PhD student in Microbiology – Giardia’s interaction with host cells

PhD student in Microbiology – Giardia’s interaction with host cells
Are you interested in working with microbiology, with the support of competent and friendly colleagues in an international environment? Are you looking for an employer that invests in sustainable employeeship and offers safe, favourable working conditions? We welcome you to apply for a PhD position at Uppsala University. 

The Department of Cell and Molecular Biology is organized into seven research programmes which all focus on different areas of cell and molecular biology: Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Microbiology and Immunology, Molecular Biology, Molecular Biophysics, Molecular Evolution, Molecular Systems Biology and Structural Biology. The scientific basis of what we do lies in biology, but our research overlaps with other areas such as medicine, computer science, mathematics, chemistry, engineering sciences and physics. In total, we are over 200 staff and ~50 Ph.D. students. Please read more about the department’s work at https://www.uu.se/en/department/cell-and-molecular-biology. 

The PhD position is placed in Staffan Svärd’s research group at the Microbiology and Immunology program, please visit https://www.uu.se/en/department/cell-and-molecular-biology/research/microbiology-and-immunology/svard-lab. 

Project description
Microbial communities (microbiomes) in the gut are essential parts of the human body, affecting the overall physiology at many different levels. Until now Bacteria have been the main focus of studies of intestinal microbiomes but eukaryotic microbes are also members of the microbiomes, creating the eukaryome. Some enter transiently, causing acute infections and disease (parasitic infections, e.g. Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia). Other members colonize the digestive tract more stably and have beneficial effects on health, most likely as immune- and microbiome modulators (e.g. Blastocystis). 

This PhD project aims to gain a detailed understanding of how human intestinal parasites cause disease and manipulate the immune system. The main model organism in this project will be the pathogenic intestinal parasite Giardia intestinalis, which both causes disease and manipulates the immune system, but we will also use bacterial intestinal pathogens such as Salmonella for comparisons. Methods that will be used within the project include growth of human cell lines and enteroids, Giardia parasites, CRISPR mutagenesis, large-scale sequencing of RNA, secretome studies, flow cytometry, and other molecular and microbiological methods.

Duties
The Ph.D. student shall primarily focus on postgraduate studies, but other duties related to teaching and administrative work may be involved, up to a maximum of 20 % of the time.

Information about doctoral education, eligibility requirements and admission rules can be found at the faculty website, https://www.uu.se/en/disciplinary-domain/science-and-technology/study/doctoral-studies. 

Requirements
To meet the entry requirements for doctoral studies, you must

• - hold a Master’s (second-cycle) degree in microbiology, molecular biology, biotechnology, or within another subject which the employer considers to be equivalent, or
• - have completed at least 240 credits in higher education, with at least 60 credits at Master’s level including an independent project worth at least 15 credits, or
• - have acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way.

The applicant must have a good ability to work independently as well as in a group. A prerequisite is good written and oral knowledge of English, as the work takes place in an international environment. Strong written and oral communication skills are required. Assessment of personal suitability will be an important aspect in the selection.

Rules governing PhD students are set out in the Higher Education Ordinance chapter 5, §§ 1-7 and in Uppsala University's rules and guidelines.

Application
Your application must be written in English and include:

• A personal letter where you describe yourself, your research interest, your experiences and why you are interested in the position (max. 2 pages).
• A CV containing your education and other qualifications and a copy of your diplomas and list of publications.
• Please provide contact information to reference persons and recommendation letters from prior research supervisors.

About the employment
The employment is a temporary position according to the Higher Education Ordinance chapter 5 § 7. Scope of employment 100 %. Starting date as agreed. Placement: Uppsala

For further information about the position, please contact: Prof. Staffan Svärd, staffan.svard@icm.uu.se. For administrative questions contact HR-generalist Johanna Paulus, personal@icm.uu.se

Please submit your application by 16th of May 2025, UFV-PA 2025/1154.

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