Post-doctoral fellow in physical chemistry: liquid-liquid phase separation in complex environments Full-time

Post-doctoral Fellow In Physical Chemistry: Liquid-liquid Phase Separation In Complex Environments

Lund University was founded in 1666 and is repeatedly ranked among the world's top universities. The University has around 47 000 students and more than 8 800 staff based in Lund, Helsingborg and Malmö. We are united in our efforts to understand, explain and improve our world and the human condition.

Lund University welcomes applicants with diverse backgrounds and experiences. We regard gender equality and diversity as a strength and an asset.

Subject Description

The subject includes experimental and theoretical studies of biological matter. We address molecular questions in biological systems, and study biological and designed proteins using a combination of classical and advanced techniques including optical and NMR spectroscopy, surface plasmon resonance, light and X-ray scattering, cryo-electron and fluorescence microscopy. The experimental and theoretical methods used often have their origins in physics. Significant work is devoted to protein self-assembly and co-assembly and interactions with other biomolecules.

The research project takes place within the COMMONS Center of Excellence (www.physchem.lu.se/commons). The environment brings together scientists active within the fields of physical chemistry, biochemistry, molecular biophysics, and theoretical chemistry. The overarching aim of COMMONS is to provide a multifaceted scientific environment focusing on unifying physicochemical processes of key importance for the interactions between biological membranes and biomacromolecules. The COMMONS center brings together methodological and theoretical expertise from Lund University, Chalmers and Copenhagen University.

The project is focused on biomolecular condensates in complex systems, including cells, with an aim to develop methods and methodologies to investigate liquid-liquid phase separation in complex environments. A key challenge is to establish techniques capable of probing very small condensates, determining whether they are liquid or solid, and assessing whether they and undergo phase transitions over time. The methods should enable to quantify diffusion rates inside condensates, discriminate between associative from segregative phase separation, and identify the molecular factors governing these phenomena. A central open question concerns why condensates in cells appear to halt and not grow (Ostwald ripening and coalescence should be expected for liquid phases). What molecular factors limit the size of such condensates? The methods may include advanced optical and cryo-electron microscopy, scattering and diffusion-based methods.

The project will be run in collaboration between different groups, including those of Sara Linse (Division on Biochemistry and Structural Biology) and Emma Sparr (Division of Physical Chemistry, Lund University). Connections to other experimental and theoretical groups within the COMMONS Center of Excellence for biomolecular assembly are possible and encouraged. Please reach out to sara.linse@chem.lu.se or emma.sparr@chem.lu.se for more information and discussion on potential project ideas related to the research plan required for the application.

The postdoctoral researchers will be able to develop their scientific skills and knowledge within the interdisciplinary center, which will also impact on outcomes from the research projects. The COMMONS center is led by a group of PIs from the participating Universities (Emma Sparr, Sara Linse, Fredrik Höök, Martin Malmsten) whom together with additional professors within COMMONS will guide the projects and the training of the recruited postdocs towards leading academic or industrial research positions.

This post-doctoral position is also part of the EU cofund research project AMBER, Advanced Multiscale Biological imaging using European Research infrastructures, will address scientific and sectoral gaps in biological imaging ranging from molecular, through cellular, to tissue, organ and organism levels of organisation, and is coordinated by LINXS Institute of advanced Neutron and X-ray Science. AMBER is funded by the EU Marie Skłodowska-Curie (MSCA) COFUND scheme. Around 15 postdocs will be recruited in the fifth call 2026, with each fellowship lasting 36 months.

AMBER has six core partners: Lund University/MAX IV, Sweden, the European Spallation Source (ESS), Sweden, the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL), France, the International Institute of Molecular Mechanisms and Machines, (IMOL), Poland, and the Leicester Institute of Structural and Chemical Biology, United Kingdom.

Your work may include clinical and biomedical projects. It may also include technique development work aimed at combining imaging techniques and data analysis to provide a more integrated picture of life processes in the context of health and disease. To be a postdoc fellow at the AMBER programme you will get unprecedented medical, biological, and methodological capabilities, with a profound potential impact for Europe's next generation of research and researchers. When you have completed the AMBER programme you will be extraordinarily well equipped to further your career in academia, at infrastructures, in the health and MedTech sectors, and beyond.

Work Duties

The main duties involved in a post-doctoral position is to conduct research. Teaching may also be included, but up to no more than 20% of working hours. The position shall include the opportunity for three weeks of training in higher education teaching and learning.

Detailed description of the work duties, such as:

• Research within the subject area – this includes methods development, data acquisition and data analysis
• Exploration of potential collaborative projects within the COMMONS center of excellence beyond the core project
• Active contribution to topical discussions within the COMMONS center of excellence

Qualification Requirements

Appointment to a post-doctoral position requires that the applicant has a PhD, or an international degree deemed equivalent to a PhD, within the subject of the position.

Minimum requirements are:

• candidate needs to have a maximum 8 years after a doctoral degree (PhD), as required by the project Grant Agreement signed with the European Commission,
• candidate must have at least one original publication in a peer-reviewed journal as first or last author,
• candidate must have a documented strong background in protein biophysics
• candidate must have documented experience of experimental methodology development
• candidate must have documented practical experience of protein sample preparation and handling
• a complete application package submitted through the AMBER portal (including CV and detailed research plan), and finally,
• strict compliance with the MSCA mobility rule that the researcher must not have resided or carried out his/her main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the host organisation's country for more than twelve months in the three years immediately prior to the call deadline.

Each project will have additional specific requirements that candidates have to fulfill, be sure to check what these are before you apply.

Additional requirements:

• Very good oral and written proficiency in English.
• Practical experience of studies of complex systems, including cells
• Practical experience of optical microscopy
• Practical experience of cryo-electron microscopy
• Practical experience of scattering methods
• Proficiency in data analysis for the above methods
• Practical experience of protein purification and labelling
• Additional publication(s) as first or last author

Assessment Criteria And Other Qualifications

This is a career development position primarily focused on research. The position is intended as an initial step in a career, and the assessment of the applicants will primarily be based on their research qualifications and potential as researchers. Particular emphasis will be placed on research skills within the subject.

For appointments to this post-doctoral position, the following shall form the assessment criteria:

• A good ability to develop and conduct high quality research.
• documented strong background in protein biophysics documented experience of experimental methodology development
• documented practical experience of protein sample preparation and handling
• A well-developed ability and motivation for interdisciplinary work combining theoretical modeling with experimental results
• Teaching skills

Additional assessment criteria of specific merit:

• Documented interdisciplinary work
• Experience with scattering techniques, microscopy and other relevant experimental techniques
• Experience with studies of complex systems, including cells
• Practical experience of protein purification and labelling

Consideration will also be given to good collaborative skills, drive and independence, and how the applicant's experience and skills complement and strengthen ongoing research within the department, and how they stand to contribute to its future development.

Terms Of Employment

This is a full-time, fixed-term employment of a maximum of 3 years. The period of employment is determined in accordance with the agreement “Avtal om tidsbegränsad anställning som postdoktor” (“Agreement on fixed-term