The Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics at Umeå University, Sweden, invites applicants for a two-year Postdoctoral position for studies of Gram-positive Type 4 Secretion Systems that facilitate the spread of antibiotic resistance. The position is expected to start late summer / early autumn 2025 or according to agreement and lasts 2 years. The application deadline is the 30th of April 2025.  

The department has excellent infrastructure for biochemistry and biophysics, and we also have access to excellent facilities on campus such as the Umeå Centre for Electron Microscopy (UCEM), BioMolecular Characterization Centre (BMCU) and Biochemical Imaging Centre Umeå (BICU). Further, we are an international department with employees from many different countries and backgrounds.

Description of the project 

Our research group studies the structural and functional aspects of horizontal gene transfer via Type 4 Secretion Systems. Due to the increasingly large spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, it is important to understand the basic mechanisms and structure of the very large protein complexes that facilitate this gene transfer. 

The overall goal of this project is to study the function and structure of Type 4 Secretion Systems from Gram-positive bacteria. In part depending on the background and interests of the applicant, the project will involve a combination of both in vitro techniques, such as cloning (both standard and knock-in/knock-out via homologous recombination), expression and (membrane) protein purification, single particle electron microscopy, x-ray crystallography, as well as in vivo methods like conjugation and biofilm formation assays or fluorescence microscopy. For recent publications resulting from our work on this system, see e.g. Breidenstein et al, 2025, Sun et al, 2024 mBio, Sun et al, 2023 eLife and Jäger et al, 2022 Structure. 

Eligibility and qualifications 

A person who has been awarded a doctorate or a foreign qualification deemed to be the equivalent of a doctorate within structural biology, biochemistry, cell- and molecular biology, or a related discipline, is eligible for the appointment as a postdoctoral researcher. This eligibility requirement must be met no later than the time at which postdoc position starts.  

We seek highly motivated candidates with documented experience in integrated structural biology and biochemistry. You should have hands-on experience with cloning, protein expression and purification. Experience in biochemical / biophysical analysis of membrane proteins and/or protein complexes as well as previous work within the field of cryo-electron microscopy and single particle analysis is advantageous but not per se required. Experience in fluorescence microscopy on bacteria is also advantageous. The candidate is expected to have a strong track record in a relevant field of research, documented by authorship of a strong PhD thesis and preferably also articles in peer-reviewed original publications.

Candidates must be fluent in English. Since the project will be of collaborative nature, candidates are expected to function in a team and have a good ability to co-operate. Good communication skills are required for interacting effectively with colleagues and peers, including colleagues from complementary research fields.  

More about the position

Since appointment as a postdoctoral researcher is a career-development position for junior researchers, we are primarily interested in applicants who completed their doctoral degree no more than three years before the application deadline. If there are special reasons, an applicant who has completed their degree earlier than that may be considered. Special reasons include absence due to illness, parental leave, clinical practice, appointments of trust for a trade union organisation or other similar circumstances, and for relevant duties/assignments within the subject area.  

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 from 1 February 2022. 

Application 

The application must include: 

• A cover letter explaining why you are interested in the position and the work, how you can contribute to the project and in which direction you want to develop it (no more than 2 A4 pages).
• A curriculum vitae that documents academic education and past and previous employments.
• A list of your publications.
• A copy of the PhD certificate and other relevant degree certificates.
• Names and contact details with e-mail addresses of two or three academic references. 

The application should be written in English. The application must be made via our e-recruitment system Varbi and must be received latest 30th of April, 2025.  

For further information on this project, please contact Ronnie Berntsson, ronnie.berntsson@umu.se 

We welcome your application!