UPSC is a highly dynamic institute with around 200 employees, 30 principal investigators and about 10 associated principal investigators. Approximately half of our staff is non-Swedish and the working language is English. We recruit researchers from all over the world. More than 40 nations are represented at UPSC. Post-doctoral fellows have the most diverse nationalities, but also our PIs, graduate and undergraduate students represent many different nations.
Are you interested in joining us? Please have a look below for currently open job opportunities. You are also always welcome to contact our principal investigators directly if you are interested in working with them.
The Department of Plant Physiology at Umeå University that is part of Umeå Plant Science Centre invites applicants for a PhD position in plant science to join the research group of Stéphane Verger. The expected starting date is Fall 2025 or according to agreement.
Last day to apply: 26 June 2025
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.
Project description
This doctoral project focuses on exploring the molecular mechanisms underlying plant cell-cell adhesion. Cell-cell adhesion is a fundamental feature of multicellular organisms, but much remains to be discovered about how it works in plants. Our group has developed several tools allowing genetics, microscopic, micromechanical and computational dissection of this process (https://www.upsc.se/researchers/6177-verger-stephane-mechanics-and-dynamics-of-cell-to-cell-adhesion-in-plants.html).
The Department of Plant Physiology at Umeå University that is part of Umeå Plant Science Centre invites applicants for a PhD position in plant science to join the research group of Johannes Messinger. The expected starting date is October 1, 2025 or according to agreement.
Last day to apply: 31 July 2025
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.
Project description
Photosynthesis drives life on Earth by converting solar light into chemical energy and providing the molecular oxygen we breathe. This doctoral project focuses on exploring the molecular mechanisms underlying photosynthetic water oxidation to O2, with special focus on the role of protein-water-cofactor interactions and substrate water binding and exchange at the catalytic site. This will be studied by employing biophysical techniques, such as time-resolved membrane inlet mass spectrometry, fluorescence and EPR spectroscopies, as well as molecular biology for introducing site specific alterations. Atomic level structural insight will be obtained via single particle analysis cryo-EM and snapshot serial crystallography with x-ray free electron lasers. The project may also include theoretical calculations. The PhD student will work within a friendly and open research team that is part of an extended national and international research network. Access and training to state-of-the-art instrumentation will be provided.
The postdoctoral scholarship will be placed at the Department of Plant Physiology (Umeå University), that is part of Umeå Plant Science Centre. We seek a highly motivated candidate for this project in Jian-Feng Mao's research group.
The Knut and Alice Wallenberg foundation (KAW) funds this two-year postdoctoral scholarship. The scholarship amounts to 348 000 SEK per year and is not subject to tax. The PI covers running costs for the project. The scholarship is full-time for two years with access during the fall of 2025 or according to agreement.
Last day to apply: 1 September 2025
Project description
What if we could decode the hidden language within plant genomes that controls their resilience to climate change, their growth patterns, and their ability to feed our growing population? Beyond the protein-coding genes we've traditionally studied lies an unexplored frontier of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) – mysterious genetic elements that don't create proteins but profoundly influence how plants develop and respond to their environment. Our research group has pioneered computational tools to identify these genetic elements, but we're now ready to make a quantum leap forward using the revolutionary power of artificial intelligence.
The postdoctoral scholarship will be placed at the Department of Plant Physiology (Umeå University), that is part of Umeå Plant Science Centre. We seek a highly motivated candidate for this project in Johannes Messinger's research group.
The Department of Plant Physiology is offering a postdoctoral scholarship within the project ‘High-resolution structures of Photosystem II’. The scholarship refers to full-time studies for two years, starting October 1, 2025, or according to agreement. The last day for application is September 1, 2025.
The Kempe Foundation (JCSMK24-599) funds this two-year postdoctoral scholarship. The scholarship amounts to 360 000 SEK per year and is not subject to tax. The grant from Kempe also funds 260 000 SEK per year of running costs. The PI covers the additional running costs for the project.
Last day to apply: 1 September 2025
Project description
This project has a focus on improving our knowledge about the mechanism of water oxidation to molecular oxygen in photosynthesis. This will be done by obtaining structures of photosystem II at different excitation states and conditions, including point mutations, and of different organisms. Specific research questions include: What are the protonation states of amino acids under different conditions? What is the role of protein dynamics in photosynthetic water oxidation and quinone reduction?
https://www.upsc.se/undergraduate/1430-undergraduate-education.html
UPSC group leaders: https://www.upsc.se/research/research-groups.html
UPSC associated group leaders: https://www.upsc.se/research/associated-research-groups.html