Vacant job

The European Spallation Source (ESS) is one of the largest science and technology infrastructure projects being built today. Our goal is to become the brightest source of neutrons for science and technology and be operational by the end of this decade. A state-of-the-art suite of neutron scattering instruments will be made available to address a wide range of scientific fields in fundamental and materials science. Powered by the world's most advanced linear proton accelerator, ESS will enable cutting-edge research in materials science, energy, health, and the environment for decades to come.

Join us in shaping the future of science - from the ground up.

About the role:

ESS is at an exciting turning point. It is in transition from being a construction site, to being an operating facility. To help us realise our goal of being the world's leading institution for neutron based research, we are now looking for a Postdoctoral Researcher to join our Large Scale Structures Division.

The role is part of the Vetenskapsrådet funded ESS Science Initiative project "Lifecycle of a Lipid Nanoparticle", which is a consortium of Swedish and international researchers from universities, research institutes, and industry with a common interest in the underlying behaviours of lipid nanoparticles as drug delivery vectors.

The goals of this part of the project are:

• Develop an understanding of the biological interactions of lipid nanoparticles
• Develop model systems and measurement protocols that can be used to enable experiments on lipid nanoparticles at ESS.

To achieve these goals, the postdoctoral researcher will develop proof-of-concept experiments to be run on the Estia neutron reflectometry instrument at ESS. The work will involve the development of model membrane systems of biological relevance for these studies, building on existing work within the community. To achieve this, we will make use of commercially available lipids as well as lipid extracts available from the ESS Deuteration Facility. The successful candidate will have experience in lipid biophysics and associated laboratory characterisation methods such as QCM-D, optical spectroscopies, ellipsometry, SPR, and TIRF.

Whilst the primary location for the work will be at ESS in Lund, working with Dr. Tom Arnold and Dr. Sebastian Jaksch, this project will be co-supervised by Dr. Margaret Holme at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg as well as other research consortium labs, and strong interactions with the academic partners will be expected. There will be regular consortium meetings, including reporting of your results to the team.

About you:

We require that you have:

• PhD in the physical or biological sciences with knowledge and experience of experimental lipid biophysics.
• Ability to work in a team with people of a variety of disciplines in an international collaboration.
• Excellent oral and written English skills

The project requires working visits to consortium laboratories for up to several weeks at a time and so it is important that you have the flexibility to travel.

A career at ESS gives you the opportunity to contribute to the future discoveries within neutron science at a stunning, brand-new workplace filled with innovative minds and brilliant people from across the globe. We offer market competitive, individualized compensation which is differentiated according to role, responsibilities, individual skills, abilities and achievements as well as monthly pension contributions on top of your salary.

To apply:

If you see yourself in what we're looking for, please provide your CV and motivation letter in English by clicking on "apply" and following the instructions. Please be aware that we can only accept direct applications made via the ESS website. Submit your application as soon as you can, last day to apply is on July 10th 2026.

First round of interviews (via Zoom) is planned to take place on July 28-30, 2026 and second round of interviews (onsite) is planned for August 25-28, 2026.

For further information regarding the recruitment process, please contact Talent Acquisition Specialist Louise Jönegård on [email protected].

For information about the position, please contact Head of Division Large Scale Structures Andrew Jackson on mailto:[email protected]

For trade union information, please contact Unionen representative Nerusha Naicker on mailto:[email protected] or SACO/Swedish Association of Graduate Engineers representative Marc Kickulies at mailto:[email protected]