PhD in Physical Chemistry

Published: 2022-05-09

The Department of Chemistry - Ångström conducts research and education in the chemistry field. The department has more than 250 employees and has a turnover of 250 million SEK. At the department's six programs, we conduct very successful research of a high international standard. We have a large number of externally funded research projects, often with international cooperation and we see continued good growth in our subject area. The department has education assignments in engineering programs and master's programs. More information is available on our website. 

Read more about our benefits and what it is like to work at Uppsala University.

Duties
The position is placed in the group of Dr Michal Maj at the Ångström laboratory of Uppsala University. We are a rapidly growing and highly productive research team, focused on studying biomolecular structure and dynamics with novel spectroscopic techniques.

We take advantage of the rapid acquisition of femtosecond two-dimensional infrared (2D IR) spectroscopy to study the structure and aggregation kinetics of the toxic intermediate formed by the human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP) – the pancreatic hormone whose aggregation is linked to the loss of insulin-producing cells in type 2 diabetes. We complement our spectroscopic studies with biochemical and cell assays and attempt solving the 3D structures of the most toxic peptide species with high-resolution cryogen electron microscopy.

The candidate will lead the project and be responsible for all parts of it, which include experimental design, sample design and preparation, data acquisition, and analysis. The candidate will become an independent user of one of our femtosecond lasers and will become proficient at producing and characterizing peptide and protein samples with a variety of analytical techniques.

Requirements

• has been awarded a second-cycle qualification, or
• has satisfied the requirements for courses comprising at least 240 credits of which at least 60 credits were awarded in the second cycle, or has acquired essentially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad.
• has a master’s degree in Physics or Chemistry, or similar
• very good oral and written proficiency in English.

Consideration will also be given to good collaborative skills, drive and independence, and how the applicant’s experience and skills complement and strengthen ongoing research within the department, and how they stand to contribute to its future development.

Additional qualifications
Experience of working in the Unix / Linux environment and documented experience of working in Matlab or Python is a merit. Experience in the field of molecular spectroscopy or structural biology are also merits for this position.

Rules governing PhD students are set out in the Higher Education Ordinance chapter 5, §§ 1-7 and in Uppsala University's rules and guidelines.

About the employment
The employment is a temporary position according to the Higher Education Ordinance chapter 5 § 7. Scope of employment 100 %. Starting date as agreed. Placement: Uppsala

For further information about the position, please contact: Michal Maj, +46737695530, michal.maj@kemi.uu.se

Please submit your application by 30 May 2022, UFV-PA 2022/1634.

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