23 Postdoctoral Fellowship at Lund University, Scania, Sweden

This postdoctoral position is connected to two larger research projects funded by Formas and by the Marianne and Marcus Wallenberg Foundation, focusing on the sustainability screening envisaged by the EU Taxonomy Regulation and its Delegated Acts, under the framework of the European Green Deal. The EU Taxonomy Regulation has introduced screening criteria to identify economic activities which are environmentally and socially sustainable. The projects examine, from an international legal perspective, the way in which economic activities will be identified as ‘sustainable’ for the implementation of the European Green Deal. At a time of increased legal challenges against states for climate inaction, it is vital that these screening criteria are compatible with existing (international and EU) legal standards, to prevent delays resulting from future litigation. Such delays would derail EU action plans for climate change and the economic recovery. The two research projects aim to clarify, among other things, the legal scope of the environmental and social screening criteria developed under the EU Taxonomy. The postdoctoral project will be related to this aim, with a specific focus on the social dimension of sustainability screening and/or non-financial materiality reporting. Research projects that focus on one or both of these two aspects are particularly encouraged. The two projects are led by Associate Professor Daria Davitti and Assistant Professor Britta Sjöstedt respectively and the postdoctoral researcher will collaborate closely with them and with other researchers involved in the projects. Besides carrying out an independent research project, the postdoctoral researcher shall also engage in other research-related activities connected to the two projects.

This postdoctoral position is connected to the interdisciplinary project ‘Refugee Finance: Histories, Frameworks and Practices (REF-FIN)’ funded by the European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant 2023. Refugee finance is the term used to refer to new financial instruments aimed at attracting private capital to fund humanitarian responses to refugee flows. Such financial instruments, which include refugee bonds, technical assistance funds and concessional loans, are promoted by international organizations, international financial institutions and states as innovative solutions to societal challenges raised by large-scale refugee flows. The project aims to examine, amongst other things, the socio-economic, legal and financial implications of this paradigmatic shift from aid funding to financing and the way in which it impacts on the conceptualization and implementation of the international protection of refugees in international law. The postdoctoral project will be developed as part of REF-FIN and rely on field work to assess the impact of refugee finance on the rights of refugees to protection in line with international and human rights law, both in theory and in practice. It is expected that the research plan submitted with this application will employ socio-legal methods (such as interviews, focus groups, field observations, journaling and relevant encoding) and relevant qualitative research theory. A research plan on the protection of refugees in the context of social impact investing and/or development finance in Latin America is desirable. REF-FIN´s main case study will take place in Colombia. 

The main responsibilities include conducting research within the MR Physics group, focusing on the development of prostate cancer diagnostics and treatment monitoring in both clinical and preclinical environments. We will utilize advanced diffusion and relaxation MRI to investigate tissue microstructure and generate parameters that can be used as clinical biomarkers. The work will be carried out in both human subjects and preclinical models. It also involves qualitative and quantitative analysis of light microscopy and high-resolution X-ray microscopy (micro-CT). Emphasis is placed on the ability to work interdisciplinary (i.e., in collaboration with researchers, physicians, and international partners) and independently (i.e., through self-initiative, structuring, and planning innovative research). The MR Physics group has a large international collaborative network, which encourages travel for planning and implementing various future collaborative projects.

The Division of Astrophysics at the department of Physics at Lund University invites applicants to one postdoctoral fellow position in the area of exoplanets and planet formation. We are seeking candidates with backgrounds in the observation or modelling of exoplanets and/or proto-planetary disks, to carry out independent research in collaboration with the exoplanet and planet formation groups at the Division. The position is initially for two years. Anticipated starting dates are in the fall/winter of 2023—2024, but no later than March 1 2024. Astrophysics at the Division of Astrophysics further encompasses galaxy formation, galactic dynamics and evolution, star formation and dynamics, high-energy astrophysics and stellar evolution. We have strong links with upcoming instrumentation, including Gaia, 4MOST, CHEOPS, PLATO, LISA and ELT instrumentation (ANDES and MOSAIC).

