Assistant Professor in Cell and Molecular Biology

Assistant Professor in Cell and Molecular Biology

Karolinska Institutet, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology

Join a global community of excellence

Are you a bold, creative researcher ready to shape the future of medical science? Karolinska Institutet (KI), one of the world's foremost medical universities, is launching a major recruitment initiative in 2026. KI is looking for up to 21 outstanding early-career researchers to join us as Assistant Professors in a wide range of subject areas.

At KI, we foster a vibrant and international academic environment that values curiosity, collaboration, innovation, and high quality research. We are looking for inspiring scientists who are motivated to contribute to and further develop strong research and education environment, and who demonstrate high quality science and potential for academic leadership.

The Department of Cell and Molecular Biology CMB at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm is a leading academic research department that supports and advances long-term projects with the potential to yield groundbreaking discoveries within the broadly defined field of cell- and molecular biology. Situated in Biomedicum, a vibrant interdisciplinary milieu that hosts much of Karolinska Institutet's experimental work, the department benefits from excellent core facilities and a direct link to Sci Life Lab , a national research infrastructure center.

CMB offers an exceptional environment for an ambitious early-career scientist seeking to build a top-quality research team focused on addressing fundamental, unresolved biomedical questions.

If you meet our requirements and propose a groundbreaking research project, we are prepared to employ you as an Assistant Professor for six years and support you with a generous funding package of 12 MSEK to cover your salary and other research costs. KI offers the opportunity to be promoted from a time-limited (six-year) position as Assistant Professor to permanent employment as Senior Lecturer.

You can read more about it here.

At KI, you will be part of an interdisciplinary research community. Our researchers work across a wide range of fields and methodologies within medicine and health, creating rich opportunities for knowledge exchange and cross-disciplinary collaboration. You will also benefit from close connections with healthcare providers, ensuring your research remains closely aligned with real-world clinical practice.

As a governmental authority, KI offers a comprehensive benefits package governed by collective agreements. These include annual salary reviews, supplementary insurance, and opportunities to participate in institutional decision-making.

A successful research career is supported by a strong personal foundation. Sweden is known for being a family-friendly country, offering a high quality of life, generous parental leave, and excellent childcare and education systems — creating a welcoming environment for both researchers and their families.

At KI, we value differences in backgrounds and perspectives, and diversity, equity and inclusion are parts of our core values. KI is dedicated to our work for equal opportunities and rejects all forms of discrimination.

Learn more about what KI and Sweden can offer, and the different calls!

Location:

Stockholm

We welcome applications from researchers tackling fundamental, unresolved problems in biomedicine across cell, molecular, developmental, and tissue biology. This call is intentionally inclusive: applicants working on diverse biological systems, processes, and scales are encouraged to apply. We are especially interested in work that develops novel technologies or conceptual frameworks (such as AI modelling, synthetic biology, cellular engineering, or human model systems), with the potential to enable transformative discoveries or create entirely new research directions.

Our goal is to strengthen the department by recruiting outstanding researchers and supporting pioneering investigations that expand the boundaries of biomedical science.

This Assistant Professor position offers excellent opportunities to build a strong academic profile—primarily by developing your independence as a researcher, while also gaining valuable teaching and pedagogical experience.

As an assistant professor at CMB you will lead your own research team, enjoying full academic freedom and bearing the responsibility to design and carry out your independent research. You will have primary responsibility for recruiting and supervising group members, including researchers and students, and are expected to participate in departmental activities, including teaching at various levels. There will be numerous opportunities to establish local, national and international collaborations to broaden and develop your investigations.

You are also expected to disseminate your findings through peer reviewed publications and international meetings at a level that secures…