PhD Research Fellowship in Immunology

A 3-year PhD fellowship is available at the Department of Immunology, Oslo University Hospital. The position will be located in the lab of Dr. Rasmus Iversen and will be available from March 2026. The research fellow will be enrolled in the PhD program of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, with the goal of successful completion of the PhD degree within the fellowship period.
 
The research group focuses on B-cell biology - in particular in relation to autoimmune diseases (Lab for Autoimmunity and B-cell Biology, www.ous-research.no/rasmusiversen). Recently, B-cell depletion therapy has emerged as a promising treatment for several autoimmune disease. However, we do not fully understand the pathogenic role of B cells. To gain insight into disease mechanisms, we employ a combination of biochemical assays, structural studies and high-throughput sequencing analyses of single cells isolated from patient samples. The work will be carried out in collaboration with other researchers and clinicians at Oslo University Hospital.
 
Job description
The successful candidate will work on a project that aims to decipher the mechanisms of autoantibody formation in ulcerative colitis. This is a chronic inflammatory condition of the large intestine with unknown etiology. Recently, it has been demonstrated that patients make disease-specific autoantibodies against a surface protein on gut epithelial cells. However, the role of these autoantibodies in the pathogenesis has not been determined. The project will explore the effect of autoantibodies in ulcerative colitis and the basis for activation of antigen-specific immune cells. Ultimately, our goal is to discover mechanisms that can be exploited for development of new therapies.

Key tasks

• Isolation of antigen-specific cells from patient samples.
  
• Generation of recombinant monoclonal antibodies.
  
• Antibody-antigen binding studies.
  
• Structural characterization of antibody-antigen complexes.
  
• Study the effect of antibodies in in vitro and in vivo model systems.
  
• Writing of scientific papers and presentation of results at international conferences.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in molecular biology, bioinformatics or a related area.
  
• Experience with relevant techniques (flow cytometry, cell cultures, immunoprecipitation, ELISA, sequencing) is considered an advantage.
  
• Experience with analyzing protein structural data is considered an advantage.
  
• Fluent in spoken and written English.

Personal skills

We are looking for a highly motivated candidate with an outstanding potential and a strong background within a relevant research area. The candidate should be able to work independently as well as in a team and should actively contribute to both the design and conduction of research experiments.

The application must include

• Application letter, including research interests and motivation for applying for this position.
  
• CV summarizing education, positions held, details of academic work and other qualifying activities.
  
• Copies of educational certificates and transcript of records.
  
• Names and contact details of 2-3 referees, stating relation to candidate, e-mail and phone number.

The application letter and CV should be in English or in a Scandinavian language. In assessing the applications, special emphasis will be put on the documented academic qualifications as well as the motivation and personal suitability of the candidates. Interviews with the best qualified candidates will be arranged.

We offer

• A stimulating working environment.
  
• Participation in a new, ambitious research group.
  
• Salary depending on qualifications.
  
• Opportunity to learn and master new techniques used in translational research and systems immunology.

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