Postdoctoral Researcher in Multimodal Strategies for Liquid Biopsy and Chemical Imaging

Lund University was founded in 1666 and is consistently ranked as one of the world's leading universities. There are approximately 47,000 students and more than 8,800 employees in Lund, Helsingborg, and Malmö. We are united in our efforts to understand, explain, and improve our world and the conditions of humanity.

Lund University welcomes applicants from diverse backgrounds and experiences. Gender equality, equal opportunities, and diversity are fundamental principles for all parts of our operations.

Workplace Description

At the Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, the successful candidate will be part of a strong interdisciplinary research environment at the intersection of translational cancer biology, analytical chemistry, evolution, and computer science.

The workplace offers access to modern core facilities for advanced microscopy and cytometry, cell and molecular biology, analysis of extracellular vesicles (EV), and mass spectrometry, and has strong collaborations within the university and with the regional healthcare system. The postdoctoral researcher will be part of an international team with an active seminar culture and opportunities to co-supervise students, contribute to teaching, and participate in grant applications and manuscript writing. The position is located in Lund, close to major national research infrastructures and a vibrant scientific network.

Within the research group, we value a good working environment with respect and care in our relationships with each other and strive for a workplace that is perceived as developing and stimulating for all employees. We continuously work to create conditions for job satisfaction, development, and participation for all employees. We care about both physical safety and the psychosocial work environment.

Project Description

The project aims to develop next-generation multimodal strategies for liquid biopsy and chemical imaging for biomarker identification and mechanistic understanding of chemical signatures in cancer and related diseases. By combining robust isolation and phenotyping of extracellular vesicles (EV) with chemical profiling via time-of-flight mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS and MALDI-ToF), integrated molecular signatures are generated that can be translated into robust monitoring analyses of cancer cell proliferation and adaptation. The postdoctoral researcher will lead the development of high-fidelity workflows for EV (from plasma and cell models) and establish quantitative analyses based on nanoparticle and flow cytometry, complemented by mass spectrometry-based chemical profiling and machine learning-supported multivariate analysis. If necessary, genetic perturbations (CRISPR-Cas) in mammalian cell models will be used to validate candidate pathways and biomarkers.

Key deliverables include: (i) optimized and benchmarked EV isolation or characterization pipelines; (ii) validated ToF-SIMS/MALDI analysis methods and sample preparation strategies; (iii) interpretable multivariate or ML models for classification and identification of relevant features; and (iv) high-impact publications and open, reusable analysis workflows.

Responsibilities and Duties

At Lund University, a postdoctoral appointment should provide opportunities for scientific and pedagogical merit. Primarily, space is given for merit in research, but some higher education pedagogical training may also be included. Teaching may also be part of the duties.

The postdoctoral researcher is expected to take a leading role in designing, conducting, and communicating research at a level that sets international standards.

The responsibilities include, among others:

• Independent planning and execution of experimental work in human cell cultures and relevant patient-derived samples (e.g., plasma-derived EV).
• Development, optimization, and quality control of workflows for isolation and characterization of extracellular vesicles, including quantitative and phenotypic readouts.
• Advanced method development and application within ToF-SIMS and MALDI-ToF, including sample preparation and data interpretation.
• Implementation of robust statistics and machine learning pipelines (e.g., PCA, PLS-based methods) for classification, biomarker identification, and data integration across platforms.
• Validation of mechanistic hypotheses with modern molecular biology and genetic engineering (including CRISPR-Cas-based gene editing) as required by the project.
• Documentation of methods and results to ensure reproducibility; writing of manuscripts, conference contributions, and grant-like texts.

See the full advertisement via the link: https://lu.varbi.com/what:job/jobID:899001/ (https://lu.varbi.com/what:job/jobID:899001/)

The Faculty of Medicine is an area of operation within Lund University, responsible for education and research in medicine, care, and health. Education is conducted in close collaboration with healthcare and is well anchored in the faculty's strong research tradition. The faculty's research spans a broad field within experimental basic research, patient-centered clinical research, and health sciences research. The Faculty of Medicine, with over 1,800 employees and 2,700 students in Lund, Malmö, and Helsingborg, is an intensive knowledge meeting place for students, teachers, and researchers from around the world.

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