Job Description

Are you passionate about stem cell biology and advanced in vitro modeling? Join our team for a Master’s thesis focused on developing and optimizing iPSC-derived lung alveolospheres using automation and design of experiments. Gain hands-on experience in cell culture, imaging analysis, and qPCR, and contribute to the creation of robust and disease-relevant lung models for mechanistic studies and drug screening.

About AstraZeneca:

AstraZeneca is a global, science-led, patient-centered biopharmaceutical company focusing on discovering, developing, and commercializing prescription medicines for some of the world’s most serious diseases. But we’re more than a global leading pharmaceutical company. At AstraZeneca, we're dedicated to being a Great Place to Work and empowering employees to push the boundaries of science and fuel their entrepreneurial spirit.

About the Opportunity:

As a Thesis Worker at AstraZeneca, you’ll find an environment that’s full of unique opportunities and exciting challenges. Here, you’ll have the opportunity to pursue your areas of interest whilst developing a broad skillset and knowledge base to get the best out of your experience. You’ll be working on meaningful projects to make an impact and deliver real value for our patients and our business.

Thesis work description:

This project aims to develop and optimize culture conditions for iPSC-derived lung alveolospheres by leveraging automation and systematic design of experiments (DoE). The student will refine media formulations, extracellular matrices, and environmental parameters to establish reproducible workflows. Hands-on techniques will include cell culture, imaging analysis, and qPCR, quantifying morphological and molecular endpoints indicative of alveolar identity and maturation.

The optimized system will be validated by exposing alveolospheres to fibrotic and inflammatory stimuli, assessing model fidelity, robustness, and translational relevance. In addition, the project will define and implement quality control frameworks to ensure reproducibility across experiments and operators.

Key Objectives

• Optimization of Culture Conditions with DoE and Automation: Establish an efficient, reproducible protocol for refining media, ECM, and environmental factors for lung alveolosphere culture.
• Disease-Context Validation: Evaluate the biological relevance of optimized alveolospheres by challenging them with disease-relevant stimuli (fibrosis, inflammation) and benchmarking responses.
• Quality Control Framework: Set quality standards for cross-plate and cross-experiment consistency, ensuring robustness and reproducibility for downstream research applications.
• Your work will help create advanced in vitro lung models applicable in disease mechanism studies and high-throughput screening for drug discovery.

Placement  

This is an on-site position at AstraZeneca Gothenburg.

AstraZeneca does not support accommodation for this role

Structure

• Duration: Start Sep/Nov 2026
• Credits: 45

Essential Requirements:

• Enrolled in a master's program within cell biology, biomedical science or other relevant fields.
• Detail-oriented, independent, collaborative, problem-solver, curious!
• Experience with cell culture is essential. Experience with complex 3D models is preferred.

So, what’s next?

Apply today and take the chance to be part of making a difference, making connections, and gaining the tools and experience to open doors and fulfil your potential. We can´t wait to hear from you!

We welcome your application as soon as possible, but ahead of the scheduled closing date 22nd of April 2026. If we identify suitable candidates ahead of the scheduled closing date, we reserve the right to withdraw the vacancy earlier than published.

Date Posted

02-Apr-2026

Closing Date

22-Apr-2026Our mission is to build an inclusive and equitable environment. We want people to feel they belong at AstraZeneca and Alexion, starting with our recruitment process. We welcome and consider applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of characteristics. We offer reasonable adjustments/accommodations to help all candidates to perform at their best. If you have a need for any adjustments/accommodations, please complete the section in the application form.