Assistant Professor in Environmental Medicine

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 Institute of Environmental Medicine (IMM) is a department at Karolinska Institutet and a national institute in the field of environmental medicine, providing authorities with scientific support in matters related to environmental health risk assessments. At IMM, cutting-edge research is performed on physical and chemical factors and their impact on human health using epidemiological as well as experimental methodologies. The department also hosts several courses and educational programs at the bachelor's, master's and doctoral levels. With this Assistant Professorship in Environmental Medicine, IMM seeks to strengthen its research in environmental medicine, and promote interdisciplinary research at IMM and beyond, including with local healthcare providers.

What do we offer?

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: Solna

Description of the subject area 

The environment in which we live and work is a critical factor for health and disease. Environmental medicine is a multidisciplinary field at the intersection of medicine and environmental science and can be defined as a branch of medical science dealing with the relationship between human health and biological, chemical, and physical factors in the environment. Moreover, social factors, including psychological and culture variables, may play an important role. Environmental medicine has been aided in recent years by advances in cell biology and genetics and developments in these areas have been important in terms of promoting the understanding of how chemicals interact with the human body at a fundamental level. Epidemiology is another cornerstone of environmental medicine, and the overarching goal is to provide scientific knowledge regarding the causes of disease in the population.

Your mission 

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.

We are looking for an individual who has the potential to become an academic leader in environmental medicine and conduct high quality research and education in the field. You will deploy epidemiological and/or experimental approaches to address relevant problems in environmental medicine, defined as the impact of environmental factors on human health. You are expected to establish and lead your own research group and supervise students as well as post docs. You are encouraged to demonstrate your potential in research, teaching, and other academic services during your employment as Assistant Professor to qualify for permanent employment as Senior Lecturer.

Eligibility requirements 

To be eligible for an appointment as Assistant Professor, you must demonstrate good scientific skills according to KI’s eligibility criteria as follows:

• A PhD (or equivalent degree) in a relevant subject area
• At least two peer-reviewed original scientific publications as first or last author, in addition to the doctoral thesis

Priority is given to those who were awarded a PhD (or attained equivalent competence) no more than seven years prior to the expiry of the deadline for the application.

Those who have been awarded a doctoral degree or attained equivalent research competence earlier will also be considered if there are special circumstances for absence from research (deductible time), such as: parental leave, long-term illness, positions of trust in trade union organizations or mandatory service in total defence.

The circumstances, dates and extent must be clearly specified in the application and verified by relevant documentation.

For this call, exceptions are made from all pedagogical requirements specified in the instructions regarding the Appointment procedure for teachers at KI. However, you must complete three weeks of higher education pedagogical courses in accordance with the Association of Swedish Higher Education Institutions’ recommendations, no later than two years after starting your employment as an Assistant Professor (unless you can certify that you have completed equivalent training before starting the position). 

Assessment criteria

Candidates will be evaluated based on both scientific and pedagogical qualifications, with greater emphasis placed on scientific excellence. The full set of assessment criteria is outlined in the instructions regarding the Appointment Procedure for Teachers at KI.

Particularly meritorious is:

• the scientific quality, originality, and feasibility of your research plan within the relevant subject area
• documented experience in research environments outside KI, with special consideration given to international research experience
• Ongoing research in environmental medicine, broadly defined as the impact of environmental factors on human health, documented as first or last authorship publications, using experimental and/or epidemiological or clinical methodologies.

These criteria reflect our commitment to fostering university with diverse and globally recognised researchers who contribute to high quality science and excellent academic citizenship.

The criteria listed will form part of the overall assessment of the applicant. All criteria will be assessed but they should not individually be seen as requirements.

Offers will be extended to the best candidate based on an overall assessment of the applicant’s expertise and merits in relation to the subject area.

Application guidelines

All applicants are expected to follow the application instructions carefully. Failure to comply with the guidelines or misrepresentation of qualifications may negatively impact on the evaluation of your application.

The application shall consist of the following documents, written in English:

• A personal letter (maximum 1 page)
• Application form, including your research project (Application form)
• Up to ten published papers and optionally one manuscript, in PDF format
• PhD certificate
• If you have a PhD that is older than seven years and want to claim deductible time, you must attach a certificate of deductible time in Swedish or English.

Welcome to apply no later than August 31, 2026 (time 23.59 CEST).

KI applies individual and differentiated salary setting in accordance with our collective agreements RALS and RALS-T.

Want to make a difference? Join us and contribute to better health for all.

Want to make a difference? Join us and contribute to better health for all!

1. Bengt Fadeel, [email protected]

1. Anda Gliga, SACO-S, [email protected]
2. Bodil Moberg , OFR/ST, [email protected]
3. Anne Boström, SEKO, [email protected]