1 year Post-doctoral scholarship in peptidoglycan chemometrics

Post-doctoral scholarship, one year within peptidoglycan chemometrics

The Department of Molecular Biology, Umeå University,  is offering a postdoctoral scholarship within the project "Bacterial cell wall systems biology". The scholarship is full-time for one year with access in January 2026 or by agreement.  

Departmental specific information 

The Cava lab, situated at the Laboratory of Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden (MIMS) and the Department of Molecular Biology (Umeå University), is a dynamic and stimulating multidisciplinary research environment focused on exploring bacterial cell wall biology and genetics. Our research spans the intersection of basic and clinical investigations.

Project description  

We leverage pioneered transformative systems-level analytical approaches that are instrumental in answering these questions. Our preliminary results supporting this proposal represent a paradigm shift highlighting that cell wall assembly is a concerted effort controlled by a large and understudied proportion of the bacterial genome, a scale far greater than we ever imagined. The primary goal is to unveil the complete repertoire of genetic determinants of peptidoglycan biogenesis and remodeling in diverse pathogenic bacteria, elucidating their roles within functional networks. By doing so, we seek to deepen our understanding of the fundamental principles governing cell wall homeostasis and plasticity and ultimately promote new and more effective therapies for the treatment of infectious diseases. The recruited postdoc will focus on the development of dedicated software for the comparative analysis of cell wall chromatographic and MS data, and generation and management of a cell wall database.

The postdoctoral researcher will have the opportunity to: 

The postdoc candidate will have the opportunity to develop software for the comparative analysis of cell wall chromatographic and MS data, and generation and management of a cell wall database.

Qualifications  

The post-doctoral fellow is required to have completed a doctoral degree or a foreign degree deemed equivalent to a doctoral degree within molecular biology, bioinformatics, chemometrics, computer science, machine learning or related fields with strong expertise in both statistical analysis and software development. This qualification requirement must be fulfilled no later than at the time of the decision about scholarship recipient. 

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.

We are seeking a highly motivated individual with excellent communication skills in English, both oral and written. You should be comfortable working collaboratively within a team while also demonstrating the ability to structure and drive your research independently. The ideal candidate will bring strong expertise in chemometrics, machine learning, and statistical analysis—both multivariate and univariate—using tools such as R, MATLAB, and Python. Experience in computational tool development and model deployment is essential, along with a solid understanding of software engineering best practices, including Agile workflows, code refactoring, unit testing, and software validation.

We value candidates who are skilled in the design of experiments (DoE), classification, calibration, predictive modeling, and both linear and non-linear modeling approaches. Proficiency in statistical process control, network analysis, causal modeling, and high-throughput data analysis is highly desirable. Additional experience with data fusion strategies for multi-sensor integration, batch processing, and advanced model assessment techniques will be considered a strong asset. Familiarity with GitHub-based version control and collaborative workflows, as well as SQL for robust database management, is expected. Finally, expertise in deep learning frameworks such as PyTorch and TensorFlow for neural network development will be regarded as a significant advantage.

Application  

A full application should include: 

-          Cover letter describing research experience, interests and motivation.

-          Curriculum vitae (CV) with publication list, 

-          Verified copy of doctoral degree certificate or documentation that clarifies when the degree of doctor is expected to be obtained, 

-          Other documents that the applicant wishes to claim.

-          Contact information to two persons willing to act as references.

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 22 December, 2025.

More information 

For more information, visit https://www.umu.se/en/department-of-molecular-biology and UCMR -Umeå Centre for Microbial Research (umu.se).

For questions regarding the position contact Felipe Cava, felipe.cava@umu.se

We look forward to receiving your application!