Record results also for KI’s second international recruitment drive
Karolinska Institutet’s international recruitment drive for 21 Assistant Professors has once again attracted a great deal of global interest. A total of 2,035 applications from 1,171 unique applicants have been received from 81 countries. The results remain at a very high level following last year’s record outcome and confirm KI’s strong appeal amongst the world’s most promising young researchers.
Once again this year, the largest group of international applicants comes from the USA, followed by the UK. The overall proportion of international applicants has increased from last year, from 73 per cent to 76 per cent, and together with the Swedish applicants, the applications reflect the broad international reach that the recruitment initiative has achieved.
“It is very gratifying to see such strong international interest in Karolinska Institutet once again. The number of applications remains high from promising young researchers with potential to advance medical research in the future,” says KI President Annika Östman Wernerson.
Strong commitment from the departments
The initiative is being carried out in close collaboration with KI’s departments, which have themselves defined the research areas to be strengthened and are now responsible for the ongoing recruitment process.
Following an extensive international campaign, the work is now moving on to the assessment and interview stages. There is a high level of commitment amongst the participating departments as they look ahead to the next stage of the process.
“The departments are looking forward to the selection process and to meeting shortlisted candidates later this year. There is a great deal of optimism regarding the opportunity to attract new research talent to our research environments,” says Annika Östman Wernerson.
Building strong research environments
This recruitment initiative forms part of KI’s long-term efforts to attract and develop the research leaders of the future. By recruiting researchers early in their careers, KI lays the foundations for building strong research environments for many years to come.
“We can already see that the researchers recruited in the first round have become valued and significant members of KI’s research community. They contribute new expertise, new collaborations and new ideas, which confirms the value of this long-term initiative. That is why this type of strategic recruitment is so important for KI’s future development,” says Annika Östman Wernerson.
At the same time, the international impact demonstrates that KI is perceived as an attractive environment for research in medicine and health, with strong infrastructure, close links to the healthcare sector and good opportunities to develop independent research programmes.
International recruitment figures for 2026
- 2,035 applications from 1,171 unique applicants (2025: 2,733 applications from 1,560 unique applicants)
- Applications from 81 countries (2025: 89 countries)
- 24 per cent domestic applicants, 76 per cent international applicants (2025: 23 per cent domestic, 73 per cent international)
- Gender breakdown (of total applications): 799 women, 1,157 men and 79 who did not specify their gender (2025: 1,049 women, 1,525 men and 159 who did not specify their gender)
- Top three countries: Sweden (24 per cent), USA (25 per cent), United Kingdom (2025: USA (27 per cent, Sweden 23 per cent), Germany)