The position is placed at the Department of Geology to work with Dr Diane Feuillet studying the chemical evolution of stellar populations in the Milky Way and nearby dwarf galaxies. The project involves the development of galactic chemical evolution models and interpretation of stellar spectroscopic data. There is the possibility of spectral analysis if the candidate is interested. The primary aim of the project is to levarage elemental abundance patterns measured in the Milky Way and nearby dwarf galaxies to understand the mass assembly history of the Milky Way.

The focus of the research will be on the synthesis and understanding of novel lead-free halide perovskite materials both in the form of thin film and nanocrystals for their energy applications such as solar cells and photocatalysis. Metal halide perovskites have been recognized as the most promising candidate for a wide range of potential uses in solar energy applications such as solar cells and photocatalysis. To be able to meet the rising challenges in eco-friendly and sustainable production of materials for these applications, novel lead-free halide perovskites must be explored. For this reason, we are aiming to develop synthesis and deepen understanding of lead-free halide perovskites with potential for the fabrication of efficient and stable devices. This recruitment is connected to the Wallenberg Initiative Materials Science for Sustainability (WISE, wise-materials.org). WISE, funded by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, is the largest-ever investment in materials science in Sweden and will encompass major efforts at Sweden’s foremost universities over the course of 10 years. The vision is a sustainable future through materials science.

Climate modelling is within the general field of geobiosphere science and is an aspect of physical geography and ecosystem science. Bioaerosols in mixed-phase clouds can initiate ice and thereby may influence the precipitation and microphysical properties of the clouds, such as the numbers and sizes of cloud-particles aloft. This in turn may influence radiative fluxes and meteorological conditions at the land surface where the bioaerosols are emitted. It is an open question whether bioaerosols, if their microphysical effects are treated in detail with competing sources of ice also represented, can influence the climate on the global scale. Mixed-phase layer-clouds (‘stratiform’ clouds) may be essential for such a linkage, if it exists.  Although active bioaerosols are far less numerous than other types of aerosol particles that initiate ice in most of the troposphere above the freezing level, they can be more numerous at warm subzero temperatures (e.g. warmer than about -10 degC).  Thus, stratiform layer-clouds entirely at such warm subzero levels might be expected to be more influenced by biological ice nucleation than other cloud-types. 

Fire safety research relates in general to physical and chemical processes associated with the origin, growth, spread and extinguishing of fires, interactions between fire and buildings/facilities, systems for preventing or detecting fire or limiting its consequences, and evacuation and human behavior in fire. The fire safety research is conducted mainly through experimental research, modeling and model development. The general objective is to find cost-effective and innovative methods of keeping damage to people, the environment and property at an acceptable level. For this position focus will be on fire development and fire dynamics. As possible subjects, the following may be seen as specialisations: material behavior in the event of a fire and considering an environmental and sustainability perspective, modeling of fire dynamic phenomena in combination with the implication of building materials and consequences of fires from a property protection perspective including fire investigation.

The postdoc in Sociology will contribute with an analysis of general socio-technical characteristics of water sectors globally and in Sweden as a basis for further research on how these characteristics impact water governance and management, innovation, as well as transformation on different geographical scales. Based on that research, the postdoc will contribute to developing policy designs specifically informed by sustainability transition thinking, which considers the socio-technical interdependencies prevalent in the water sector. Research will span different disciplinary and interdisciplinary fields, such as environmental sociology, STS, organization studies, sustainability transition and innovation studies, economic geography, and other related fields. The postdoc will be supervised by Lea Fünfschilling.

Global Value Chains (GVCs) are fundamental in today’s economy accounting for 50% of global trade and having tremendous social and environmental impacts. This project, thus, addresses a critical but hitherto neglected requirement for the Agenda2030, namely the shift from GVCs to Circular Supply Chains (CSCs), the latter being by design restorative and regenerative. We investigate tensions inherent in such a shift relating to i) linear versus circular business logics, ii) processes led top-down by dominant firms versus bottom-up local and inclusive processes, and iii) multi-level policy mixes shifting from deregulations and low taxes supporting GVCs to regulation and governance mechanisms that take environmental and social impacts into consideration. Hence, the overall aim of the project is to generate knowledge fot the transition from global to circular value chains in the multi-level context of local, regional, national, and global systems. This is important because transformative initiatives are often designed and studied with limited attention to the multi-level interactions between various actors within local, regional, national, and global systems, as well as the potential local and global repercussions. Furthermore, GVCs and large firms may accelerate the shift from GVCs to CSCs with the pitfalls, however, of solutionism and democratic shortcomings. We draw upon our networks in industry and with policymakers at regional, national and EU levels. Involving key stakeholders, we create strong impact and further strengthen Lund University’s role as knowledge curator.

