Postdoc position 2 years, in Molecular Infection Biology (Proteomics-Lipidomics)

Umeå University, Medicinska fakulteten

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.

Are you interested in learning more? Read about Umeå university as a workplace

The Faculty of Medicine, which consists of 13 departments, is responsible for biomedical research and courses in the field of nursing and health care and has an extensive research and graduate education in more than 80 subjects.

The Department of Molecular Biology

The department provides a vibrant interfaculty research environment and there is access to a wide range of state-of-the-art imaging, metabolomics, genomics and screening facilities.

Project description and work tasks

The obligate intracellular bacterial pathogen Chlamydia trachomatis is the leading infectious cause of blindness and the most common bacterial agent of sexually transmitted diseases. The pathogen has a unique developmental biology. Moreover, within the host cell, the bacteria replicate inside a membrane-enclosed vacuole called inclusion. Our knowledge of the biogenesis of the inclusion and of its interactions with host organelles is scarce. In this project, we aim to illuminate these fascinating aspects of host-pathogen interaction using proteomic, lipidomic, and microscopic approaches.

The work tasks include designing and performing experiments, presenting research results at conferences, and writing publications under supervision by the group leader.

Qualifications

Candidates must hold a University degree equivalent to a European University PhD degree in molecular biology, cell biology, or microbiology (or equivalent fields) at the time of the recruitment. To be eligible you should have completed your PhD degree a maximum of three years before the end of the application period, unless special circumstances exist.

The ideal candidate should have academic ambitions and should be willing to take on scientific and technical challenges.

A thorough knowledge in molecular biology, cell biology, and infection biology is a prerequisite. Candidates also must have documented practical experience in working with human cell cultures, intracellular bacterial pathogens, molecular genetic techniques, and fluorescence microscopy. Experience with proteomic and lipidomic studies, in particular with the analysis of data arising from such experiments, is an advantage.

Candidates must be fluent in spoken and written English. Because the project will be of collaborative nature, candidates need to be able to work productively not only independently, but also in a team. Excellent communication skills are required for interacting effectively with senior colleagues and peers, including colleagues from complementary research fields.

Application

You apply through our recruitment system. The application should be written in English. The deadline for application is 22 October 2020. The application should include:

A personal cover letter explaining why you are interested in the position, how you can contribute tothe project and in which direction you may want to develop it (no more than 2 A4 pages).
A curriculum vitae that documents academic education and past and previous employments.
Your publication list.
A copy of the PhD certificate and other relevant degree certificates.
A copy of doctoral thesis
Names and contact details with e-mail addresses of two or three academic references.
Other relevant documentation you wish to include in support of your application.

We welcome your application!

More about us

The Sixt lab is part of the Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden (MIMS) and the Umeå Centre for Microbial Research (UCMR), an interdisciplinary research center devoted to top quality research and novel applications in the field of microbiology. You can find more information about us at https://sixtlab.org/, www.mims.umu.se, www.ucmr.umu.se and www.umu.se/en/department-of-molecular-biology/. For questions regarding the position, please contact the project supervisor: Barbara Sixt (barbara.sixt@umu.se).