Do you want to contribute to top-quality medical research?

The research group for esophageal and gastric cancer at the Department of Surgery and Oncology within the Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology (CLINTEC) is conducting a comprehensive translational research program in collaboration with Andrea Ponzetta's research group Unconventional T cells in human pathology, which is part of the Center for Infectious Medicine (CIM).

CIM is a leading research unit in translational studies of the human immune system in relation to chronic inflammation, infectious diseases, and cancer. This ongoing translational research collaboration aims to develop and implement innovative treatments for gastric and esophageal cancer.

We are now looking for a research assistant who will work in collaboration with the esophageal and gastric cancer research group in Ponzetta's laboratory at CIM, which offers a stimulating research environment where you will have the opportunity to contribute to high-quality research at an international level. The project will build on samples collected within the recently initiated IPaGastric study to investigate immunological variation during treatment and its association with treatment outcomes in advanced gastric cancer. Using advanced techniques such as high-dimensional flow cytometry, single-cell transcriptomics, and proteomics, the project aims to deepen the understanding of anti-tumor immune responses and identify biomarkers for improved patient stratification and treatment efficacy.

Your Role

As a research assistant, you will work alongside PhD students, postdocs, and research nurses in a translational project linked to a multicenter clinical study aimed at evaluating the clinical effect of local administration of chemotherapy in patients with gastric cancer and peritoneal metastases. The project consists of longitudinal immune monitoring of patients during treatment to identify prognostic and predictive biomarkers for treatment response. The experimental tasks include isolation and functional characterization of immune cells, with a particular focus on peritoneal fluid.

The position is a fixed-term employment for one year.

Your main responsibilities will include:

• Isolation and storage of cells from fresh human blood and tissues collected from cancer patients.
• Immunological characterization of collected samples using

Who are you?

Requirements

• Master's degree in medical science, molecular biology, immunology, or equivalent at the start of employment.
• Experience in cell isolation from human blood or tissues, culturing primary cells, isolating DNA/RNA, and data analysis.
• Previous experience in multiparametric flow cytometry/cell sorting.
• Excellent organizational skills.
• Good command of English, both spoken and written.

Meritorious

• Experience working with immune cells, particularly T cells.
• Previous participation in scientific publications.

As a person, you are self-driven and approach tasks with structure and professionalism. You see opportunities in changes and can quickly adapt to changing circumstances. You are highly motivated and driven to contribute to the success of the project. You have excellent collaborative skills and understand the importance of working together to achieve the project's goals.

What do we offer?

A creative, international, and inspiring environment filled with expertise and curiosity. Karolinska Institutet is one of the world's leading medical universities. Our vision is to drive the development of knowledge about life and promote better health for all. Here we conduct successful medical research and have the largest range of medical education in Sweden. As a university, Karolinska Institutet is a government authority, which means you will receive good benefits through our collective agreement. Employees at KI are also offered the opportunity for a flexible working method. This means that if the organization you work in allows it, you can work part of your time remotely. You also have free access to our modern wellness facilities where trained staff are available.

Location: Flemingsberg

Research Groups (https://ki.se/clintec/enheter/enheten-for-kirurgi-och-onkologi#tab-forskargrupper)

Ponzetta Research Team (https://ki.se/forskning/forskningsomraden-centrum-och-natverk/forskargrupper/studier-av-okonventionella-t-celler-hos-manniska-andrea-ponzetta-forskarteam#tab-start)

Job Application (https://ki.varbi.com/center/tool/position/889884/edit/tab:2/CIM)

Why Karolinska Institutet? (https://ki.se/om-ki/tio-skal-att-valja-karolinska-institutet)

Application

We warmly welcome your application by February 15, 2026.

Applications should be made via the Varbi recruitment system. In this recruitment, you apply with your CV without a cover letter. In the application form, you will instead answer some questions about why you are applying for the job.

For permanent employment, Karolinska Institutet applies a 6-month probationary period.

Do you want to make a difference – and contribute to better health for all? Apply for a job with us.