by
2026-07-31
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The Department of Plant Physiology (Umeå University, Umeå Plant Science Centre, Sweden) invites applicants for a postdoctoral position in plant cell wall dynamics and mechanochemical signalling. The expected starting date is September 2026 or according to agreement.
Umeå Plant Science Centre (UPSC) is one of the strongest research environments for basic plant research in Europe. Research at UPSC covers a wide range of disciplines in plant biology including ecology, computational biology, genetics, physiology, biochemistry, cell biology and molecular biology (see www.upsc.se). We are now offering a postdoctoral employment at the Department of Plant Physiology, Umeå University, which is part of Umeå Plant Science Centre. The employment is full-time for two years with access in September 2026 or according to agreement. Application deadline is 31 July 2026.
We are seeking a motivated postdoctoral researcher to join the DYNAMO project (“Dynamics of Mechanochemical Signals in Plant Cell Walls”) at the Plant Cell Wall Dynamics Lab, led by Assistant Professor Laura Bacete. This project is funded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation (Emerging Investigator 2026 in Plant Science, Agriculture and Food Biotechnology). The project investigates how plants sense and interpret the physical and chemical state of their cell walls, and how these wall-state signals govern growth, differentiation, and stress responses. The successful candidate will focus on determining whether wall states propagate across tissues and how this propagation relates to active sensing rather than passive mechanical spread. Optogenetic and inducible genetic tools will be used to generate defined perturbations of pectin remodelling, and Brillouin microscopy combined with live-cell signalling reporters will be used to characterise the tissue-level responses these perturbations elicit. The work is carried out in Arabidopsis thaliana, with selected conditions validated in hybrid aspen, in close collaboration with experts in optical microscopy, plant defence, and synthetic biology.
To be appointed under the postdoctoral agreement, the postdoctoral fellow is required to have completed a doctoral degree or a foreign degree deemed equivalent to a doctoral degree. This qualification requirements must be fulfilled no later than at the time of the appointment decision.
To be appointed under the postdoctoral agreement, priority should be given to candidates who completed their doctoral degree, according to what is stipulated in the paragraph above, no later than three years prior. If there are special reasons, candidates who completed their doctoral degree prior to that may also be eligible. Special reasons include absence due to illness, parental leave, appointments of trust in trade union organisations, military service, or similar circumstances, as well as clinical practice or other forms of appointment/assignment relevant to the subject area.
The doctoral degree should be in Plant Biology, Biotechnology, Biophysics, or a related field.
For this employment, we are looking for a person with a strong interest in plant biology and enthusiasm for developing new experimental approaches. The following qualifications are required:
We do not expect the selected candidate to be proficient in all of the following from the outset, but they should be eager to learn the required techniques. The following are considered advantageous:
On a personal level, we are looking for a good team player who can also work independently when required. We would like you to:
This is a full-time position for two years, with a possibility of a maximum one-year extension depending on project’s progression. Salary and employment conditions are set in accordance with Umeå University’s collective agreements. The appointed researcher will receive full support from the PI to develop their own research profile, write grant applications, and follow an individual development plan crafted together with the PI. The employment will start in September 2026 or upon agreement.
You apply through our recruitment system Varbi no later than 31 July 2026. Documents should be sent electronically, in MS Word or PDF format, through the recruitment system.
The application should be written in English (preferred) or Swedish and should include:
If you have questions regarding the position, please contact Laura Bacete (laura.bacete@ͯƵ).
The Department of Plant Physiology values the qualities that an even gender distribution brings to the department, and therefore we particularly encourage women to apply for the position.
We look forward to your application!
Admission
September 2026 or according to agreement
Salary
Månadslön
Application deadline
2026-07-31
Registration number
AN 2026/818
Union representative
SACO SACO
090-7865365
SEKO SEKO
090-7865296
ST ST
090-7865431