Researchers from six faculties, Science, Engineering, Law, Economy, Humanities and Theology and Social Sciences will collaborate on developing a new framework for implementing Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) built on digitalisation, big data, remote sensing, and water governance following the legal and economic structures within the family of EU water directives.  Water is a dynamic resource which can be reused many times in a catchment. Together with the other postdocs employed in the project, all water needs will be identified and given priority. The consequences if the water needed for each use becomes restricted will be analysed. Risks of floods or drought, as well as low water quality, will be uncovered. Innovative aspects such as state-of-the-art wastewater treatment and water reuse methods will be related to balanced measures between urban and rural areas as well as equitable measures between different socioeconomic layers of society, inspiring a transfer to a circular economy. Innovative applications of online sensor technologies for data collections and watershed digital twins for the description and modelling of water availability will be developed. Collaboration with water utilities and software companies to improve efficiency and decrease pollutant transport will be elaborated. 

The research focus the shift from Global Value Chains to Circular Supply Chains (CSCs) where we investigate tensions inherent in such a shift relating to i) linear versus circular business logics, ii) processes led top-down by dominant firms versus bottom-up local and inclusive processes, and iii) multi-level policy mixes shifting from deregulations and low taxes supporting GVCs to regulation and governance mechanisms that take environmental and social impacts into consideration. This is important because transformative initiatives are often designed and studied with limited attention to the multi-level interactions between various actors within local, regional, national, and global systems, as well as the potential local and global repercussions. Furthermore, GVCs and large firms may accelerate the shift from GVCs to CSCs with the pitfalls, however, of solutionism and democratic shortcomings. We draw upon our networks in industry and with policymakers at regional, national and EU levels. Involving key stakeholders, we create strong impact and further strengthen Lund University’s role as knowledge curator. For this position we are looking for one post-doc who will work in an interdisciplinary team with two other post-docs as well as Associate Professor Markus Grillitsch (Department of Human Geograph, Social Science Faculty), Professor Fredrik Nilsson (Department of Design Sciences, Faculty of Engineering), and Professor Sylvia Schwaag Serger (Department of Economic History, School of Economic and Management). This position is placed at the department of design sciences/packaging logistics and supervised by Fredrik Nilsson. You and the other post-docs will bring in complementary disciplinary competences related to global value chains, circular supply chains, global production networks, regional and industrial dynamics, multi-level governance, and policy.

The Department of Economics at Lund University seeks one Postdoctoral Fellow in Economics. The holders will conduct independent research in economics with focus on natural resource and environmental economics and integrated water resources management, and is expected to cooperate with other researchers at the Department and LU4Water, be willing to interact with students, and to actively participate in the common activities of the Department. The position involves even 20 percent teaching (the equivalent of about one course a year and some supervision of Bachelor and Master theses).

The post-doctoral fellow will work with high-detailed characterisation of aquifer systems and link them to river basins studied. Groundwater systems often reveal complex hydraulic head and geochemical distribution due to geologic heterogeneity, spatial and temporal variability, microbiology, and recharge and this complexity is not reflected in most groundwater studies and their conceptualsation therefore do not reflect real-world outcomes. Within this project we will use a range of state-of-the-art depth-discrete multilevel monitoring systems, for measurements and sampling to inform on variations in the groundwater system as these variations play an important role in controlling temporal variations in flow and water quality distribution in 3D and 4D. Targeted aquifers will be decided in cooperation with our collaborative partners. Collection of high-resolution data will enable us to feed in data for a state-of-science description of the system’s vulnerability, i.e., water protection needs and variabilities in the sustainability of the groundwater system. This can be feed into a water-shed-based dynamic water budget and watershed digital twins for the description and modelling of water availability in a larger scale and help make the groundwater resources visible and communicated to participating decision-makers.

