Umeå University is one of Sweden’s largest higher education institutions with over 37,000 students and about 4,700 employees. The University offers a diversity of high-quality education and world-leading research in several fields. Notably, the groundbreaking discovery of the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing tool, which was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, was made here. At Umeå University, everything is close. Our cohesive campuses make it easy to meet, work together and exchange knowledge, which promotes a dynamic and open culture.
The ongoing societal transformation and large green investments in northern Sweden create enormous opportunities and complex challenges. For Umeå University, conducting research about – and in the middle of – a society in transition is key. We also take pride in delivering education to enable regions to expand quickly and sustainably. In fact, the future is made here.
The Department of Chemistry seeks a postdoc on biochemistry and molecular biology. The employment is full-time for two years with access 1 Sep, 2025 or by agreement.
Umeå University is one of Sweden’s largest institutions of higher education with over 35,000 students and 4,200 faculty and staff. We are characterised by world-leading research in several scientific fields and a multitude of educations ranked highly in international comparison. Recent breakthroughs at Umeå University include deciphering the molecular mechanisms of the bacterial CRISPR-Cas9 system and its repurposing into a tool for genome editing, a method developed at Umeå university that was awarded the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
The host lab is located within the cross-disciplinary Chemical Biological Centre (https://www.umu.se/en/kbc) at Umeå University and are affiliated with national Centre of Excellence – Umeå Centre for Microbial Research (UCMR) (https://www.umu.se/en/ucmr/). The labs are fully equipped for biological and chemical research with access to excellent facilities and state-of-art equipment and platforms in a creative, inspiring, international and highly interactive environment. Facilities include Protein Expertise Platform, X-ray, proteomics, NMR (850-400 MHz), cryo-EM and Biochemical Imaging Centre (confocal, SIM, FLIM, spinning disk, TIRF, STORM).
Project description
Our lab has developed novel chemo-optogenetic systems for controlling cellular activities by light with high spatiotemporal precision (Angew Chem 2014, 2017, 2018, 2018, 2025, Curr Opin Chem Biol 2015, ChemEurJ 2019, 2025, Nat Meth 2023). This project will combine CAR-T cell engineering with chemo-optogenetic systems to enable precision CAR-T therapy. The techniques used in the project include organic synthesis, protein expression and purification, biochemical characterization, in vitro reconstitution, molecular cloning, cell imaging and western blotting.
Qualifications
To be appointed under the postdoctoral agreement, the postdoctoral fellow is required to have completed a doctoral degree or a foreign degree deemed equivalent to a doctoral degree. This qualification requirements must be fulfilled no later than at the time of the appointment decision.
To be appointed under the postdoctoral agreement, priority should be given to candidates who completed their doctoral degree, according to what is stipulated in the paragraph above, no later than three years prior. If there are special reasons, candidates who completed their doctoral degree prior to that may also be eligible. Special reasons include absence due to illness, parental leave, appointments of trust in trade union organizations, military service, or similar circumstances, as well as clinical practice or other forms of appointment/assignment relevant to the subject area. Postdoctoral fellows who are to teach or supervise must have taken relevant courses in teaching and learning in higher education.
A doctoral degree or a foreign degree deemed equivalent to a doctoral degree should be in biochemistry, cell biology, chemical biology, molecular biology, organic chemistry, or another relevant field.
Additional requirements are;
The successful candidate is expected to independently further their own studies but also be in close collaboration with other members of the team. Independence and good ability to collaborate are therefore requirements. Good command of written and spoken English is also a requirement.
Meriting criteria are:
Experiences in synthetic chemistry, protein/peptide chemistry, protein expression and purification, molecular cloning, membrane biochemistry, in vitro reconstitution, cell imaging, western blotting, and/or knock-out/down are strong merits, as is a good record of research publication.
Application
The application should include:
A motivation letter including research interests, qualifications, and motivation for applying (max 2,000 characters with space),
A Curriculum Vitae with a publication list including both published papers and preprints with web/DOI,
Certified copy of doctoral degree certificate or documentation that clarifies when the degree of doctor is expected to be obtained,
Certified copies of other diplomas, list of completed academic courses and grades,
Copy of doctoral thesis and max 3 relevant articles,
Contact information for at least two reference persons,
Other documents that the applicant wishes to claim.
The application must be written in English or Swedish. The application is made through our electronic recruitment system. Documents sent electronically must be in Word or PDF format. Log in to the system and apply via the button at the end of this page. The closing date is 16 Apr 2025.
The Department of Chemistry is one of the largest departments within the Faculty of Science and Technology with approximately 200 employees and strong and expanding research. The Department has four major research areas: Biological Chemistry, IBEAM, Organic Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry. We are also a strong partner in the KBC, Chemical-Biological Center. For more information about working at Umeå University, https://www.umu.se/en/work-with-us/.
Umeå University wants to offer an equal environment where open dialogue between people with different backgrounds and perspectives lay the foundation for learning, creativity and development. We welcome people with different backgrounds and experiences to apply for the current employment.
We kindly decline offers of recruitment and advertising help.
