14 Postdoctoral Fellowship at Uppsala University, Sweden

The main duty involved in a postdoctoral position is to conduct research. Teaching may also be included, but up to no more than 20% of working hours. The present research project concerns modelling electrolyte materials in electrochemical energy storage/conversion. The focus of this project will be on i) Computing transport coefficients in liquid and polymer electrolytes from molecular dynamics simulations; ii) Developing and applying atomistic machine learning code PiNN (https://github.com/Teoroo-CMC/PiNN/) for modelling bulk electrolytes and associated interfaces.

Development of targeted radionuclide therapy using engineered scaffold proteins (affibody molecules, ADAPTs and DARPins). The methodology includes both direct targeting and pretargeting. The work includes development of labelling  chemistry of proteins and peptide nucleic acids with beta-emitting radionuclides, evaluation of the labelled constructs in vitro (stability, binding specificity, affinity, and cellular processing) and in vivo (biodistribution, targeting specificity, radionuclide imaging, dosimetry, experimental therapy). Work might include a supervision of MSc and PhD students.

A postdoctoral position in computational chemistry is available in David van der Spoel’s research group. The group works on development of force fields for molecular dynamics simulations. Large-scale quantum chemistry calculations are combined with databases of experimental data as the foundation of the work. We use an in-house developed software-library to refine our models. The force field are tested using simulations of liquids and biological systems.

The primary focus of the research project will be to develop liquid, gel and solid polymer electrolytes for lithium-based batteries. The project will entail electrolyte preparation, electrochemical testing and characterization of interfaces (largely XPS, but also SEM, FTIR, XRD). The postdoc is expected to perform high quality research, with the aim of disseminating resulting works through high impact peer-reviewed journals or at national and international conferences. Strong collaboration with colleagues in the Department of Chemistry Ångström and other national and international project partners will be expected.

Rapid antibiotic susceptibility tests (rASTs) are highly desired in modern clinical practice for quick selection of right antibiotics to treat infectious diseases at the early but critical stage. However, currently available testing methods normally require growth of bacteria into colonies, which usually take more than two days to accomplish a task. They are, therefore, not satisfactory for practical needs that require fast answers. Moreover, these methods are not applicable for slow-growing bacteria, or samples containing sub-populations of slow- or non-growing bacteria which can resume growth after the antibiotic attack. To understand if and how the sub-population of slow-/non-growing bacteria causes failure in infection treatments, rASTs at the single cell level is required. To address these challenges, our project aims at developing a novel Silicon (Si) chip based all-electrical testing platform to achieve rAST at single cell level. The success of this project will potentially provide a low-cost and rapid ASTs platform for effective infection treatments. It could also help to accelerate the development of new antibiotic drugs in the pharmaceutical industry.

G. Messori’s research group hosts two H2020 research projects and several national projects, focussing on multiple aspects of mid and high latitude climate extremes. More information on ongoing research can be found at https://gmessori.weebly.com/. The post-doc will work within the frame of G. Messori’s ERC grant: “Compound Climate Extremes in North America and Europe: from Dynamics to Predictability”. The aim of the work is to identify compound extremes hotspots in Europe and North America and advance our understanding of the dynamical processes in the atmosphere and large-scale circulation dynamics driving the compound occurrences. There is considerable freedom to focus on different approaches, from indicators issued from dynamical systems theory to data-driven or idealized modelling tools. The post-doc, if s/he so wishes, will also have the opportunity to engage in teaching/supervising duties.

The project will involve establishment of pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) relationships based on preclinical and clinical data for new and available antibiotics and nanoparticles. Pharmacometric models will be developed based on in vitro, in vivo and literature data. The models aim to bridge (translate) exposure-response relationships from animals to humans in order to optimize clinical dosing. The project is part of a new research environment and involves collaboration with expertise in nanoparticle technology, microbiology, infectious diseases and organic chemistry. We expect that the project will lead to new advances in predictive and quantitative methods for characterizing pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics in the field.

The project will involve establishment of pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) relationships based on preclinical and clinical data for new and available antibiotics and nanoparticles. Pharmacometric models will be developed based on in vitro, in vivo and literature data. The models aim to bridge (translate) exposure-response relationships from animals to humans in order to optimize clinical dosing. The project is part of a new research environment and involves collaboration with expertise in nanoparticle technology, microbiology, infectious diseases and organic chemistry. We expect that the project will lead to new advances in predictive and quantitative methods for characterizing pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics in the field.

The project is focused on developing neutron reflectivity methodology, utilising magnetic reference layers. It is a part of the operation of the Super ADAM infrastructure as well as a collaboration efforts with Linköping University, Lund University and ISIS, UK. We are looking for postdoctoral fellow which will be driving the development of magnetic reference layers, using PVD techniques. The characterisation of the layers will be based on x-ray diffraction and reflectivity as well as magnetisation measurements.

The applicant is expected to co-ordinate and run the work performed at the platform with a high level of independence. The duties include traditional wet-lab work using microbiological and molecular biological techniques. Some bioinformatic analyses of genomes is also included. The position includes administrative duties such as co-ordination of the work, contacts with collaborators and scheduling of meetings within the platform but also up to 25% in Sanna Koskiniemi’s research group. Writing of scientific papers and oral presentations are part of the work and some teaching on courses given within the microbiology program can be included.

Alzheimer’s disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease and is characterized by pathologically altered forms of the protein amyloid-beta in different parts of the brain. The treatment, which is aimed at increasing the levels of the signal substance acetyl choline, only relieves symptoms and is not aimed at the underlying disease process. There is therefore a great need to develop new therapies. One possibility may be to influence the formation of amyloid-beta with new gene therapeutic methods. The gene encoding this protein, APP, may in rare cases be mutated, leading to the formation of either more amyloid-beta, or an altered form of the protein. However, the vast majority of cases are sporadic, but even for these there is evidence that increased expression of APP is central in the disease process. In an ongoing project, the research team is developing a gene editing method to reduce the formation of amyloid-beta.