-T.
The application must be submitted through the Varbi recruitment system.
Read more regardning the calls, conditions regarding funding and employment!
Want to make a difference? Join us and contribute to better health for all.
