Research Assistant

Do you want to work with machine learning, supported by competent and friendly colleagues in an international environment? Do you want an employer that invests in sustainable employee engagement and offers secure, favorable working conditions? Welcome to apply for the position of research assistant at Uppsala University.

The Department of Cell and Molecular Biology is divided into seven research programs focusing on different areas within cell and molecular biology: computational biology and bioinformatics, microbiology, molecular biology, molecular biophysics, molecular evolution, molecular systems biology, and structural biology. The scientific foundation for what we do lies within biology, but our research overlaps with other fields such as medicine, computer science, mathematics, chemistry, engineering, and physics. The department has over 200 employees with approximately 60 doctoral students. Please read more about the organization’s work at https://icm.uu.se (https://icm.uu.se).

Job Responsibilities

The successful candidate will work within a project aimed at clarifying how mutations affect protein stability, with a particular focus on disease-associated mutations. The work involves method development at the intersection of machine learning and physics-based computational methods. Job responsibilities include, among others: scientific programming in Python, particularly further development of the internal code QresFEP (https://github.com/qusers/qligfep (https://github.com/qusers/qligfep)); identification, collection, and curation of mutation data for evaluation and testing of the method; large-scale molecular dynamics simulations and free energy calculations; as well as analysis of simulations, including the development of deep learning models to interpret and complement the free energy calculations.

Qualifications

The applicant should have a bachelor's degree in chemistry and a master's degree in pharmaceutical development or equivalent. Experience in molecular simulation techniques such as molecular dynamics and free energy calculations should be documented with publications in the research field. The applicant should have a background in (e.g., through specialized courses or teaching experience) structural and/or pharmaceutical bioinformatics, thermodynamics, and statistical mechanics, as well as deep learning. Experience in scientific computing environments, including Unix-based systems, use of high-performance computing resources, bash/shell scripting, and scientific programming in Python is required. The applicant should have excellent communication skills in English, both spoken and written, and be able to work independently as well as have good collaboration skills.

Desirable/meritorious qualifications

Teaching experience, particularly focusing on supervising students' independent projects or research preparatory components, as well as experience with deep learning methods in biochemical or biophysical applications, is considered meritorious.

About the Position

The position is temporary, lasting 3.5 months. The scope is full-time. Start date is 2026-01-01 or as agreed. Location: Uppsala

For inquiries about the position, please contact: Professor Johan Åqvist (+46 18 471 41 09, [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])).

Welcome to submit your application by December 8, 2025, UFV-PA 2025/3622.

Uppsala University is a broad research university with a strong international position. The ultimate goal is to conduct education and research of the highest quality and relevance to make a difference in society. Our most important asset is all 7,600 employees and 53,000 students who, with curiosity and commitment, make Uppsala University one of the most exciting workplaces in the country.

Read more about our benefits and what it is like to work at Uppsala University https://uu.se/om-uu/jobba-hos-oss/ (https://uu.se/om-uu/jobba-hos-oss/)

The position may be subject to security screening. A prerequisite for employment during security screening is that the applicant is approved.

We kindly decline offers of recruitment and advertising assistance.

Applications are accepted in Uppsala University's recruitment system.

Union representatives: Saco-S - [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]), Seko - [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]), ST (OFR/S) - [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])