Vacant job

Job Description

Your primary responsibility will be your doctoral studies, which include participation in research projects, doctoral courses, seminars, and conferences.

You will be responsible for the production and experimental characterization of self-assembling de novo-designed proteins. You will also participate in selecting promising constructs and contribute to the overall design strategy. You will work in close collaboration with computational protein designers to establish an efficient feedback loop between experimental results and design strategy.

The duties include:

• Filtration and selection of de novo-designed proteins for characterization
• Protein expression and purification
• Design and production of new protein assemblies with non-canonical amino acids possessing metal-binding properties
• Development of analysis methods for high-throughput screening
• Spectroscopic characterization of 2D self-assembly of proteins
• Cryogenic electron microscopy of protein–metal assemblies
• The duties also include participation in teaching and other departmental activities, up to a maximum of 20 percent of working time. The department is responsible for courses in physical chemistry, NMR spectroscopy, and biophysical chemistry.

Qualifications

To be admitted and employed as a doctoral student, you must meet the requirements below.

Entry Requirements

You meet the general entry requirements for postgraduate studies if you have:

• completed a degree at advanced level or
• completed course requirements of at least 240 higher education credits, of which at least 60 credits at advanced level or
• acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way.

You meet the specific entry requirements for Biophysical Chemistry if you have:

• a civil engineer degree, a one-year master's degree, or another comparable degree with significant components of mathematics, molecular sciences, and life sciences. Depending on the doctoral student's research project, advanced level courses in physical chemistry, biophysical chemistry, protein science, and/or molecular spectroscopy may be required.

Finally, the student must be assessed as having the prerequisites to complete the education.

Other Requirements

To benefit from the current doctoral education, the following are also required:

• Experience in experimental protein characterization and biophysical measurements with quantitative data analysis
• Molecular understanding of protein structure and protein interactions
• Documented ability to work independently
• Scientific curiosity
• Good molecular understanding
• The applicant must also have good analytical skills, be proactive, demonstrate teamwork abilities, and be resilient
• Good ability to work independently as well as to formulate and tackle research problems
• Good written and oral communication skills
• Very good oral and written proficiency in English

Merits

The following are considered meritorious for the current doctoral education:

• Experience in recombinant protein production is meritorious
• Experience in protein structure characterization using cryo-electron microscopy is meritorious
• Experience in experimental characterization and quantitative data analysis of protein self-assembly is meritorious

We Offer

Lund University is a government agency, which means you receive special benefits, generous vacation time, and a favorable occupational pension. Please feel free to add information about what your specific workplace offers.

More about working at Lund University at lu.se. https://www.lu.se/om-universitetet/jobba-hos-oss (https://www.lu.se/om-universitetet/jobba-hos-oss)

About the Position

The position is a fixed-term full-time employment, starting 2026-09-01 or by agreement. The doctoral education is four years for full-time studies. In case of teaching and other departmental work, the employment is extended accordingly. Regulations regarding employment as a doctoral student are found in the Higher Education Ordinance (1993:100), Chapter 5, Sections 1-7.

More about employment conditions for doctoral students on Lund University's employee web. https://www.medarbetarwebben.lu.se/forska-och-utbilda/stod-till-forskning/utbildning-pa-forskarniva/anstallningsvillkor-doktorander (https://www.medarbetarwebben.lu.se/forska-och-utbilda/stod-till-forskning/utbildning-pa-forskarniva/anstallningsvillkor-doktorander)

How to Apply

The application should be written in English and attached to your application:

• CV and cover letter explaining why you are interested in the study position/employment and how the research project matches your interests and educational background.
• Copies of issued study certificates and/or degree certificates. These should verify your general and specific eligibility for the doctoral program and show that you have the subject knowledge required for the doctoral project.
• Contact details for two reference persons
• Copies of grades
• Other documents you wish to submit (recommendation letters, etc.).

We look forward to receiving your application!

LTH – Lund Institute of Technology – is part of Lund University. At LTH, we educate people, build knowledge for the future, and work hard to develop society. We create space for brilliant research and inspire creative development in technology, architecture, and design. Nearly 12,000 students study here. Each year, our researchers – many of whom work in world-leading profile areas – publish around 100 dissertations and 2,000 scientific findings. A number of research results and student projects are refined into innovations. Together, we explore and create – for the benefit of the world.

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