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

Work duties

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 the 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 and x-rays) on mAb samples, including static and dynamic light scattering (SLS/DLS), small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) and x-ray photon correlation spectroscopy (XPCS), and analyse the data. (S)he will also perform microrheology experiments, 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 main duties involved in a post-doctoral posistion is to conduct research. Teaching may also be included, but up to no more than 20% of working hours. The position shall include the opportunity for three weeks of training in higher education teaching and learning. The project will be conducted at Lund University, Sweden, at the Division of Physical Chemistry.

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.

Additional requirements:

• Very good oral and written proficiency in English,
• PhD in Soft Matter Physics, Biophysics, Physical Chemistry or similar with a strong biophysical/biochemical 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 sample preparation and handling.

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.

Particular emphasis will be placed on research skills within the subject.

For appointments to a post-doctoral position, the following shall form the assessment criteria:

A good ability to develop and conduct high quality research.

Teaching skills.

Consideration will also be given to good collaborative skills, drive and independence, and how the applicant’s experience and skills complement and strengthen ongoing research within the department, and how they stand to contribute to its future development.

Terms of employment
This is a full-time, fixed-term employment of two years. The period of employment is determined in accordance with the recently concluded 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 2021-11-19 and valid from the 1st of February 2022.

Instructions on how to apply

Applications shall be written in English and be compiled into a PDF-file containing:

• Résumé/CV, including a list of publications,
• A general description of past research and future research interests (no more than three pages),
• Contact information of at least two references,
• Copy of the doctoral degree certificate, and other certificates/grades that you wish to be considered.