Assistant Professor in Experimental Tumor Biology

Join a global community of excellence

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 2025. KI is seeking 20 outstanding early- career researchers to join us as Assistant Professors in a wide range of subject areas.

At KI, we foster a vibrant, international research environment where curiosity, innovation, and excellence thrive. We are looking for inspiring, driven, and visionary scientists with exceptional research achievements and the potential to become future leaders in their fields.   

Join a stimulating and interdisciplinary research environment at the Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology (MTC), Karolinska Institutet. Our department conducts research and teaching within immunology, infection biology, cell and tumor biology (learn more about our department here). We offer a unique opportunity to develop your independent research program in a multi-disciplinary and collaborative setting with access to cutting-edge infrastructure and world-leading expertise. At MTC, we value scientific excellence, innovation, and collegiality. Come shape the future of cancer research with us.

What do we offer?

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 SEK 12 million to cover your salary, research and associated 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’ll 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’ll also benefit from close connections with healthcare providers, ensuring your research remains closely aligned with real-world clinical practice.

As a state university, 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.

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.

Learn more about what KI and Sweden can offer, and the different calls!

Location: Solna

Description of the subject area 

Tumor biology focuses on investigating the biological processes involved in tumor initiation, progression, and response to therapy. This involves understanding the interactions between tumors and their surrounding microenvironment. The tumor microenvironment includes immune cells, stromal components, and microbial influences, which collectively affect tumor behavior and treatment outcomes. The interactions between tumors and the immune system are essential for advancing immunotherapies, including cell-based therapies. Furthermore, pathogens and the microbiome also influence cancer development through mechanisms such as pathogen-driven tumorigenesis and host-pathogen interactions that affect immune responses and tissue homeostasis. By integrating concepts from cancer biology, immunology, and microbiology, this area of research provides a foundation for developing innovative therapeutic strategies and for understanding the complex ecosystem in which tumors evolve. 

Your mission 

This Assistant Professor position offers a unique opportunity to build a strong academic profile—primarily by developing your independence as a researcher, while also gaining valuable teaching and pedagogical experience.

You are expected to build and lead an independent research group in the field of tumor-microenvironment or tumor-host interactions. You will actively apply for external research funding to support your group’s activities and scientific development. As part of your academic responsibilities, you will supervise doctoral students and contribute to the training of postdoctoral researchers.

You will be an integral part of the department participating in and contributing to the development of departmental activities, including seminars, strategic initiatives, and collaborative projects. You are also expected to foster collaborations within and beyond the department. In addition, you will participate in educational activities at under- and postgraduate levels, helping to shape the next generation of scientists.

Eligibility requirements 

To be eligible for an appointment as Assistant Professor, you must demonstrate good scientific skills according to KI’s eligibility criteria as follows:

• A PhD (or equivalent degree) in a relevant subject area
• 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:

• The scientific quality, originality, and feasibility of your research plan within the relevant subject area
• Documented experience in research environments outside KI, with special consideration given to international research experience

These criteria reflect our commitment to fostering globally competitive researchers who contribute to high-impact science and academic excellence.

It is further meritorious that you have demonstrated

• The quality, originality, and feasibility of the submitted research proposals
• Demonstrated scientific excellence and innovation, as evidenced by impactful research contributions
• Strong scientific background in some of the following areas:
  • Immunotherapy or complementary expertise that enhances existing departmental strengths in immunology and tumor biology
  • Pathogen-driven tumorigenesis or host-pathogen interactions modulating immune responses and cancer microenvironment homeostasis
• Proven ability to attract competitive research funding
• Experience in interdisciplinary research environments
• Engagement in novel and forward-looking research directions
• A broad and versatile experimental skill set
• Development and application of advanced model systems
• Documented experience in international research collaborations
• Strong scientific networking and collaborative skills
• Expertise in omics technologies and data integration
• Potential to fill an unmet scientific niche or to contribute to a new research dimension within the department

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.

Application guidelines

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 should consist of the following documents, written in English:

• A personal letter (maximum 1 page)
• Application form, including your research project (the form can be found here)
• Up to ten published papers and optionally one manuscript, in PDF format
• PhD certificate
• 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 September 2nd, 2025 (time 23.59 CEST).

For more information about the calls, conditions regarding funding and employment, see here.

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

1. Vicente Jose Pelechano Garcia, [email protected]

1. Taher Darreh-Shori, SACO, [email protected]
2. Carina Eklund, ST-OFR, 08-58582665
3. Henry Wölling, SEKO, [email protected]