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Dear Colleagues,
Despite the global challenges we face, I look back at 2022 as a fantastic year for MBB: excellent publications, exciting new recruitments and an outstanding record of winning the most competitive grants! As one particular sign of the strength of our department, the MBB Frontier Grants were announced a year ago. After collecting ideas from all of you, we settled on a few themes and opened the call during the fall. I’m overwhelmed by the number and quality of applicantions we received! We are now in the home stretch, and will be visited by the final candidates during the coming several weeks. Please look for announcements, and take the chance to listen to their talks.
Late 2022, we also saw the announcement of the MBB Frontier Teaching Awards. These are meant to strengthen our undergraduate education programs, by making it possible for a few of our best and most passionate teachers to set aside more time for teaching and for strategic development of our curricula and teaching methods. It makes me very happy that we got so many great proposals, and I want to congratulate the awardees – see below! Thanks also to Elias, Håkan and Bernhard who put this initiative together.
Sincerely,
Sten
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Regarding time of studies and need of publications for PhD students to complete a thesis
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Due to updated regulations on the regulations around employment time for PhD students it is important to note that all PhD students are expected to complete their studies within four (4) years of full-time studies, and the possible extension of this time frame is limited.
Certain reasons, such as delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic or time spent on departmental duties, can be accounted for as reason for extension, but this can not be granted.
More information: Employment as a doctoral student at KI
At the same time, KI requires a minimum of two co-authored publications to have been accepted for publication before a PhD student can apply
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for dissertation based upon a compilation thesis, alternatively dissertation can be made with a monograph thesis but that typically takes longer to prepare.
More information: Apply for public defence of your thesis
Due to these circumstances it is very important that both supervisors and PhD students start practical as well as logistic planning for their thesis defence in very good time, typically during the third year of studies.
If you need more advice in these matters, do not hesitate to take contact with me.
Best regards,
Elias Arnér
Director of Doctoral Education at MBB
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Personnel changes within the teaching unit
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On 1 February, Victoria Balabanova left her position as teaching administrator for undergraduate students at MBB. She takes on the task as PhD administrator at the Department of Neuroscience but continues in the corresponding role at MBB. She will be missed, but is still around, as she will still be found in the same spot in A3 as before. Thank you for all your good work, Victoria!
In Victoria’s place, Anurupa Nagchowdhury will step in. Anurupa is a lab coordinator sharing her time between the division of biomaterials and the Scheele undergraduate lab. She will keep parts of these tasks but takes on a new position as teaching administrator for undergraduate students. Welcome Anurupa!
Due to retirement, a vacancy will emerge during spring regarding laboratory support in the student course labs at Scheele. We are aiming for two part-time employments to work together to cover the support of the two chemistry labs, but also MTC’s cell biology/microbiology lab in the same building.
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Anurupa Nagchowdhury. Photo: Sandip Bhattacharyya
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We consider it an advantage if candidates already have an employment at Biomedicum, to strengthen the bonds between course labs and Biomedicum. If you are interested or know of anyone who could be suitable for such a position, please tip them off. Anyone interested please contact Håkan Andersson as soon as possible for a brief description of the position and the tasks at hand.
Best regards,
Håkan Andersson and Bernhard Lohkamp
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Two Frontier Teaching Awards have been decided upon:
Phillip Chivers, post doc at Medical Systems Bioengineering, will be focusing mainly on development of the General and Organic Chemistry course within the BSc programme in biomedicine.
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Manuel Zeitelhofer, associate professor (docent) at the Vascular Biology division, will be focusing mainly on development of the Biochemistry course within the BSc programme in biomedicine.
Congratulations!
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The MBB department handbook has been updated. Changes from the 2022 edition:
| • | Key numbers updated for 2023 | | • | Minor corrections in several places | | • | Added responsibilities of deputy/asisstant chairpersons | | • | Addition of anticipated change in resource allocation 2024 |
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Laboratory safety introduction
External staff in need of an access card/badge can now create an account using their email address in Canvas for the obligatory laboratory test. The test is since the fall organised by the Property and Facilities Office.
As a new employee, affiliate, or student at one of KI's departments, but also as existing staff, you are offered a basic laboratory safety introduction. In order to be able to work in a safe and secure manner in the laboratory environment, it is important that all staff knows and follows the safety routines within KI.
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Updates regarding staff in the administration
Emina Dedic (see presentation below) started on 1 Febraury as an EU financial manager. She is responsible for post-award support and financial management of ongoing EU-projects at MBB.
