Professor of Immunology

- with focus on research

Do you want to contribute to top quality medical research?

Karolinska Institutet is seeking a Professor who will contribute to the advancement of internationally leading research and education in the field of immunology. The Department of Medicine, Huddinge, provides a dynamic and highly collaborative scientific environment, with extensive national and international partnerships and access to state-of the-art research infrastructure. 

At the department, research in immunology, infectious medicine, vaccinology, and immunotherapy is evolving rapidly, in close integration with clinical medicine. 

We are looking for an academic leader who will play a key role in shaping the future direction of both research and education in the field.

Description of the subject area

Cellular immunity in humans is a central topic in modern immunology and medical research. Of particular importance are T lymphocytes, whose development, activation, function, and memory formation are essential for the immune system's ability to control infections, respond to vaccination, and maintain immunological balance. Understanding human T cell responses is therefore of great importance for the development of new diagnostic, preventive and therapeutic strategies. 

The field has advanced rapidly due to new opportunities to study the immune system directly in humans. The combination of antigen-specific analytical methods, high-dimensional immune profiling, single-cell technologies, and spatial approaches now enables detailed mapping of T cell responses in both blood and tissue. 

Studies of immunity in human tissue are particularly important, as tissue-resident immune cells often represent the most relevant effectors in infection, inflammation and tumor development. In-depth knowledge of immune responses in tissue is therefore a prerequisite for the development of precision medicine and the next generation of immunotherapies. 

Your mission

As a professor and research group leader, you will lead and conduct internationally competitive research in human immunology with a focus on antigen-specific T cell responses. A central part of the assignment is to advance understanding of the role of T cells in viral infections, vaccination, cancer, and autoimmune and chronic inflammatory diseases, and to translate this knowledge into novel diagnostic, preventive and treatment strategies.

You will conduct and further develop research in close collaboration with clinical partners, with a focus on human cellular immunity and the interface between fundamental immunological mechanisms and clinical application. The role includes securing external funding and building strong national and international collaborations. Particular emphasis is placed on advanced immunoprofiling and studies of immune responses directly in humans, including analyses of the function and organization of T cells in human tissue. 

The role includes strategic development of the field at Karolinska Institutet by strengthening research infrastructure, advancing methodological development, and integrating advanced immune monitoring in clinical studies. This includes close collaboration with Karolinska University Hospital, including activities in clinical immunology, immunotherapy and advanced therapy drugs (ATMPs), where T cell based diagnostic and therapeutic applications are rapidly evolving.

The assignment further includes teaching and supervision at first, second and third cycle levels, as well as acting as an academic leader and mentor for early-career researchers. 

Eligibility requirements

To be eligible for an employment as Professor with focus on research the applicant must have demonstrated very good pedagogical skills; excellent scientific skills.

For employment as Professor at Karolinska Institutet, the eligibility requirements are stated in the Instructions regarding the Appointment Procedure and these are applied in relation to the subject area of the established recruitment profile.

See the instructions regarding the Appointment Procedure for Teachers at Karolinska Institutet.

It is a requirement that you have completed 10 weeks of courses on teaching in higher education as indicated in the recommendations of the Association of Swedish Higher Education Institution. If you lack such education at the time of employment, you must undergo such education during the first two years of employment.

Assessment criteria

The Professorship has a focus on research. The assessment will weight qualifications as follows: scientific skills (3), pedagogical skills (1), leadership and collaboration skills (2).

For employment as Professor at Karolinska Institutet, the assessment criteria are stated in the Instructions regarding the Appointment Procedure and these are applied in relation to established profile of employment:

See the instructions regarding the Appointment Procedure for Teachers at Karolinska Institutet.

After an overall assessment of the expertise and merits of the applicants in relation to the subject area, Karolinska Institutet will determine which of them has the best potential to contribute to a positive development of the activities at KI.

What do we offer?

A creative and inspiring environment with wide-ranging expertise and interests. Karolinska Institutet is one of the world's leading medical universities. Here, 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: Flemingsberg

Center for Infectious Medicine (CIM) | Karolinska Institutet
Research at the Department of Medicine, Huddinge | Karolinska Institutet

Application

Your application must contain the following documents: a cover letter as well as a resumé and a qualifications portfolio including a description of your research plan, both presented in accordance with Karolinska Institutet’s template (http://ki.se/qualificationsportfolio). You may change or add to your application at any time up to and including the application deadline date. After the deadline, the process closes, and no amendment or addition can be made to your application.

The applications will be reviewed by external reviewers, most often both national and international. For that reason, we prefer that the documents are in English.

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.

We look forward to receiving your application!

Want to make a difference? Join us and contribute to better health for all!

1. Anna Norrby-Teglund, [email protected]

1. Robert Lindberg, SEKO, [email protected]
2. Peter Svensson, SACO, [email protected]
3. Mari Gilljam, OFR, [email protected]