MSCA Postdoc at CoSAXS Full-time

MSCA Postdoc at CoSAXS

Lund University, MAX IV, Soft Materials

Lund University was founded in 1666 and is repeatedly ranked among the world's top universities. The University has around 46 000 students and 8 500 staff based in Lund, Helsingborg and Malmö. We are united in our efforts to understand, explain and improve our world and the human condition.

High-throughput SAXS for Lipid Nanoparticle Structure and Function

Are you interested in developing next-generation scattering methods for one of the most important challenges in modern therapeutics?

We are seeking a highly motivated postdoctoral researcher to join the CoSAXS beamline at MAX IV and the Edler Group, at Lund University to develop high-throughput SAXS/WAXS approaches for understanding the structure and function of solid lipid nanoparticles.

This 36 month position offers the opportunity to work at one of the world's most advanced synchrotron facilities, within an international and interdisciplinary research environment spanning soft matter physics, structural biology, nanomedicine, and advanced data analysis. The fellowship is funded through the prestigious AMBER Marie Skłodowska-Curie COFUND programme.

The Research Environment

The position is hosted jointly by the CoSAXS beamline and the Edler goup at Lund University.

CoSAXS is a state-of-the-art SAXS/WAXS beamline operating on the 3 GeV storage ring at MAX IV, one of the world's leading fourth-generation synchrotron sources. The beamline supports research in soft matter, biological materials, and nanostructured systems through advanced instrumentation and flexible sample environments.

The Edler Group focuses on understanding how hierarchical functional materials form and how this understanding can be used to design new materials with tailored properties. Research in the group centres on self-assembly processes involving nanoparticles, surfactants, polymers, lipid systems, and other soft matter components, with particular emphasis on how nanoscale interactions govern structure and function across multiple length scales. The group combines advanced scattering and diffraction methods with a broad suite of complementary characterisation techniques such as TEM, SEM, AFM, NMR, light scattering, XRD, and neutron scattering approaches.

The project also involves collaboration with researchers at ESS and ISIS Neutron and Muon Source as part of the ESS First Science initiative “The Lifecycle of a Lipid Nanoparticle.”

The Project: High-throughput SAXS for Visualising Solid Lipid Nanoparticles

Lipid nanoparticles are rapidly transforming the field of drug delivery, including RNA therapeutics and precision medicine. Despite their importance, many fundamental questions remain about how nanoparticle structure governs encapsulation, stability, transport, and biological performance. This project aims to establish direct links between nanoscale structure and function in lipid nanoparticles using advanced synchrotron SAXS/WAXS methods at MAX IV.

The postdoctoral researcher will play a central role in developing new experimental and analytical capabilities for high-throughput lipid nanoparticle characterisation at CoSAXS. The work combines synchrotron experiments, advanced scattering analysis, and collaborative method development.

The successful candidate will:

• design, plan, and perform SAXS/WAXS experiments on solid lipid nanoparticles and related soft matter systems
• develop high-throughput workflows for nanoparticle characterisation at CoSAXS
• investigate nanoparticle formation pathways, internal organisation, and structural evolution
• analyse scattering data using advanced computational approaches, including atomistic and coarse-grained modelling
• contribute to the development of data analysis tools for complex nanoparticle systems
• participate in neutron and synchrotron experiments at international large-scale facilities
• support relevant user experiments and contribute to the broader scientific activities of the beamline
• train and support users in scattering workflows and analysis methods
• contribute to supervision of student projects and collaborative research activities
• disseminate research through publications, conference presentations, workshops, and international collaborations

The position offers a unique opportunity to contribute both to frontier research in nanostructured therapeutics and to the development of next-generation experimental methods for the wider scientific community.

We are looking for an ambitious and collaborative researcher with strong experimental and analytical skills. Applicants should have:

• PhD in a relevant science area, biophysics, lipid/amphiphile based physical chemistry or equivalent
• Proven expertise in SAXS/WAXS and data interpretation
• Proven experience in the use of synchrotron SAXS/WAXS for lipid or surfactant self-assembled structure determination
• Documented expertise in data reduction and analysis using scripting (ideally python-based)
• Experience carrying out SAXS/WAXS experiments at large scale facilities, ideally from self-authored proposals
• Working experience with soft matter and/or protein systems including sample preparation for SAXS measurements
• Ability to work independently and take initiatives
• Strong social and communication skills
• Good command of written and spoken English

Experience with lipid systems, surfactants, nanoparticle self-assembly, atomistic modelling, or beamline environments will be considered an advantage.

About the AMBER Programme

This fellowship is part of AMBER – Advanced Multiscale Biological Imaging using European Research Infrastructures, an EU-funded Marie Skłodowska-Curie COFUND programme coordinated by LINXS Institute of Advanced Neutron and X-ray Science.

AMBER supports postdoctoral researchers working across biological imaging and structural science, from molecular to organism-level studies, through access to leading European research infrastructures.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the AMBER programme, applicants must:

• hold a PhD awarded within the last 8 years
• have at least one peer-reviewed publication
• comply with the MSCA mobility rule: applicants must not have lived or worked in Sweden for more than 12 months during the 3 years prior to the call deadline

How to Apply

Full application details, templates, and eligibility information are available at: https://www.ambercofund.eu/for-applicants

Applications, written in English and in PDF format, must be submitted through the AMBER portal.

1. A CV (europass format) exported to PDF to use in your application
2. A detailed research plan including secondments (candidates can suggest more than the mandated secondment), schools and conferences as well as a templated budget plan. The research plan should be concise, 3 pages, including 1/3 page of summary/abstract

Additional texts to include in the PDF are:

• Letter of Commitment from any additional secondment partners the candidate wishes to bring onboard
• Evidence of English proficiency (minimum CEFR B22, also checked at interview)
• A draft Individual Career Development Plan (ICDP)
• Two reference letters
• Any additional documents to support the application
• Ethical questionnaire (HE ethics checklist + research ethics commitment)
• A candidate can apply for up to 3 positions. You need to make a full application for each individual position. A list with order of preference of positions should be sent to: amber@linxs.se

Incomplete applications will not be considered. Interviews will start in November 2026.

Further information

This is a full-time, fixed-term employment. A postdoctoral fellow is employed under a period of at least two years and at most three years. The period of employment is determined in accordance with the agreement “Avtal om tidsbegränsad anställning som postdoktor-2022-02-01” (“Agreement on fixed-term employment as a post-doctoral fellow, 2022-02-01”).

MAX IV is a Swedish national large-scale research infrastructure hosted by Lund University. It provides scientists from Sweden and abroad, with intense x-rays and state-of-the-art instrumentation for research in areas such as engineering, physics, structural biology, chemistry and nanotechnology. Its 16 beamlines receive up to 2 000 scientists annually, conducting ground-breaking experiments in materials and life sciences using the brilliant X-rays.

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Type of employment – Temporary position

Contract type – Full time