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 Adam Frew's research group, where the research will focus on the distribution and diversity of mycorrhizal fungi.
The Knut and Alice Wallenberg foundation (KAW) funds this two-year postdoctoral scholarship. The scholarship amounts to 354 000 SEK per year and is not subject to tax. The PI covers running costs for the project. The scholarship refers to full-time studies for two years, starting according to agreement. The last day for application is April 30, 2026.
Last day to apply: 30 April 2026
Project description
Mycorrhizal fungi are fundamental to plant nutrition, ecosystem functioning, and soil processes, yet their diversity, distribution, and ecological roles across large spatial scales remain incompletely understood. This research program integrates large-scale field sampling, DNA metabarcoding, and advanced ecological modelling to examine how climate, vegetation, and environmental context shape mycorrhizal fungal communities.
The postdoctoral scholarship holder will be given a good opportunity to gain experience in developing and applying species distribution and community models to characterise the environmental niches, biogeographic patterns, and assembly processes of mycorrhizal fungi in Sweden and globally. The research will involve analysis of large, high-dimensional metabarcoding datasets derived from coordinated sampling across ecosystems, with particular emphasis on linking fungal community composition to environmental gradients and plant community structure.
As a postdoctoral scholarship holder within this research project, you will get the opportunity to:
- Develop and apply species distribution, joint species distribution, or related hierarchical models for fungal communities
- Analyse large-scale metabarcoding datasets linking fungal diversity to environmental and ecological covariates
- Contribute to sampling design and integration of ecological datasets (soil, vegetation, climate)
- Lead and co-author scientific manuscripts
- Contribute to the conceptual development of the research program
- Collaborate within an interdisciplinary and international research environment
Qualifications
To qualify as a postdoctoral scholarship holder, the postdoctoral fellow is required to have completed a doctoral degree or a foreign degree deemed equivalent to a doctoral degree. This qualification requirement must be fulfilled no later than at the time of the decision about scholarship recipient. 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 before 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 ecology, quantitative biology, ecoinformatics, environmental science, biostatistics, microbial ecology, or a related subject.
Requirements
- Strong quantitative and statistical skills
- Demonstrated experience with species distribution models, joint species distribution models, hierarchical models, or related approaches
- Experience analysing community or biodiversity datasets
- Proficiency in R (or equivalent statistical programming environment)
- A publication record in peer-reviewed journals commensurate with career stage
- Ability to perform research independently and develop analyses with a high degree of autonomy
- Good communication skills in English, both written and spoken.
Application
The application should be written in English (preferably) or Swedish, and attached documents should be in Word or PDF format. The application should be registered via Umeå University’s e-recruitment system Varbi following this link: https://www.umu.se/en/work-with-us/postdoctoral-scholarships/postdoctoral-scholarship-2-years-in-mycorrhizal-biogeography-and-species-distribution-modelling_917385/. Log in to the system and apply via the button at the end of the above page.
The application should contain:
- A personal letter that describes your qualifications, experiences, scientific interests, and motivation for application (max 2 pages)
- CV with full publication list
- Certified copies of doctoral degree certificate or equivalent, or documentation that clarifies when the degree of doctor is expected to be obtained
- Other relevant degree certificates and grades
- Other documents wished to be claimed.
The closing date is 30 April 2026.
Contact
Further information can be obtained from Adam Frew, Department of Plant Physiology, e-mail:
About the Research Environment at UPSC
The Department of Plant Physiology at Umeå University is part of Umeå Plant Science Centre (UPSC). UPSC is a centre of excellence for experimental plant research and forest biotechnology in Northern Sweden. Our mission is to perform excellent and innovative basic research and generate knowledge that benefits forestry, agriculture, environment and society. We work across a wide range of disciplines in plant science reaching from cell biology to ecophysiology and from basic research to industrial applications. Our common goal is to understand the plants’ ability to grow, adapt and acclimate to a changing world and how we can breed better plants.
UPSC belongs to two universities, Umeå University and Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU). About 200 people from more than 40 different nationalities work here. We host some 30 principal investigators, and our researchers have access to state-of-the-art analytical platforms, unique tree germplasm resources and plant growth facilities. We strive for a collaborative work environment and support our scientists throughout all career stages by providing professional training opportunities and individual career mentoring.
Umeå has a strong postdoc community organised in the Umeå Postdoc Society (UPS). UPS fosters networking amongst postdocs, organises social and career development events and works towards improving the postdoc experience in Umeå. Check out their website https://umeapostdocs.com/ and do not hesitate to get in contact with them!
We look forward to receiving your application!