Doctoral Student in Immunology and Microbiology

Description of the workplace

We are now looking for a driven PhD student who will work on the PhD project “Characterization of host-microbe interaction in Hidradenitis suppurativa" and be involved in the group's other research projects at the laboratory of Barrier Immunity – a newly formed research group interested in antibody formation and host-microbiota interaction at barrier surfaces. We are gradually expanding our team and currently welcoming applications at all career levels. Presently, our team consists of a principal investigator, two research engineers, a postdoctoral scholar and 3 MSc students. Our lab is located at the Division of Molecular Hematology, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden and benefits form state-of-the-art research environment, strong collaborations between research groups specialized in immunology, hematology and stem cell research and highly professional, friendly and collegial atmosphere.

We offer

Lund University is a public authority which means that employees get particular benefits, generous annual leave and an advantageous occupational pension scheme. Read more on the University website about being a Lund University employee: Work at Lund University

Work duties and areas of responsibility

Recruited student will adhere to the individual study plan that will be created in consultation with the supervisor at the start of the study period. In addition to following this study plan, as well as participating in relevant courses for the education, the following tasks are also included:

• To take initative, act immediately upon given tasks and to be present
• Planning and performing experiments, and analyzing research data
• Work with animal models, human samples and ex vivo 3D models are included
• Preparing research data presentations for weekly lab meetings
• Actively engage in floor seminars, departmental meetings, LundImmunoTalks seminar series/symposium
• Contributing to sustainable and healthy work environment
• Participate in organization and/or maintenance of clean and safe work environment
• Collaborate with other trainees in the lab and/or other research teams on their experiments
• Actively and continuously contribute with scientific ideas
• Being up to date with scientific literature
• Participate in journal clubs
• Engage and discuss complex scientific topics

The doctoral student has further responsibility to:

• Seek contact with the colleagues who best support a discussion about the results
• Find avenues for career support
• Formulate, develop and optimize the ways of communication with supervisors and colleagues that best promote the doctoral student's working methods and aspects

Qualifications

Requirements for employment are:

Emphasis will be put on personal qualities. We are looking for someone who is driven, curious and taking responsibility. As the research group has an international environment, good communication skills and collaboration skills are required. In addition, the duties require organizational skills and ability to prioritize.

• Full written/spoken proficiency in English, clear communication ability in scientific and clinical language
• MSc degree in immunology and microbiology (or equivalent)
• Documented collaboration skills between clinical and basic science laboratory environments
• Demonstrated independence including that of scientific mobility
• Ability to write, read and understand scientific text in barrier immunology
• Excellent presentation skills of scientific literature and research data
• Documented research laboratory experience in handling and analyzing human tissue samples and cell cultures
• LAS (laboratory animal science) certification:
  • Ability to perform animal experiments
  • Strategic and effective maintenance of mouse colonies
• Ability to perform standard immunology techniques:
  • Flow cytometry
  • ELISA/ELISPOT
  • Confocal microscopy
• Ability to perform microbiology techniques:
  • Maintenance of aerobe and anaerobe bacteria cultures
  • Strain isolation from human/mouse material
  • Sample preparation for 16S sequencing

Additional qualifications for the position are:

• Experience in bioinformatics is of special merit
• Experience with mass spectrometry is of special merit
• Experience in lab management is of special merit:
  • KLARA system (chemicals)
  • Mosaic (management of mouse colonies)
  • Proceedo (ordering)
• Personal qualities – demonstrated independence, problem solving and ability to collaborate
• Driving license

Further information

Temporary employment of four years, in accordance with the Higher Education Ordinance-
HF 5 kap 7§ in Sweden. The employment is a full term position with the desired start date of June 1st, 2026, or according to agreement. Interviews will be conducted on our premises in Lund during the third week of May 2026.

Eligibility

Students with basic eligibility for third-cycle studies are those who
- have completed a second-cycle degree
- have completed courses of at least 240 credits, of which at least 60 credits are from second-cycle courses, or
- have acquired largely equivalent knowledge in some other way, in Sweden or abroad.

The employment of doctoral students is regulated in the Swedish Code of Statues 1998: 80. Only those who are or have been admitted to PhD-studies may be appointed to doctoral studentships. When an appointment to a doctoral studentship is made, the ability of the student to benefit from PhD-studies shall primarily be taken into account. In addition to devoting themselves to their studies, those appointed to doctoral studentships may be required to work with educational tasks, research and administration, in accordance with specific regulations in the ordinance.

How to apply

Applications are to be submitted via the University’s recruitment system. The application must include a personal letter (max 1 page) justifying your interest in the position and how it matches your qualifications. The application should also include a CV (max 2 pages) and degree certificates with copies of grade transcripts. Applicants must also provide contact details of 3 referees who have agreed to provide a letter of recommendation. Please, note that incomplete applications will not be evaluated.