Postdoc in Experimental Biomedical Research

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 community medicine and rehabilitation comprises five units; Occupational therapy, Physiotherapy, Geriatrics, Sports medicine and Rehabilitation medicine, all involved in teaching, research and collaboration with society and health care.

Project Description

The Department of Community Medicine and Rehabilitation is seeking a Postdoc for the project “COPD-HIT”, an international multicenter project aimed at developing and validating an in vitro loading model against in vivo blood and muscle adaptations (biopsies) from individuals with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), as well as healthy matched controls who have undergone physical training of varying intensity and duration.

Job Responsibilities

As a Postdoc in this project, you will combine experimental studies with the analysis of in vivo blood and muscle data. Since the project is translational, you will collaborate with both clinical and preclinical researchers as well as specialists in other related fields.
You will have a central and independent role, working with:

Establishment and culture of primary human muscle cells, including isolation, culture, and differentiation.
In vitro models for mechanical loading of muscle cells, particularly using the FlexCell system.
Omics techniques, including sample preparation for proteomics as well as data analysis and interpretation.
Protein analyses, with experience in techniques such as Western blot and ELISA.
Gene expression analysis, including quantitative PCR (qPCR) for mRNA analysis.
Immunohistochemistry and immunocytochemistry, including tissue preparation, sectioning, and staining.
Microscopy techniques, with a focus on confocal microscopy and image analysis.
Contributing to study design, selection of analytical methods, and method development.
Visual presentation of analyses and results, and participation in the writing of scientific publications.
Collaboration with clinical researchers, bioinformaticians, and other experts in the project group.

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for employment as a Postdoc, you must hold a PhD or a foreign degree deemed equivalent to a PhD in the life sciences or another relevant field. This requirement must be fulfilled at the time of the hiring decision. Candidates with a PhD degree less than three years old will be considered first, but this is not a definitive criterion.

To be considered for the position, you should have:

Documented experience working with the FlexCell tension system (highly meritorious).
A strong background in molecular biology/biomedicine and/or biotechnology, including solid experience with molecular and biochemical laboratory techniques, and proficiency in cell culture (preferably including 3D cell culture models).
Excellent command of scientific English and strong general communication skills in English, both spoken and written.

Significant emphasis will be placed on the applicant’s suitability for the specific project.

More information about the position

The appointment is a full-time, fixed-term position for two years in accordance with the terms of contract for fixed-term employment as a postdoctoral researcher.

Application Instructions

Applications must be submitted through our online recruitment system (see the “Apply” button at the bottom of the page). Your application should include:

A brief statement describing your research interests and motivation for applying for the position.
Curriculum Vitae (CV).
List of publications.
Copies of PhD diploma and other relevant degrees.
Contact information for two references.

Applications should be written in Swedish or English and submitted via the Varbi e-recruitment system no later than 28 November 2025.

For further information, please contact: Professor André Nyberg, Phone: +46 (0)90-786 66 39, Email: andre.nyberg@umu.se