Postdoctoral fellow in medical radiation physics: X-ray fluorescence mapping of biological tissue, cofund AMBER - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Description of work environment
This post-doctoral position is part of the EU cofund research project AMBER, Advanced Multiscale Biological imaging using European Research infrastructures, will address scientific and sectoral gaps in biological imaging ranging from molecular, through cellular, to tissue, organ and organism levels of organisation, and is coordinated by LINXS Institute of advanced Neutron and X-ray Science.

AMBER is funded by the EU Marie Skłodowska-Curie (MSCA) COFUND scheme. Around 14 postdocs will be recruited in the first call, with each fellowship lasting 36 months.

AMBER has six core partners: Lund University/MAX IV, Sweden, the European Spallation Source (ESS), Sweden, the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL), France, the International Institute of Molecular Mechanisms and Machines, (IMOL), Poland, and the Leicester Institute of Structural and Chemical Biology, United Kingdom.

Your work will be in at the department for medical radiation physics, in the experimental x-ray group headed by Martin Bech. Besides the PI, the research group consists of a permanent researcher, a postdoc, and three PhD students working on applications of experimental x-ray microscopy of bio-medical samples at synchrotrons and in our home lab.

For more information about the total announced post-doctoral positions within in the AMBER co-fund project please visit  https://www.euraxess.se/jobs/178170  

The interviews will start in April. For more information about AMBER, application and evaluation process etc please visit: https://www.ambercofund.eu

Work duties and areas of responsibility
Your work will include clinical and biomedical projects. It will also include technique development work aimed at combining imaging techniques and data analysis to provide a more integrated picture of life processes in the context of health and disease. To be a postdoc fellow at the AMBER programme you will get unprecedented medical, biological, and methodological capabilities, with a profound potential impact for Europe’s next generation of research and researchers. When you have completed the AMBER programme you will be extraordinarily well equipped to further your career in academia, at infrastructures, in the health and MedTech sectors, and beyond.

This 3-year full time post doc project will focus on synchrotron-based x-ray imaging, in particular scanning probe microscopy such as fluorescence mapping and scanning SAXS/WAXS. At the MAX IV synchrotron there are several beamlines available with relevance for this project: NanoMAX (nano-probe XRF and imaging), ForMAX (micro-probe SWAXS and imaging), DanMAX (micro-probe XRD and imaging), SoftiMAX (nano-probe soft x-ray XRF/STXM and ptychography).

Your responsibility will be on data collection, data processing and data interpretation in close collaboration with the medical partner(s) providing your samples. Current studies in our group involve both human and animal tissues, for research on nerves, lung, heart, bowels and carotid arteries. We aim to bridge the gap between classical microscopy (histology) and clinical imaging modalities such as CT and MRI. Participation during beamtimes at synchrotrons in different countries in Europe is expected (including shifts during the night).

Qualification requirements

Minimum requirements are:

• candidate needs to have a doctoral degree (PhD) no older than 8 years, as required by the Commission, in accordance with the Horizon-Europe MSCA cofund project Grant Agreement
• at least one original publication in a peer-reviewed journal,
• a background in the relevant methods,
• a complete application package submitted through the AMBER portal (including CV and detailed research plan), and finally,
• strict compliance with the MSCA mobility rule that the researcher must not have resided or carried out his/her main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the host organisation's country for more than twelve months in the three years immediately prior to the call deadline.

Qualifications required for the project

The following are required:

• Expertise in experimental x-ray imaging
• Experience in theory and analysis of tomographic data.
• Excellent written and spoken English.

When appointing a postdoctoral researcher, the following are merits shall form the basis for assessment:

• Experience in experimental work at synchrotron radiation facilities.
• Experience in qualitative and/or quantitative analysis of tissue microstructure.
• Experience in phase-contrast and/or dark-field x-ray imaging.
• Experience in working with photon-counting x-ray detectors
• Experience with scanning x-ray imaging such as SAXS mapping, SAXS tensor tomography, or similar.
• Good knowledge in programming (e.g. C or python)
• Experience in 3D image segmentation.
• Track record of producing high-quality research
• Documented pedagogical skills and pedagogical training

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.

Instructions on how to apply

For more information please visit www.ambercofund.eu.  

If you are interested in applying for more than one position (maximum 3) you must be prepared to make a full application for each individual position.

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

i) A Curriculum Vitae (europass format). This is created by registering and using the Europass portal here: https://europa.eu/europass/en/create-europass-cv. Your CV can then be exported to a PDF file that you use in your application.

ii) A detailed research plan including any foreseen secondments (candidates can suggest more than the mandated one, they can also suggest their own secondments), schools and conferences as well as a templated budget plan. (as concise as possible, recommended about 3-5 pages, but at an absolute maximum 10 pages. The research plan should include a half page of summary/abstract. The template can be downloaded from the “For applicants” page, here: https://www.ambercofund.eu/for-applicants.

Additional texts to include in the PDF are:

iii) Letter of Commitment from any additional secondment partners the candidate wishes to bring onboard.

iv) Evidence of English proficiency (minimum CEFR B22, also checked at interview).

v) A draft Individual Career Development Plan (ICDP).

vi) Two reference letters.

vii) Any additional documents to support the application.

viii) Ethical questionnaire (HE ethics checklist + research ethics commitment) link will be provided at the “For applicants” page, here: https://www.ambercofund.eu/for-applicants.

In addition, the application will require:

ix) Any candidate can apply for maximum of 3 positions. You must apply for each individual position. A list with order of preference of positions should be sent to the AMBER management. amber@linxs.se The template can be downloaded from the “For applicants” page, here: https://www.ambercofund.eu/for-applicants.

x) A pre-recorded video presentation (questionnaire-guided, via online video tool, about 10min). Upon successful completion of the rest of the application procedure eligible candidates will be sent a link.