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Linnea Holm is back from her maternity leave and works part time (50%) and is at the office on Monday and Wednesdays. Linnea handles the following divisions:
| • | Chemical biology and genome engineering | | • | Genome biology | | • | Molecular metabolism |
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Prepare yourself and your employees for performance management dialogue 1 (MS1)
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The performance management dialogue 1 is due to take place during the spring of 2023. In this digital course you’ll get a brief overview of the process and suggestions of how you can structure your dialogues. You’ll also find links to all steering- and supportive documents regarding the process. More information:
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KI’s top climate culprits are purchasing and travel
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An audit of KI’s greenhouse gas emissions reveals that the greatest volumes come from the purchase of goods and official travel. KI is now upping its climate game in several areas.
Read the full article: "KI’s top climate culprits are purchasing and travel"
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Recent publications, prizes and grants
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Antibody candidate for treating serious liver disease
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There is currently no drug for treating non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, which affects many people with type 2 diabetes and which can result in other serious liver diseases. A study led by researchers from Karolinska Institutet has now identified a drug candidate for the treatment of fatty liver. The preclinical study, published in the Journal of Hepatology, indicates that an antibody that blocks the protein VEGF-B presents a possible therapeutic option for fatty liver disease.
Read the full article: “Antibody candidate for treating serious liver disease"
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Simon Elsässer awarded the 2022 European Research Council (ERC) Consolidator Grants
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New insights into a fundamental process in mitochondria
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Researchers at Karolinska Institutet uncover the function of the release factor mtRF1 in the final steps of mitochondrial protein synthesis. The study, published in Nature Communications, reveals new insights into a fundamental process in mitochondria.
Read the full article: “New insights into a fundamental process in mitochondria"
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Grants and fellowships to the division of molecular metabolism
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Professor Nils-Göran Larsson, Roberta Filograna, Joanna Rorbach, and Annika Krüger at the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics have recently been awarded research grants and fellowships for their research with the Division of molecular metabolism.
Read the full article: “Grants and fellowships to the division of molecular metabolism"
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Simultaneous mapping of several different epigenetic landmarks in a single cell
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Researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University have developed a new technology allowing simultaneous probing of several different histone marks in one individual cell and in thousands of cells at the same time. This new method allows to investigate in much greater detail how cells in the mouse brain acquire unique properties and specialize. The study is published in the journal Nature Biotechnology.
Read the full article: “Simultaneous mapping of several different epigenetic landmarks in a single cell"
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Illustration: Amagoia Agirre
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Get to know your new colleagues
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Alissa Wilhalm has joined the research group of Anna Wredenberg as a Ph.D. student. She obtained her master’s degree in biomedical sciences with specialization in regenerative medicine at the University of Maastricht (the Netherlands), where she investigated the development of an anti-gene therapy delivery strategy to combat mitochondrial myopathy using nanoparticle-based loading of stem cells.
During her Ph.D. studies she will focus on investigating the role of SAM in mitochondrial biology and understand the effect of the mitochondrial methylation potential on cellular dysfunction and disease development. Outside of the lab, she enjoys doing sports, travelling, and playing the piano.
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Pauline Michon graduated with a PhD in cancer research from the University of Bordeaux (France). During this time, she studied metabolic rewiring in skin cancer.
She is now a postdoctoral researcher in Nils-Göran Larsson group at Molecular metabolism division.
Other activities that she enjoys are photography, yoga and sports in nature (skiing, scuba diving)”
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Emina Dedic started 1 Febraury at MBB Administration as an EU financial manager. In my role I’m responsible for post-award support and financial management of ongoing EU-projects at MBB. Before she started her employment at MBB, she worked at GMO (Grant Management Office) at KI in the same role.
Outside working hours, she prefers to spend er time in the forest with her dog.
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Lingling Mai has joined Onur Dagliyan group as a postdoctoral researcher. She obtained her PhD in Developmental Neuroscience at Tohoku University (Japan), where she studied neuronal circuits responsible for ultrasonic vocalization.
In the Dagliyan group, she will study the molecular mechanisms by which neuronal circuits are modulated in learning and memory.
Outside the lab, she enjoys watching movies, hiking, and hanging out with friends.
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Doris Krauter has joined Patrik Ernfors group as a postdoctoral researcher.
Previously she did her PhD at the Max Planck Institute of Multidisciplinary Sciences in Göttingen (Germany) working on Schwann cells in peripheral neuropathies. Now she is very much looking forward to learning more about sensory cells in chronic pain disorders.
Outside the lab she enjoys spending time with her family in the nature, running and doing yoga.
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Editor-in-chief:
Sten Linnarsson
Editor:
Johanna Bylund
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If you have comments about the newsletter or relevant news, contact Communications Officer Johanna Bylund.
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