Research Assistant in psychoneuroimmunology

About the company

Do you want to contribute to improving people's health? Welcome to a dynamic and inclusive research group at the forefront of psychoneuroimmunological research, where we investigate the interplay between behavior, brain functions, and the immune system. Our interdisciplinary group unites psychology, neuroscience, and immunology, with strong collaborations in both experimental and clinical research. Your role Sickness behavior refers to the coordinated set of behavioral changes and subjective experiences that arise during acute infections. Within psychoneuroimmunology, it is assumed that sickness behavior supports the function of the immune system as part of an adaptive response. However, this hypothesis has not yet been tested in humans. The purpose of the current project is to investigate how sickness behavior affects immune responses during a cold induced under controlled laboratory conditions. The research group leader is Associate Professor Julie Lasselin. The employment is a part-time position at 75% for 6 months (with a possible possibility for extension for 1 year in total). Your tasks will be to: contribute to the planning of the study, including recruitment of participants and communication with participants coordination of study days data collection (under the supervision of Associate Professor Julie Lasselin and other responsible researchers as well as in collaboration with other team members) administration of behavioral tests handling of study participants during the course of the study and other daily study-related activities (e.g., handling and storage of data as well as handling of blood samples) basic data analysis.

Requirements

Master's degree in psychology, neuroscience, biomedicine, or another subject area that we deem relevant for the position.

Documented experience in conducting clinical studies or experimental studies on humans as well as psychological and/or neurocognitive assessments.

Documented experience in recruitment of study participants, interaction with participants, working according to strictly defined research protocols, as well as administration of psychological and cognitive tests.

Very good knowledge of English, both oral and written.

Good ability to plan your time and tasks and to work proactively.

We also place great emphasis on personal suitability. The following are particularly meritorious: Good knowledge of Swedish, both oral and written. Basic knowledge of the immune system, sickness behavior, and psychoneuroimmunology

The following are meritorious Experience in planning complex data collections. Experience in handling blood samples.

What we offer

What do we offer? A creative, international, and inspiring environment filled with competence 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 work for better health for all. Here we conduct successful medical research and have the largest range of medical educations in Sweden. As a university, Karolinska Institutet is a government agency. This means you receive good benefits through our collective agreement. Employees at KI are also offered the possibility of a flexible way of working. This means that if the operation you work in allows it, you can work part of your working time remotely. You will also get to exercise freely in our modern wellness facilities where trained staff are on site. Location: Solna (as well as Tovetorp during data collection periods) Read more about the Department of Clinical Neuroscience Read more about the research group you will be part of

How to apply

KI applies individual and differentiated salary setting according to our collective agreements RALS and RALS-T. Applications must be made via the recruitment system Varbi. In this recruitment, you apply with your CV without a personal letter. In the application form, you will instead be asked to answer a few questions about why you are applying for the job. Do you want to make a difference – and contribute to better health for all? Apply for a job with us!

Other

The data collection will be carried out at an external research facility (Tovetorp) where the participants stay in quarantine. You are expected to be on-site at the research facility for several consecutive days during the data collection periods. In addition to the main project, you may also participate in other ongoing studies within the research group that require similar research-related tasks. Who are you? Eligibility requirements for the employment: