15 Postdoctoral Fellowship at Umea University, Sweden

Europe has committed to upscale nature protection to include 30% of land and sea, but due to historical overexploitation of natural assets, the area that is available for protection is limited. Borders between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, i.e., riparian zones, contribute disproportionately to regional biodiversity and delivery of ecosystem functions and services. Because of this and their branching geometry, riparian networks form systems of ‘green-blue arteries’, which spatially connect multiple ecosystems, despite representing relatively small areas. In this international project (RIPARIANET), we aim to develop approaches that optimise the spatial conservation prioritisation of stream-riparian networks, by investigating a range of riparian processes and functions and biodiversity measures, and by performing field studies as well as by using remote sensing information.

This call is for a postdoctoral fellow in interdisciplinary artistic research within the field of New Media Art. The position is within one (or several) of the artistic practices of crafts (textile, wood/ metal), music or visual arts intersecting areas of Human Computer Interaction or Information Systems. The broad aim of the position is to: A) establish a critical framework for interdisciplinary research across one of the artistic practices: crafts/music/visual arts and new digital technologies. B) investigate how new digital technologies can shape the creative context and process, and the generated artwork/outcome. C) generate new knowledge through the production of new creative practice-based research.

The aim of the overall project is to investigate the impact of semi-autonomous intelligent systems as digital companions and social actors on human activity in order to inform the design and development of such systems. We will in particular investigate the impact from the perspectives of purposeful activity, social order and roles, motivation, empowerment, emotional wellbeing and sustainable behaviour change for improving health in daily life. Problems to be addressed include how systemic theories about human behaviour, emotions and motivation can inform and advance the formalised knowledge models, reasoning models and automated learning of the digital companion, how mechanisms for collaboration and companionship can be understood, designed and developed, and how the system can collaborate with the human while balancing initiative, autonomy, responsibility and conflicting goals.  

A great opportunity for a postdoctoral candidate seeking to work in a strong research environment with excellent analytical resources and with a very high degree of independence! We are now recruiting a postdoctoral scientist to the Swedish metabolomic Centre (SMC) that supports researchers active at Swedish universities with mass spectrometry-based analysis of metabolites and lipids in biological tissues and fluids and aims to be a leading knowledge center in metabolomics and related areas. At the metabolomics platform, specialized personnel work and the platform has mass spectrometry equipment such as GC -TOFMS, LC-QTOFMS and LC-TQMSMS. Starting date 2023-09-01 or according to agreement.

The project centers around the development of optimization methods for the design of devices where wave propagation effects are crucial for performance. Based on the applicant’s background, interest, and skills, the research can be directed in various ways, involving acoustic as well as electromagnetic wave propagation. Of current interest for acoustics is the design of devices in the context of significant loss effects, for instance so-called acoustic black holes or small-size acoustic devices such as MEMS microphones and micro loudspeakers. Of interest for electromagnetics is components to enable efficient radar technologies for monitoring or imaging targets embedded in lossy media. Ground penetrating radars (GPRs) and radars for vital signs monitoring of humans are examples of how such technologies can be applied. 

The project is part of the project ”Trees that grow better” (www.strategiska.se/en/ssf-food-feed-and-forest-here-are-the-projects-that-receive-funding) financed by the Swedish foundation for strategic research (SSF). The goal is to understand the mechanisms for regulation of photosynthetic light harvesting, and to modify it aiming to increase growth.  You will mainly work with aspens where the amounts of different photosynthetic proteins have been modified using CRISPR or ”traditional biotechnology”. These will be analyzed in the lab, in our “phenotyping facility” and in the field using advanced techniques, including measurements of chlorophyll fluorescence and growth. Some research may also be performed on other plant species (Arabidopsis or spruce). The work will utilize the UPSC technical platforms and other persons involved in the project. 

The aim of the project is to investigate whether stress and anxiety affect pain experiences and whether this is associated with neurochemical levels in the brain. Spectroscopy will be used to measure selected neurotransmitters (GABA and glutamate) in 2 pain-related brain regions. The project is interdisciplinary, including researchers with expertise in several fields and in collaboration with Umeå center for Functional Brain Imaging (umu.se).

As a postdoctoral fellow, you are expected to conduct your own individually designed project, including publications and engagement with the surrounding community. You will also participate in the development of the subject’s research environment, for example through participation in seminars, research networks and gatherings. You are also expected to attend other meetings and gatherings at the department, such as workplace meetings and staff days. The position includes teaching up to a maximum of twenty percent of the total working time. 

The extractive industry in Sweden currently has ~177 km2 of mining disturbed land, composed largely of waste rock (WR) storage, which leads to habitat destruction, biodiversity loss, negative visual impact and loss of livelihood and culture. The currently accepted industry solution for WR storage prioritizes efficient deposition over environmental goals, but such storage facilities, due to hillslope and fluvial processes, may erode and become unstable. In this project, we will evaluate another approach, using a geomorphic design approach to create long-term, stable landforms in dynamic equilibrium, by routing water through a designed natural channel network. Achieving a long-term stable landform provides the foundation for ecological recovery including high biodiversity and a landscape usable for future generations. These objectives will be achieved through understanding morphology and dynamics of hillslopes and stream networks in paraglacial landforms in northern Sweden. The postdoctoral project is within a larger project ‘Waste2Place’, composed of a multi-disciplinary team of geomorphologists, ecologists, landscape architects, and representatives from four mining companies. The postdoctor will be involved in two work packages: WP2- Landscape assessment, aiming to quantify the geomorphology of paraglacial landscapes in northern Sweden, with a focus on stream channel network organization and related hillslopes using a combination of remote sensing techniques and field work; and WP5- Landscape performance monitoring, examining landform and channel evolution over the project period using high-resolution digital elevation data and sediment flux data. The goal through these WPs, together with other WPs focused on ecological recovery, is to develop a Swedish-centric geomorphic reclamation toolkit.

The applicant will work in the Laboratory of Neural Repair and Cellular Therapy. The research group consists of basic scientists and clinical researchers who have overarching research interests in regenerative medicine, with particular focus on spinal cord and peripheral nerve injury. Projects involve work in different aspects of tissue engineering using both in vitro and in vivo model systems. We are looking for an enterprising person who wants to contribute to ongoing projects and also be encouraged to actively develop new lines of research in the field.

In the mammalian eye, the iris sphincter muscle regulates the size of the pupil, which in turn controls the influx of light to the retina. Traditionally, the pupillary light reflex (PLR) has been considered a brain-mediated reflex. More recent data from animal studies show that the iris can intrinsically respond to light to regulate the PLR independent of signals from the brain. Our recent publication has presented new mechanisms regulating, among others, synchronized pupil dilation and contraction in mouse (Sghari et al., 2020), but more details remain to be defined. Thus, the main focus of this project is to understand molecular mechanisms that control light dependent regulation of the PLR, but also other eye related mechanisms and its possible relation to eye diseases are of interest to understand.

The UmArts Research Centre is leading research in Art, Architecture, Design and Artificial Intelligence (AI) at Umeå University (UmU) in northern Sweden in partnership with the Wallenberg AI, Autonomous Systems and Software Program – Humanities and Society (WASP-HS) and UmU’s Centre for Transdisciplinary AI (TAIGA). In 2023, curator Sarah Cook will join UmArts as the WASP-HS Guest Professor in partnership with Bildmuseet, Umeå School of Architecture (UMA), Umeå Institute of Design (UID) and the University of Glasgow.

The UmArts Research Centre is leading research in Art, Architecture, Design and Artificial Intelligence (AI) at Umeå University (UmU) in northern Sweden in partnership with the Wallenberg AI, Autonomous Systems and Software Program – Humanities and Society (WASP-HS) and UmU’s Centre for Transdisciplinary AI (TAIGA). In 2023, curator Sarah Cook will join UmArts as the WASP-HS Guest Professor in partnership with Bildmuseet, Umeå School of Architecture (UMA), Umeå Institute of Design (UID) and the University of Glasgow.