Sweden is one of Europe’s most attractive destinations for doctoral research, with funded PhD positions across medicine, engineering, environmental science, AI, and more. The three largest employers of doctoral researchers in the Stockholm region — Karolinska Institutet, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, and Stockholm University — currently have over two dozen open paid PhD positions. This guide lists all 25 active vacancies with direct application links and deadline dates.
Quick Overview
#
Position
University
Field
Deadline
1
Motor-Cognitive Function and Brain Activity During Complex Gait in Atypical Parkinsonism
Karolinska Institutet
Neuroscience, Physiotherapy
2026-08-31
2
Oligodendrocytes, Myelination, and Lifestyle Interventions in Alzheimer’s Disease Progression
Karolinska Institutet
Neuroscience
2026-07-31
3
Regional Decision-Making and Implementation of Public Health Initiatives to Reduce Health Inequalities
Karolinska Institutet
Health, Governance & Policy
2026-08-03
4
Smc5/6-Mediated Chromosome Folding and Three-Dimensional Chromosome Organization
Karolinska Institutet
Molecular Biology, Genetics, Genomics
2026-08-02
5
Spatial Immune Niche Mapping and B/T Cell Clonal Evolution in Cancer Using Spatial Transcriptomics
Karolinska Institutet
Bioinformatics, Oncology, Immunology
2026-08-31
6
Treatment Strategies to Prevent Bone Growth Impairment and Osteoporosis in Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Survivors
Karolinska Institutet
Oncology, Pediatrics
2026-07-31
7
Cell-Cell Interaction Modeling for Precision Cancer Medicine Using Deep Learning
Fluorescence Blinking-Based Monitoring of Cellular Conditions
KTH
Biomedical Engineering, Physics
2026-07-31
9
GNSS-Based Railway Track Position Measurement
KTH
Geodesy & Geomatics, Transportation
2026-08-16
10
Large-Scale Neural Network Models for Brain-Like Machine Intelligence
KTH
AI, Neuroscience
2026-07-10
11
Security and Resilience of Positioning and Localization Systems
KTH
Cybersecurity, Wireless Communications
2026-08-23
12
Silicon Carbide Bipolar Devices for Power Electronics
KTH
Electrical Engineering, Material Science
2026-08-31
13
Aerosol-Cloud Interactions and Their Representation in Earth System Climate Models
Stockholm University
Environmental Science
2026-08-31
14
AI-Driven Design of Protein-Molecule Interactions for Novel Pharmaceuticals
Stockholm University
Pharmaceutical, AI, Biology
2026-07-13
15
Detection of Reporting Bias and Regulatory Misconduct in Developmental Neurotoxicity Studies
Stockholm University
Toxicology, Environmental Science
2026-08-23
16
Environmental Exposure Modeling of Chemicals and Materials for Planetary Protection on Mars
Stockholm University
Chemistry, Environmental Science
2026-07-31
17
Environmental Fate and Biodegradation of PFAS-Free Healthcare Materials
Stockholm University
Chemistry, Environmental Science
2026-07-15
18
Evolution of Cross-Species Bacteriophages for Broad-Host Antimicrobial Therapies
Stockholm University
Microbiology, Genomics
2026-07-13
19
Gene Regulatory Networks of Lung Development and Regeneration
Stockholm University
Biology, Genomics
2026-07-13
20
Immunomodulatory Mechanisms of Extracellular Non-Coding Oligonucleotides
Stockholm University
Immunology, Molecular Biology
2026-07-13
21
Isotopic Fingerprinting and Source Attribution of Arctic Ocean Methane Emissions from Subsea Permafrost and Gas Hydrates
Stockholm University
Chemistry, Environmental Science
2026-07-31
22
Methane Oxidation and Subsea Permafrost Controls on Arctic Ocean Methane Emissions
Stockholm University
Chemistry, Environmental Science
2026-07-31
23
Microplastic Aerosols as Ice-Nucleating Particles in Arctic Clouds
Stockholm University
Environmental Science, Chemistry
2026-07-17
24
Molecular Mechanisms of Bacterial Multicellular Behaviour and Interbacterial Communication
Stockholm University
Microbiology, Genomics
2026-07-13
25
Molecular Mechanisms of Energy Metabolism in Obesity and Metabolic Disease
Stockholm University
Molecular Biology
2026-07-13
Karolinska Institutet Vacancies (1-6)
Karolinska Institutet is Sweden’s leading medical university and a global hub for biomedical and health sciences research. PhD positions here are funded and come with a salary.
1. Motor-Cognitive Function and Brain Activity During Complex Gait in Atypical Parkinsonism
Field: Neuroscience, Physiotherapy
Deadline: 31 August 2026
This PhD project investigates how gait complexity relates to brain activity in atypical parkinsonism, combining neuroscience and physiotherapy approaches.
KTH Royal Institute of Technology Vacancies (7-12)
KTH is Sweden’s largest technical university, with PhD positions spanning AI, engineering, physics, and biomedical sciences. All positions are salaried.
7. Cell-Cell Interaction Modeling for Precision Cancer Medicine Using Deep Learning
Stockholm University offers PhD positions across natural sciences, environmental research, chemistry, and biology. All positions are funded with a doctoral salary.
13. Aerosol-Cloud Interactions and Their Representation in Earth System Climate Models
Reddit communities like r/PhD and r/TillSverige feature candid discussions from people navigating PhD applications in Sweden.
Fellow applicants and current PhD students share application tips, salary expectations, and what to expect from the recruitment process.
Practical Tips for Applying
Given how many Stockholm University deadlines cluster around 13 July, if you are interested in more than one of those positions, prioritize getting your application materials ready well before that date rather than treating each as a separate timeline.
Key materials to prepare for any PhD application in Sweden:
CV / resume — tailored to the research field
Research statement — outlining your interest and relevant experience
Academic transcripts — from your bachelor’s and master’s degrees
Reference letters — typically two to three from academic supervisors
Publications or thesis — if applicable, especially a master’s thesis summary
All positions listed are paid doctoral positions (salaried employment under Swedish law), not stipends — meaning you will receive a monthly salary and standard employee benefits throughout your studies.
This project explores how oligodendrocyte function and myelination interact with lifestyle factors in Alzheimer’s disease progression.
This PhD project examines how regional decision-makers implement public health strategies targeting health inequalities across populations.
This project investigates how the Smc5/6 complex mediates chromosome folding and 3D genome organization at a molecular level.
This project uses spatial transcriptomics to map immune niches and track B and T cell clonal evolution within tumour microenvironments.
This project develops treatment strategies to prevent long-term bone complications in childhood leukemia survivors.
This project uses deep learning to model cell-cell interactions for applications in precision cancer medicine.
This PhD project develops fluorescence-based methods for monitoring cellular conditions in real time.
This project develops GNSS-based methods for precise railway track position measurement.
This project investigates large-scale neural network architectures that mimic aspects of brain function for advanced machine intelligence.
Reddit communities like r/PhD and r/TillSverige feature candid discussions from people navigating PhD applications in Sweden.
Fellow applicants and current PhD students share application tips, salary expectations, and what to expect from the recruitment process.
