Stress Response Modeling Research School PhD Positions

The research school for stress response modeling in IceLab

Starting in the spring of 2025, Umeå University’s interdisciplinary research hub, IceLab, will offer doctoral positions through the new Stress Response Modelling Research School.  Funded by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation and the Swedish Research Council’s centres of excellence, this research school focuses on modelling adaptive mechanisms in living systems under stress. It offers an extensive complexity science course package for doctoral students. 

This doctoral position presents a unique opportunity to join a cohort of other doctoral researchers in the research school and learn alongside each other in carefully designed courses that align with the excellence centre’s multidisciplinary theme.  

The program prepares next-generation computational biologists with strong complexity thinking and tools applicable to living systems across organizational scales, addressing major environmental and life sciences challenges.  

Courses will cover topics such as complexity science, mathematical modelling in evolution, ecology and plant biology, along with transferable skills, including interdisciplinary communication and collaboration. You will also be offered opportunities for research exchanges and form an integral part of the supportive and stimulating IceLab research environment.  

Join IceLab to work at the forefront of multidisciplinary science, integrating mathematical modelling and data science with diverse disciplines, including ecology, plant physiology, and molecular biology. Your research will deepen our understanding of how living systems respond to stress and environmental change, and we will help you grow and thrive in your scientific career. 

Formal Qualifications

Terms of employment
The employment is expected to result in a doctoral degree and the main assignment for the doctoral student is thus to be active in research, study doctoral courses, and possibly participate in teaching of courses at undergraduate level. The financing time is limited to four years full time. Teaching and other departmental work (up to a maximum of 20%) can be included. The employment is limited to four years at full time or up to five years if teaching and other departmental work is performed. The salary is fixed according to the established salary level for doctoral students. 

Competence requirements
To be admitted for studies at the third-cycle level, the applicant is required to have completed a second-cycle level degree or completed course requirements of at least 240 credits, of which at least 60 credits are at the second-cycle level or have an equivalent education from abroad or equivalent qualifications.  

To fulfil the specific entry requirements to be admitted for studies at the third-cycle level in CSE, the applicant is required to have completed courses at least 90 ECTS credits in CSE courses, of which at least 30 credits shall have been acquired at the second-cycle level. CSE courses refer to applied mathematics, computer science, physics or relevant fields. The requirements do not need to be fulfilled at the time of application but only at the enrollment. 

Specific competence requirements for each PhD project are listed below.

Five PhD Positions

Decipher master regulatory mechanisms of plant stress responses
 
PhD position in computational science to decipher master regulatory mechanisms of plant stress responses. 

The Department of Physics is looking for a PhD student in computational science with a focus on deciphering master regulatory mechanisms of plant stress responses. The position is for four years of full-time doctoral studies. The employment starts in August 2025 or according to an agreement. The application deadline is February 16. 

Project description and specific competence requirements
 
Uncover the mechanisms of immune memory
 
PhD position in computational science to uncover the mechanisms of immune memory 

The Department of Physics is looking for a PhD student in computational science with a focus on immune memory. The position is for four years of full-time doctoral studies. The employment starts in August 2025 or according to an agreement. The application deadline is February 16. 

Project description and specific competence requirements
 
Uncover how ecological communities respond to climate-induced stress
 
PhD position in computational science to uncover how ecological communities respond to climate-induced stress 

The Department of Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics is looking for a PhD student in mathematical modelling focusing on how ecological communities respond to climate-induced stress. The position is for four years of full-time doctoral studies. The employment starts in August 2025 or according to an agreement. The application deadline is February 16. 

Project description and specific competence requirements
 
Modelling Organelle Coordination Mechanisms under Stress
 
PhD position in computational science in Modelling Organelle Coordination Mechanisms under Stress 

The Department of Physics is looking for a PhD student in computational science with a focus on understanding the coordination mechanisms between the nucleus, mitochondria, and chloroplasts in plant cells. The position is for four years of full-time doctoral studies. The employment starts in August 2025 or according to an agreement. The application deadline is February 16. 

Project description and specific competence requirements
 
Ecosystem modelling focused on responses of river network carbon processing to climate stress
 
PhD position in ecosystem modelling focused on responses of river network carbon processing to climate stress 

The Department of Ecology and Environmental Science is looking for a PhD student in ecosystem modelling focused on responses of river network carbon processing to climate stress. The position is for four years of full-time doctoral studies. The employment starts in August 2025 or according to an agreement. The application deadline is February 16. 

Project description and specific competence requirements
 
 

Application 

The application should include the following:

• A personal letter with a brief description of qualifications, research interests, and why you are interested in the position (max. 1 page)
  Curriculum vitae. 
• Certified copies of relevant degree diploma(s). 
• A list of university courses with grades. Note that for international applicants the grading system should be explained in brief. 
• Copies of relevant work such as master’s thesis or articles you have authored or co-authored. If the master’s thesis has not been completed before the application deadline, a summary of the master’s thesis project and current progress shall be included. The summary can, at most, be five pages, including figures and references.
• Your GMAT (or GRE) and TOEFL/IELTS test scores if available.
  Contact information of three reference persons. 

Applications must be submitted via e-recruitment system Varbi no later than 2025-02–16. All documents should be uploaded in pdf format.