(18) Postdoctoral Fellowship Position

Postdoc Fellowship Position summary/title: Post-doctoral fellow to the department of human geography focusing on regional development and circular supply chains

Deadline :  30.Sep.2023

View details & Apply

QPHOTON’s aim is to design, fabricate and demonstrate a photodetector that counts microwave photons at high quantum efficiency and low backaction. This will enable to measure the statistical properties of the microwave photons. The role of this postdoc position is to gain understanding of the quantum mechanical measurement process and backaction effects that take place in our photodetectors.

Diabetes has a major impact on brain function, but mechanisms of diabetic encephalopathy are not completely understood. Brain function requires continouos supply of glucose and oxygen, and a tight regulation of metabolic interactions between neurons and astrocytes. Loss of this metabolic regulation that fuels neuronal activity has been proposed to be the culprit of memory dysfunction, followed by an important neurodegenerative process. Our research aims at understanding the molecular determinants underlying cognitive imparment associated to diabetes and metabolic syndrome components, including obesity, dyslipidemia, hypertension, insulin resistance or hyperglycemia. In particular, the lab´s major focus is on understanding astrocute-neuron metabolic interactions, how they are regulated to support adequate brain function, and how they adapt to metabolic disease states. In addition, we seek to identify strategies for mitigating the impact of diabetes on the brain.

Exploring and generating genetic variation is key in Plant Breeding. Transcriptomics and bioinformatics play an important role in the identification and exploration of variation in the genotype and the phenotype of crops. In this project, we will look at the translocation and metabolism of iron in sweetpotato. This can be done through the analysis of expressed gene sequences (transcriptomics) in sweetpotato plants grown in different environmental conditions and different types of soils containing different levels of iron (out in the fields and in a greenhouse). Either through bioinformatic analyses and comparison to the available sweetpotato genome or by the generation of new sequence data from transcripts, a detailed insight into iron translocation and metabolism mechanisms will be generated. These complementary approaches will generate an inventory of the genes (or gene families) related to iron metabolism, and their variation. The aim is to reconstruct in silico the pathways involved in iron metabolism from this gene catalogue.

The project aims at better quantifying proteoforms and their role in disease rather than one protein per gene in biomedical projects employing bottom-up LC-MS/MS proteomics. The research can involve new data representations and analytical approaches, both using publicly available data and in-house generate cancer proteomics data, in a collaboration with AI expertise in Lukas Käll’s group at KTH in a project named “Enabling proteoform biomarker discovery”. This position is part of a joint collaboration between the two of the largest research programs in Sweden, the Wallenberg AI, Autonomous Systems and Software Program (WASP) and the SciLifeLab and Wallenberg National Program for Data-Driven Life Science (DDLS), with the ultimate goal of solving ground-breaking research questions across disciplines. Wallenberg AI, Autonomous Systems and Software Program (WASP) is Sweden’s largest individual research program ever, a major national initiative for strategically motivated basic research, education and faculty recruitment. The program addresses research on artificial intelligence and autonomous systems acting in collaboration with humans, adapting to their environment through sensors, information and knowledge, and forming intelligent systems-of-systems. The vision of WASP is excellent research and competence in artificial intelligence, autonomous systems and software for the benefit of Swedish industry. Read more: https://wasp-sweden.org/

The research group in Magnetism and Superconductivity in the Division of Synchrotron Radiation Research is actively involved in using x-ray and neutron scattering techniques to investigate correlated electron materials, with a particular focus on magnetic materials and superconductors (https://www.sljus.lu.se/research/magnetism-and-superconductivity/). This post-doctoral position is a collaboration between the Division of Synchrotron Radiation Research and the MAX-IV Laboratory, in particular the resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) instrument VERITAS and the angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) instrument BLOCH, and will involve the use of one or both of these techniques to investigate correlated electron physics.