Assistant researcher in diabetic complications

Description of the workplace
The position is based at the Department of Clinical Sciences in Malmö, in the Diabetic Complication unit, which is headed by Professor Maria Gomez.

Research area
The research will primarily be conducted within the framework of the ongoing iBEAt study (read more here: BEAt DKD | HOME (beat-dkd.eu) and the recently approved project PRIME-CKD (read more here: UMCG Lead Collaborations to advance Precision Medicine in Chronic Kidney Disease (umcgresearch.org). Today, approximately 537 million adults are living with diabetes, i.e., one in ten, and this number is expected to rise to 643 million by 2030 and 783 million by 2045. This will inevitably result in an increased number of patients suffering from chronic kidney disease (CKD) and cardiovascular complications such as heart failure.

An overarching aim of our research is to identify and validate new prognostic and predictive biomarkers that can help us identify which patients will experience a more rapid aggressive disease progression, and which patients are more likely to respond or not to a specific treatment. The project also aims to identify mechanisms and signaling pathways underlying endothelial dysfunction and CKD, which could serve as targets for new drug therapies.

Within the research group, we value a good working environment characterized by respect and care in our relationships with each other, and we strive to create a workplace that is perceived as developmental and stimulating for all employees. We constantly work to create conditions that foster job satisfaction, development, and participation for all team members. We prioritize both physical safety as well as the organizational and social work environment.

What we offer
Lund University is a government agency, which means you receive special benefits, generous vacation, and a favourable occupational pension.
Read more on the University's website about being employed by us: Work for us

Work duties and responsibilities
The primary task is to conduct research at the intersection of basic and translational research. The applicant is expected to have excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, be willing to interact with other researchers in interdisciplinary teams and contribute to the unit’s common goals.

The work involves using a wide range of experimental methodologies that are well-established in our laboratory, as well as administrative tasks (e.g., applying for and reporting research funding). Other duties within the research group may also arise.

 Qualifications

• PhD within the subject area of the position.
• Relevant research background and experience in cardiovascular, renal and diabetes research (participation, planning and study design).
• Experience in research on diabetes complications, mechanisms of endothelial and kidney dysfunction, and biomarker studies.
• Experience in vascular research with a particular focus on smooth muscle and endothelial cell function, endothelial progenitor cells, and mechanisms of excitation-transcription in the vascular wall.
• Experience working with animal models, including breeding, genotyping, and phenotyping of various disease models, as well as conducting functional in vivo intervention studies (e.g., longitudinal measurements of blood pressure and endothelial function, glucose and insulin tolerance tests, blood and urine collection, and studies using metabolic cages).
• Experience handling biological samples (blood, urine, cells, and biopsies), DNA, RNA, or protein extraction, sample preparation for histology/IHC/IMF, microscopy (e.g., fluorescence, confocal, EM), and stereological techniques; basic cell and molecular biology work (e.g., Western blot, ELISA, RT-PCR, gene editing, cloning, cell and organ cultures – proliferation, migration, apoptosis, angiogenesis, differentiation of circulating endothelial progenitor cells).
• A strong publication record (several first author publications in internationally recognized journals), as well as experience of work with systematic reviews.
• Documented training in biostatistics and experience in e.g. power calculations.
• Experience of working in an international environment.
• Ability to work independently in a well-documented manner, manage multiple projects simultaneously, prioritize, and meet deadlines.
• Experience in presenting research results at seminars, conferences, and other relevant settings (both orally and in writing). 

Conditions
The position is permanent (100%) with desired start date 2024-11-01, or as agreed. 

How to apply
The position is applied for via the university's recruitment system. The application must contain a
personal letter with justification as to why you are interested in the employment and in what way the employment matches your qualifications. The application must also contain a CV, diploma or equivalent and other things that you wish to invoke (copies of grades, information for references, letters of recommendation, etc).