Post doctoral fellow in physical chemistry - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Job description
Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are engineered proteins that can serve as substitute antibodies in the immune system. Due to their high potential in e.g. cancer treatment they attract enormous attention from pharmaceutical industry. At the same time the formulation of high concentration injectable mAb biologics is very challenging as it is often severely limited due to high turbidity and/or high viscosity.

In this project we aim at establishing an approach to understand the origin of this behaviour and to predict it from low concentration data and mAb molecular structure. The postdoc we are looking for will apply a variety of static and dynamic scattering techniques (based on light, x-ray and neutrons) on mAb samples, including Diffusing Wave Spectroscopy (DWS), neutron spin echo (NSE) and x-ray photon correlation spectroscopy (XPCS), and analyse the data. (S)he will also establish mAb phase/state diagrams and closely work together with simulators and theoreticians in a concerted effort towards a better understanding of the complex solution behaviour of mAbs. 

The project will be conducted at the University of Lund, Sweden, at the Division of Physical Chemistry.

Required qualifications:

• PhD in Soft Matter Physics, Physical Chemistry or similar with a strong biophysicochemical background
• Experience in protein and colloid science
• Experience in scattering techniques applied to soft and biological matter
• Experience in scattering data analysis
• Experience in collaboration with theoreticians and simulators
• Experience in protein phase/state diagram determination
• Experience in protein sample preparation and handling

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, completed no more than three years before the last date for applications. Under special circumstances, the doctoral degree can have been completed earlier.

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.

Terms of employment
This is a full-time, fixed-term employment of a maximum of 2 years. The period of employment is determined in accordance with the agreement “Avtal om tidsbegränsad anställning som postdoktor” (“Agreement on fixed-term employment as a post-doctoral fellow”) between Lund University, SACO-S, OFR/S and SEKO, dated 4 September 2008.

Applicants should send their Curriculum Vitae with a cover letter describing their motivation. The CV and cover letter should be written in English.