Staffscientist in Antimicrobial Discovery

Umeå University, Faculty Office of Medicine

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 12 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 at Umeå University, seeks a staffscientist who will work with Antimicrobial Discovery. The full time position is temporary for 6 months and available from 1 March 2025 or according to agreement. Application deadline is 29 October 2024.

Background and description

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. 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.

The extensive use of broad-spectrum antibiotics is a major aggravator of the alarming spread of antimicrobial resistances. Moreover, it impacts patient health negatively by its devastating collateral effects on the microbiota. Hence, there is an urgent need for more selective treatment options.

Work tasks

Using an innovative antimicrobial discovery approach, we have recently identified a set of compounds displaying narrow-spectrum activity against Chlamydia, a group of obligate intracellular bacteria that every year causes millions of cases of urogenital, ocular, and respiratory infections. The work tasks include designing and performing experiments, presenting research results at conferences, and writing publications under supervision by the group leader, Barbara Sixt. The purpose of this project is to determine in vivo efficacy and selectivity of our most potent compounds.

Qualifications

We seek highly motivated candidates with a Ph.D in molecular biology, microbiology, or pharmaceutical sciences (or equivalent fields) at the time of the recruitment.

The ideal candidate should have academic ambitions and should be willing to take on scientific and technical challenges. Candidates must have practical experience in generating antimicrobial formulations and in vivo testing in a murine model. Candidates also must have documented practical experience in working with human cell cultures, intracellular bacterial pathogens, molecular genetic techniques, and fluorescence microscopy. Previous work experience with the pathogen Chlamydia is beneficial.

The candidate must be fluent in spoken and written English or Swedish. 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

The application must include:

• A CV with information on education, a list of previous and current employments, and a list of publications.

• A cover letter describing your research experience and interests and motivation for applying for the position.

• Contact details of two to three references.

The application must be written in English or Swedish. The application must be made through our e-recruitment system Varbi. 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 29 October 2024.

More about us

You can find more information about us at https://sixtlab.org/, http://www.mims.umu.se, http://www.ucmr.umu.se och https://www.umu.se/molbiol. For questions regarding the position, please contact the project supervisor: Barbara Sixt barbara.sixt@umu.se