Doctoral candidate 15
Immunometabolism and metabolic engineering for a functional HIV cure
About MERIT
MERIT (MEtabolic Reprogramming in viral pathogenesis: from Infection to Therapeutic innovations) is an EU-funded MSCA training programme aimed at better understanding how viruses affect the human body. Coordinated by Dr. Adithya Sridhar, Assistant Professor, and Prof. Dr. Dasja Pajkrt, Professor of Pediatric Infectious diseases, from the OrganoVIR Labs at Amsterdam UMC (location AMC), this project brings together 7 academic institutions and 12 associated partners from across Europe.
Within MERIT, researchers will take a new, holistic approach that focuses on infections and host metabolism to unravel virus-induced metabolic reprogramming and its impact on human health. The project’s objective lies in understanding the complex interplay between viruses and host cells, focusing on metabolic reprogramming, and long-term consequences of infection. This will be achieved by combining three methodological pillars: human organoids, integrative and spatial omics, and advanced microscopy.
Background of project
Extensive clinical studies from several cohorts of people living with HIV-1 and the immune phenotype fingerprinting of HIV-infected natural viral controllers indicate a profound role of immunometabolism in natural immunity. Using a cohort of elite controllers, we have identified a novel immunometabolic strategy to eliminate persistent HIV reservoirs and improve immune cell function. This project aims to leverage our recent discovery of a druggable molecular network regulating a-ketoglutarate (AKG) homeostasis to develop a metabolically engineered HIV cure. Using advanced gut-brain organoid systems, we will investigate the mechanisms of metabolic alterations, focusing on AKG homeostasis in HIV persistence and latency reactivation.
Job description
At Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, MERIT is looking for a doctoral candidate (DC) to work on Work Packages 1,2, and 3. As DC15, your objectives are:
To define the immunometabolic mechanisms that shape HIV-1 persistence within infected tissues.
To identify key microenvironmental determinants associated with HIV-1 persistence and cellular dysfunction.
To evaluate host-directed metabolic strategies to disrupt HIV-1 persistence in physiologically relevant tissue and organoid models.
You will be guided during your research project by Dr. Iva Filipovic and Dr. Ujjwal Neogi. Planned secondments to partner institutions within the MERIT network: super-resolution imaging with Prof. Balpreet Singh Ahluwalia (University of Oslo, Norway) and spatial omics with Prof. Rajkumar Savai (JLU, Germany).
You can apply for this position until 30 October 2026. Applications submitted after this date will not be considered.
Please note: You must submit your application through both the MERIT website and the Karolinska Institutet’s website. Your application will only be considered complete once both submissions have been made.
Requirements
Immunology, viral immunology and virus-host interaction studies
Cell/organoid culture and advanced 3D culture systems
Molecular biology, including next-generation sequencing-based approaches
Flow cytometry
Microscopy and/or advanced imaging methods
Familiarity with transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, or other omics technologies, and knowledge of R programming.
Personal qualities:
A strong interest in virus-host interactions, immunometabolism, and emerging viral infections
Enjoys working across disciplinary boundaries, combining experimental biology with advanced analytical approaches
Excellent communication and organizational skills, able to work both independently and collaboratively
A strong motivation to participate in an international, multidisciplinary research network.
MSCA Doctoral Network eligibility
At the time of recruitment, applicants must:
Not hold a doctoral degree.
Be eligible for enrolment in a doctoral program.
Be of any nationality.
ulfil the MSCA mobility rule: applicants must not have resided or carried out their main activity, such as work or studies, in Sweden for more than 12 months during the 36 months immediately preceding the recruitment date.
Eligibility for doctoral education at Karolinska Institutet
Applicants must meet the general eligibility requirements for doctoral education at Karolinska Institutet by having:
been awarded a degree at the advanced/second-cycle level; or
completed at least 240 ECTS credits, of which at least 60 ECTS credits are at advanced/second-cycle level; or
acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in another way in Sweden or abroad.
applicants must also demonstrate proficiency in English equivalent to the Swedish upper-secondary course English 6/English Level 2, according to Karolinska Institutet's requirements for doctoral education.
More information regarding general and specific entry requirements to Karolinska Institute: https://education.ki.se/doctoral-education.
What we offer
A doctoral student position for four years at Karolinska Institutet, one of the world's leading medical universities.
An interdisciplinary research project at the frontier of emerging viruses, immunometabolism, and host-directed therapeutics.
Extensive training in human iPSC-derived models, organoids, multi-omics, metabolic modelling, and advanced microscopy.
International secondments (to Norway and Germany) and access to expertise and infrastructure across the MERIT MSCA Doctoral Network.
An opportunity to take part in a tailor-made pre-MBA programme to develop entrepreneurial and commercial skills and other network-wide training opportunities including conferences and courses, a Personal Development Plan, non-academic coaching, and workshops on topics including ethics and sustainability and AI/LLM.
Participation in an international network of doctoral candidates, leading researchers, and partner organizations.
Structured scientific and transferable skills training supporting future careers in academia, biotechnology, pharmaceutical research, and other sectors.
Employment according to Karolinska Institutet's conditions for doctoral students and applicable MSCA Doctoral Network provisions.
Access to KI employee benefits, including occupational pension, annual leave, wellness facilities and reimbursement schemes according to applicable university regulations.
About the host institution
The Systems Virology Lab and Center for Systems Infection Biology at Karolinska Institutet sit at the forefront of understanding how viruses interact with the human host at a systems level. Integrating cutting-edge single-cell and spatial multi-omics approaches with advanced experimental models such as human organoids, the lab deciphers the molecular and cellular mechanisms that govern viral pathogenesis, immune evasion, and disease progression.
Our research spans a broad spectrum of clinically relevant viruses, with a particular focus on retroviruses and arboviruses, interrogating how host-virus dynamics shape outcomes across tissues. By combining computational systems biology with rigorous experimental virology, we translate complex biological data into mechanistic insights with direct relevance to therapeutic and diagnostic innovation.
Based at one of the world’s leading medical universities, the lab fosters an international, collaborative, and intellectually ambitious environment where early-career scientists are empowered to develop as independent research and contribute to science that matters. The group is coordinating and involved in several EU projects, as well as supported by the Swedish Research Council and other funders.