Doctoral student in method development of capillary electrophoresis for mass spectrometric detection of protein complexes

The Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences is an interdisciplinary environment where ten research areas work together to contribute to better medicines and a healthier world. With laboratories in the heart of Uppsala Biomedical Centre and Sweden’s only Faculty of Pharmacy, we are a vital engine in the development of education and research within the pharmaceutical sciences. More information about the department and its activities is available at uu.se/farmbio.

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Do you want to conduct research in analytical instrument development with a focus on automation and machine-learning-assisted data analysis, with applications in cell biology? Welcome to apply for a doctoral position at Uppsala University

Research area

 We develop and apply new separation methods and instrumentation to map the internal mechanisms of biological cells, and to understand how pharmaceuticals and disease states affect these mechanisms.

The doctoral student will develop a new sample-preparation technique within proteomics for studying protein complexes. This will involve constructing and programming new equipment using silicon capillaries, high-voltage supplies, 3D motors and laser diodes, which will in turn be coupled to mass spectrometry.

Duties

The doctoral student will be responsible for developing new separation instrumentation and analysis methods supported by machine learning. The overall goal is to combine separations of protein complexes that are sequentially exposed to heat pulses from an infrared laser, followed by analysis with mass spectrometry. The method will be used to identify the variants of proteins that arise in biological tissue via post-translational modifications, and to determine which of these variants may form part of protein complexes.

The doctoral student will design, perform, and analyse experiments aimed at understanding how these protein complexes are affected by pharmaceutical treatments. The position also includes responsibility for writing scientific manuscripts, presenting research results at internal meetings and international conferences, and actively participating in collaborations with other experimental and theoretical research groups.

Requirements

To meet the entry requirements for doctoral studies, you must have:

• A Master’s degree in physics, chemistry, biology, or a related field
• Completed at least 240 credits in higher education, of which at least 60 credits at Master’s level including an independent project of at least 15 credits, or otherwise acquired substantially equivalent knowledge
• Personal qualities required to successfully perform the duties included in the position
• Good proficiency in spoken and written English

More information about the entry requirements can be found here.

The selection of candidates is made by the supervisor in consultation with the department’s doctoral education group. The Doctoral Education Committee within the Disciplinary Domain of Medicine and Pharmacy formally admits the doctoral student.

The selection is based on the qualifications described above, grades in relevant courses, the relevance of the courses to the research area, and previous experience of work and research within the field described. An integrated assessment is made to recruit the best-suited candidate who is likely to succeed in their doctoral studies and contribute positively to the development of the research programme. Great emphasis will be placed on personal qualities such as analytical ability, accuracy, flexibility, and collaborative skills. To be employed as a doctoral student, you must be admitted, or expected to be admitted, to doctoral studies. The applicant’s ability to successfully complete the doctoral education will be of central importance.

Additional qualifications

Highly desirable qualifications include strong skills in programming, CAD, engineering, automation, and separation techniques, as well as previous hands-on experience with mass spectrometry. Experience working with large datasets and performing simulations is beneficial, but not required.

About the position

The position is a fixed-term employment in accordance with Chapter 5, Section 7 of the Swedish Higher Education Ordinance. The employment is full-time, with a starting date to be agreed upon. The position is located in Uppsala.

Salary placement is determined according to local guidelines at Uppsala University.

To be eligible for the position, the candidate must be admitted or expected to be admitted to doctoral studies. Regulations for doctoral students can be found in Chapter 5, Sections 1–7 of the Higher Education Ordinance, as well as the university’s rules and guidelines: http://regler.uu.se/. The doctoral student is expected to primarily devote their time to their own doctoral education. Other departmental duties, such as teaching and administrative tasks, may be included within the scope of the position (maximum 20%).

Doctoral studies normally comprise four years of full-time study, and may extend to a maximum of five years if departmental duties are included.

Application procedure

The application should include a cover letter in which the applicant briefly describes themselves and their research interests. The application must also include a CV, copies of degree certificates and transcripts, the degree project (thesis), and any other documents the applicant wishes to submit in support of their application.

For further information about the position, please contact:
Associate professor Erik Jansson, erik.jansson@uu.se, phone +46 18 471 4446

For questions regarding the recruitment process, please contact:
Administrative Manager Marina Rönngren, marina.ronngren@uu.se

Please submit your application no later than 15 january 2026, UFV-PA 2025/3881