Postdoctoral scholarship (2 years) within Chemistry –  –Greenhouse Gas Storage and Release from Arctic Ice

The Department of Chemistry is offering a two-year postdoctoral scholarship in geochemistry, with a starting date no later than Spring 2026, or as otherwise agreed. The application deadline is November 7, 2025.   

Departmental specific information 

The Department of Chemistry at Umeå University (https://www.umu.se/chemistry) is one of the largest departments within the Faculty of Science and Technology with approximately 200 employees and with strong and expanding research. The Department has three major research areas: Biological Chemistry, Environmental and Biogeochemistry, and Technical Chemistry. We are also a strong partner of the Chemical and Biological Centre of Umeå University (https://www.umu.se/en/chemical-biological-centre/).

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2020 was awarded to Emmanuelle Charpentier, who was active at Umeå University when the CRISPR-Cas9 method was developed.

Project description  

Research on the Arctic carbon cycle has been largely restricted to the summer season, yet winter and shoulder seasons are biogeochemically active and significant for the annual carbon cycle. This experimental project will resolve mechanisms gas storage and release by ice both in the laboratory and in Arctic lakes and ponds. The research will employ advanced analytical techniques including various gas detection techniques, vibrational spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. Field campaigns will be conducted at lakes and ponds with various catchment types (peatland, tundra) near the CIRC in the Abisko region. Laboratory work will be conducted at Umeå University.

The selected candidate will join an interdisciplinary team led by Professor Jean-François Boily (Department of Chemistry) and Professor Jan Karlsson (Department of Ecology, Environment and Geoscience).

The fellowship is for two years, starting no later than Spring 2026 or according to agreement. The stipend is 720,000 SEK over 2 years (30,000 SEK/month) and is financed by the Kempe Foundation through the CIRC research platform.

Qualifications  

The post-doctoral fellow is required to have completed a doctoral degree or a foreign degree deemed equivalent to a doctoral degree. This qualification requirement must be fulfilled no later than at the time of the decision about scholarship recipient. Doctoral degree should be within chemistry, geochemistry, or equivalent subject area.

Priority should be given to candidates who completed their doctoral degree, according to what is stipulated in the paragraph above, no later than three years before the application deadline. If there are special reasons, candidates who completed their doctoral degree before that may also be eligible. Special reasons include absence due to illness, parental leave, appointments of trust in trade union organizations, military service, or similar circumstances, or other forms of appointment/assignment relevant to the subject area. 

Practical experience in aqueous geochemistry, (vibrational, X-ray) spectroscopy, and advanced data evaluation (MATLAB, R, Python) are considered valuable assets. 

You have demonstrated abilities at thinking across scales, from the molecular level up to the field scale. You are a logical thinker, thorough in your duties, and able to complete tasks independently. The candidate must have the ability to collaborate in groups, and take all initiatives needed to pursue a 2-year project.

Experience in kinetic or thermodynamic modelling are considered as merits.

Application  

The application should be written in English or Swedish, and attached documents should be in Word or PDF format. The application should be registered via Umeå University’s e-recruitment system Varbi and submitted by the deadline November 7, 2025.

Further information 

For further information, please contact Professor Jean-François Boily, email: jean-francois.boily@umu.se

We look forward to receiving your application!