Karolinska Institutet
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PhD in Development and Implementation of Advanced HIV-1 Reservoir Diagnostics Karolinska Institutet in Sweden
Degree Level
PhD
Field of study
Immunology
Funding
The doctoral student will be employed on a doctoral studentship for a maximum of 4 years full-time and will receive a contractual salary according to KI's salary scale.
Deadline
Nov 13, 2026
Country
Sweden
University
Karolinska Institutet
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About this position
PhD position at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden focused on the development and implementation of advanced HIV-1 reservoir diagnostics. The project is embedded in the research team of Maarten van de Klundert and linked to Senior Professor Anders Sönnerborg at the Department of Medicine, Huddinge, within the Centre of Infectious Medicine / Clinical Infectious Disease.
The doctoral project examines the HIV-1 reservoir in clinical samples from people living with HIV-1. You will work with molecular virology, clinical microbiology, immunology, and bioinformatics, including workflows for proviral DNA analysis, sequencing, phylogenetic analysis, viral subtype characterization, drug-resistance mutation detection, hypermutation analysis, biobanking, and selected immunological assays such as FACS and ELIspot.
The position is located at ANA Futura Laboratory, Campus Flemingsberg, with close integration into the Karolinska University Laboratory and the National Reference Laboratory for HIV-1 and Retroviruses. The environment is described as modern, international, and highly collaborative, with opportunities for interdisciplinary research and access to advanced infrastructure.
This PhD opening is part of the national BioLabX graduate school and is restricted to applicants who are graduated Biomedical Laboratory Scientists. In addition to the general doctoral requirements, candidates must have a master’s degree or equivalent, English proficiency equivalent to English B/English 6, strong analytical ability, and a degree in Biomedical Laboratory Science or equivalent. Desirable experience includes laboratory work in molecular biology/microbiology/virology, sequencing (NGS and phylogeny), R/Python/Linux bioinformatics, and immunological assays. Swedish language knowledge is considered an advantage.
The doctoral student will be employed full-time for up to 4 years and receive a contractual salary under Karolinska Institutet’s doctoral student salary scale. To apply, submit the required documents through the Varbi system: personal letter, CV, degree projects, publications if available, evidence of desirable skills, and proof of eligibility. The application deadline is 13 November 2026.
Funding details
The doctoral student will be employed on a doctoral studentship for a maximum of 4 years full-time and will receive a contractual salary according to KI's salary scale.
What's required
Applicants must have a strong interest in HIV research, molecular virology and translational biomedical research, good analytical skills, and excellent spoken and written English. A degree in Biomedical Laboratory Science or an equivalent degree is required. General eligibility for doctoral education requires a second-cycle/master qualification, at least 240 higher education credits including 60 advanced-level credits, or equivalent knowledge. Specific eligibility requires English proficiency equivalent to Swedish upper secondary English B/English 6. Desirable qualifications include experience in molecular biology, microbiology, virology or related laboratory work; experience with DNA and RNA sequencing, especially NGS and phylogeny; basic programming and/or bioinformatics skills in R, Python or Linux; and experience with immunological methods such as PBMC isolation, FACS, ELIspot and intracellular cytokine staining. Swedish is an advantage.
How to apply
Apply through the Varbi recruitment system using the application button on the job page. Submit a personal letter, CV, degree projects and previous publications if any, documents showing desirable skills, and documents proving general and specific eligibility. Applications may be written in English or Swedish.
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Prepare your application
Review drafts and confirm requirements with the university.
Make your next move.
Prepare your application
Review drafts and confirm requirements with the university.