Postdoctoral scholarship (2 years) within tissue engineering and cancer biology

The Department of Medical and Translational Biology is offering a postdoctoral scholarship within the project entitled “3D Bioprinted Skin as a Platform to Study Skin Cancer Mechanisms” funded by the Kempe Foundation. The scholarship is full-time for two years with start date 1st September 2026 or by agreement.

The Department of Medical and Translational Biology (MTB) at Umeå University is an interdisciplinary research environment, advancing fundamental and translational biomedical science while delivering education in anatomy, cell biology and histology, physiology, and pharmacology and pharmacy.  The selected applicant will join the research group of Associate Professor Paul Kingham.

Project description

How do cancer cells exploit the complex structure of human skin to invade and spread? This project addresses this question using a novel 3D bioprinted human skin model to study tumour–microenvironment interactions. By combining tissue engineering and cancer biology, the project contributes to a deeper mechanistic understanding of cancer progression and future personalised disease modelling.

The postdoctoral researcher will be part of a creative and collaborative research environment at MTB, with close links between basic science and clinical research.

The postdoctoral researcher will have the opportunity to:

• Advanced 3D bioprinting for disease modelling
• Investigate cellular interactions in cancer progression
• Further develop their independent research profile in an interdisciplinary setting

Qualifications

To qualify as a postdoctoral scholarship holder, the postdoctoral 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.

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 prior. 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 organisations, military service or similar circumstances, as well as clinical practice or other forms of appointment/assignment relevant to the subject area.  Publications are also part of the merit assessment for postdoctoral fellowship.

The doctoral degree should be within biomedical sciences, cell biology, molecular biology, tissue engineering, or a closely related area.

Additional requirements are:

• Experience with primary human cell culture
• Experience with molecular techniques (e.g. qPCR, immunostaining)
• Ability to communicate scientific results in English, both in writing and orally

Meriting criteria are:

• Experience with 3D cell culture, bioprinting, or advanced in vitro models
• Experience with advanced microscopy methods and 3D image analysis
• Experience in cancer biology or tumour microenvironment research

We are looking for candidates who:

• Can structure and drive their own scientific development
• Can formulate and pursue research questions independently
• Can collaborate across disciplines and engage in a research environment combining basic and clinical science

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 31st July 2026.

A full application should include:

• Cover letter in which you describe your research background, your scientific interests, and how these relate to the project
• CV including publication list
• Copies of doctoral and other relevant degree certificates
• Contact information for at least two referees

We look forward to receiving your application!