Vacant job

Lund University was founded in 1666 and is repeatedly ranked among the world’s top universities. The University has around 47,000 students and more than 8,800 staff based in Lund, Helsingborg, and Malmö. We are united in our efforts to understand, explain, and improve our world and the human condition.

Lund University welcomes applicants with diverse backgrounds and experiences. We regard gender equality and diversity as a strength and an asset.

Lund University, repeatedly ranked among the world’s top universities, is seeking a motivated postdoctoral researcher to join the Balder beamline team at the MAX IV Laboratory in Lund, Sweden.

MAX IV is a world-leading synchrotron facility, providing researchers with cutting-edge tools to advance knowledge across materials science, life science, chemistry, and physics. Join us for a unique chance to shape the future of hard X-ray spectroscopy in time-resolved life science research while supporting world-class synchrotron instrumentation.

The Balder beamline is dedicated to advanced X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and X-ray emission spectroscopy (XES) in the medium to hard X-ray energy range (2.4–40 keV). Operational since 2019, Balder serves a diverse user community across material science, catalysis, chemistry, physics, biology, geology, and environmental science. Specialized for in-situ and operando X-ray spectroscopy, the beamline is designed to handle dilute and sensitive samples, often in multimodal setups combined with XRD or XRF. Leveraging the high brilliance of the 3 GeV storage ring and an optimized beamline design, Balder enables time-resolved measurements with sub-second resolution, opening new possibilities for dynamic studies of complex systems.

Part of your research will be carried out in collaboration with the Department of "Inorganic Spectroscopy" at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion (MPI-CEC), under the direction of Prof. Serena De-Beer, focused on the development and application of advanced X-ray spectroscopic tools for understanding processes in biological catalysis of several metalloenzymes.

This is a fixed-term position for 2 years.

Position Description:

As a postdoctoral researcher at Balder, you will split your time equally between supporting the beamline’s operational activities and engaging in research and developments to strengthen the time-resolved life sciences user community at Balder.

Your main responsibilities will include:

• Beamline Support (50%): Assist with day-to-day operations of the Balder beamline, including user support as local contact and maintenance of beamline instruments. Especially the use of the microfluidics platform towards life science users. Occasionally, on-call duties will apply.
• Research and development (50%): In scientific collaboration with the user communities of life sciences, in particular MPI-CEC. Drive and develop microfluidic methods/sample environments toward studies of metalloenzyme systems and resolving catalytic intermediates.

Key Qualifications:

• PhD in a relevant field (chemistry, biology, physics, or related disciplines) or equivalent
• Knowledge and practical experience in hard X-ray spectroscopy methodology (sample preparation and data acquisition) and profound skills in XAS & XES data analysis
• Experience of working with microfluidics methodology in combination with spectroscopy.
• Strong track record of publications in X-ray spectroscopy and a strong drive towards research publications
• Proficiency in English (written and spoken), with excellent communication skills
• Ability to work in a collaborative, interdisciplinary environment, engaging with a diverse group of scientists and technical staff.

Desirable Skills seen as merit:

• Experience in use and/or operation of hard X-ray synchrotron beamline
• Laboratory experience of work on metalloproteins
• Experience of time-resolved data analysis
• Good knowledge of Python language

Eligibility

Appointment to the position of postdoc requires that the applicant has a PhD or an international degree deemed equivalent to a PhD, within the subject of the position, completed no more than three years before the application deadline. Under special circumstances, the PhD can have been completed before the aforementioned three years.

Further information

This is a full-time, fixed-term employment. A postdoctoral fellow is employed under a period of at least two years and at most three years. The period of employment is determined in accordance with the agreement “Avtal om tidsbegränsad anställning som postdoktor-2022-02-01” (“Agreement on fixed-term employment as a post-doctoral fellow, 2022-02-01”).

What we offer

When you join our MAX IV team, you step into a world of front edge science. We make the invisible visible by supporting scientists from all over the world, generating scientific results for the benefit of society. We offer you a multicultural work environment with great opportunities for personal development with respect for a healthy work-life balance.

Would you like to work in a challenging and supporting environment? Then join us and take the opportunity to make a real difference!

For further information, please visit:

• Lund University (https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/about-lund-university/work-lund-university)
• Sweden (http://www.sweden.se)
• MAX IV Careers (https://www.maxiv.lu.se/about-us/careers/compensation-benefits/)

MAX IV is a Swedish national large-scale research infrastructure hosted by Lund University. It provides scientists from Sweden and abroad, with intense X-rays and state-of-the-art instrumentation for research in areas such as engineering, physics, structural biology, chemistry, and nanotechnology. Its 16 beamlines receive up to 2,000 scientists annually, conducting groundbreaking experiments in materials and life sciences using the brilliant X-rays.

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