Staff Scientist in Chemical Lipid Biology and Structural Interactomics

Umeå Universitet · Full-time

Umeå universitet, Umeå, Sweden

Umeå University is one of Sweden's largest higher education institutions with over 41,500 students and approximately 4,600 employees. The university offers a diverse range of high-quality education and world-leading research in several scientific fields. It was here that the groundbreaking discovery of the gene scissors CRISPR-Cas9 was made, which was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. At Umeå University, everything is close by. Our cohesive campus makes it easy to meet, collaborate, and exchange knowledge, fostering a dynamic and open culture. The societal transformation and major green investments we see in northern Sweden create enormous opportunities and complex challenges. For Umeå University, it is about conducting research about – and within – a society in transition. It is also about delivering education for regions that need to expand rapidly and sustainably. This is simply where the future is being created. Are you interested in learning more? Read more about Umeå University as a workplace. Project Description Chorell's research group is seeking a staff scientist for a project that develops spatially and temporally resolved sphingolipidomics to understand mitochondrial lipid-protein interactions in insulin resistance. The project combines mitochondria-targeted, light-activatable sphingolipid precursors and photoactivatable, clickable ceramide and deoxiceramide probes with UV activation, click chemistry-based enrichment, targeted lipidomics, and high-resolution XL-MS/interactomics. The work is conducted in muscle and adipocyte models and aims to link lipid flux and binding surfaces to mitochondrial stress and impaired insulin sensitivity. The employment is time-limited to 11 months full-time. The work is located in Umeå and is conducted in close collaboration with mass spectrometry and chemical biology environments at Umeå University, Swedish Metabolomics Centre, and SciLifeLab-related infrastructure. Responsibilities You will independently lead experimental and analytical method development for the project's click chemistry-based lipid interactomics. This includes planning and optimizing UV photoactivation, covalent capture of transient lipid-protein contacts, alkyne-azide ligation, affinity enrichment with magnetic beads, and sample preparation for high-resolution LC-MS/MS and XL-MS. You will develop reproducible workflows, appropriate negative controls, and quantitative strategies to distinguish specific interactions from background signals. You will conduct experiments in established muscle and adipocyte models and integrate interactomics with targeted lipidomics and pulse-chase-based flux measurements. You are responsible for quality control, data analysis, and structural interpretation of protein-lipid adducts and candidate binding surfaces, and you will prioritize interaction nodes for functional validation. The work also includes scientific documentation, protocol development, FAIR data management, manuscript work, presentation of results, and knowledge transfer within the research group and to collaborators. Some shared administrative tasks may be included. Required Qualifications We are looking for someone who has: • a PhD in proteomics, analytical chemistry, biochemistry, chemical biology, structural biology, clinical pharmacology, or a related field; • documented practical experience in mass spectrometry method development and data analysis encompassing both protein/peptide analysis and quantitative LC-MS/MS of small molecules in biological or clinical samples; • documented experience with crosslinking mass spectrometry (XL-MS), structural proteomics, or a directly comparable methodology; • ability to independently plan, troubleshoot, quality assure, and document complex experimental workflows; • excellent ability to communicate science in English, both verbally and in writing. Meritorious Qualifications It is particularly meritorious if you have experience in one or more of the following areas: • photoaffinity labeling, click chemistry, UV crosslinking, or affinity enrichment of protein adducts; • lipidomics or sphingolipidomics, including targeted analysis with triple quadrupole and/or high-resolution analysis with Orbitrap/Q-Exactive; • development and validation of robust LC-MS/MS methods for clinical samples or pharmacokinetic studies; • molecular dynamics simulations, structure-informed data analysis, or identification of protein binding surfaces; • cell culture and experimental models for skeletal muscle, adipocytes, insulin resistance, or type 2 diabetes; • integration of proteomics, lipidomics, and interactomics data using R, Python, or equivalent tools; • mentoring, method training, international collaboration, and reproducible practices in open science. Personal Qualities and Language The project requires you to work in a structured and careful manner, take scientific responsibility, and be able to drive method development from optimization to biological interpretation. You need to be solution-oriented and comfortable in interdisciplinary collaboration across chemical biology, proteomics, lipidomics, and metabolic physiology. Great emphasis will be placed on personal suitability and documented ability to contribute to an inclusive research environment. The working language of the project is primarily English. Application The application should include a CV, cover letter with a clear description of how your experience meets the competency requirements, degree certificate for your PhD, and a publication list. Applications must be received by 2026-10-01. We warmly welcome your application! Umeå University aims to offer an equal and equitable environment where open dialogue between people with different backgrounds and perspectives forms the foundation for learning, creativity, and development. We therefore welcome people with diverse backgrounds and experiences to apply for this position. To staffing and recruitment companies and to you who are sales representatives: We respectfully but firmly decline direct contact from staffing and recruitment companies and sellers of additional job advertisements.