Assistant Researcher in Experimental Cardiovascular Research

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Lund University welcomes applicants with different backgrounds and experiences. Equality, equal opportunities, and diversity are fundamental principles for all parts of our operations.

Description of the workplace

The position is located within a research group focusing on cardiovascular and neurovascular disease, with a particular interest in mechanisms linking vascular dysfunction and sphingolipid signaling to organ damage. The group conducts translational research using experimental disease models and combines functional phenotyping with cellular, histological, and molecular methods.

The assistant researcher will contribute to the group's work in experimental cardiovascular research with a focus on myocardial infarction and heart failure, as well as sphingolipid-related mechanisms. The work is conducted in an international research environment and involves collaboration with other research groups and infrastructures at Lund University.

We offer

Lund University is a government agency, which means you receive special benefits, generous leave, and a favorable occupational pension.

We offer an international and interdisciplinary research environment with access to established experimental models and advanced methods for cardiovascular phenotyping, cellular and molecular analysis, and image analysis. The work provides opportunities to combine several methodological approaches to study the mechanisms behind cardiovascular disease.

Read more on the university's website about being employed by us: Work with us.

Duties and responsibilities

You will work with experimental research regarding mechanisms that contribute to the development and progression of cardiovascular disease, with a particular focus on myocardial infarction, subsequent cardiac dysfunction, and neurocardiovascular regulation.

Your main duties will be to:

Perform and analyze experimental myocardial infarction models in rodents, including surgical ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD-ligation), Perform and analyze cardiac MRI for functional and structural characterization of the heart, analyze sympathetic and vagal nerve innervation and nerve pathways related to cardiovascular function, Perform tissue clearing and light-sheet microscopy for three-dimensional visualization and quantitative analysis of nerve and vascular structures, Perform histological, immunohistochemical, and molecular analyses of cardiac and nerve tissue, Analyze and interpret data regarding sphingolipid metabolism and S1P signaling, Integrate functional, cellular, histological, and molecular data as well as perform statistical analysis, Document and compile research results and contribute to scientific publications and presentations, Collaborate with other members of the research group and external collaborators.

Qualifications

Requirements for the position are:

A doctoral degree in biomedicine, medicine, physiology, or another relevant field for the position, Documented research experience in experimental cardiovascular research, Practical experience with experimental models for myocardial infarction and/or heart failure in rodents, Experience in functional phenotyping of the heart, including cardiac MRI, Experience in histological and molecular biological analyses of cardiovascular tissue, Good ability to independently plan, conduct, analyze, and document experimental research work, Good ability to communicate scientific results in English, both orally and in writing, Good ability to cooperate in an interdisciplinary and international research environment.

Meritorious for the position are:

Experience with tissue clearing and light-sheet microscopy, Experience in the analysis and visualization of sympathetic and vagal nerve innervation and nerve pathways, Experience in three-dimensional image analysis and quantitative analysis of microscopic image data, Experience in research regarding sphingolipids, especially S1P signaling, in relation to cardiovascular disease, Experience in the analysis of mass spectrometry-generated lipid data, Experience in combining neurobiological, immunological, and cardiovascular analyses.

Other information

The employment is a special fixed-term employment (SÄVA) for 12 months with a scope of 80 percent. Desired start date is 2026-11-01 or by agreement.

How to apply

The position is applied for via Lund University's recruitment system. The application must include a personal letter motivating the interest in the position and a description of how the applicant's experience corresponds to the duties and qualification requirements. The application must also include a CV, publication list, degree certificate for the doctoral degree, and contact information for references.

More information about the Faculty of Medicine

The Faculty of Medicine is an operational area within Lund University, responsible for education and research in medicine, care, and health. Education is carried out in close cooperation with the healthcare sector and is well-anchored in the faculty's strong research tradition. The faculty's research spans a wide field within experimental basic research, patient-oriented clinical research, and health science research. The Faculty of Medicine, with over 1,800 employees and 3,000 students in Lund, Malmö, and Helsingborg, is a knowledge-intensive meeting place for students, teachers, and researchers from all over the world.

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