Staff scientist in chemical lipid biology and structural interactomics

Umeå University is one of Sweden’s largest higher education institutions with over 41,500 students and about 4,600 employees. The University offers a diversity of high-quality education and world-leading research in several fields. Notably, the groundbreaking discovery of the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing tool, which was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, was made here. At Umeå University, everything is close. Our cohesive campuses make it easy to meet, work together and exchange knowledge, which promotes a dynamic and open culture.

The ongoing societal transformation and large green investments in northern Sweden create enormous opportunities and complex challenges. For Umeå University, conducting research about – and in the middle of – a society in transition is key. We also take pride in delivering education to enable regions to expand quickly and sustainably. In fact, the future is made here.

Project description
The Chorell research group is recruiting 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, photo-caged sphingolipid precursors and photoactivatable, clickable ceramide and deoxyceramide probes with UV activation, click-chemistry-based enrichment, targeted lipidomics and high-resolution XL-MS/interactomics. Work will be performed in muscle and adipocyte models to connect lipid flux and binding interfaces with mitochondrial stress and impaired insulin sensitivity.

The position is a full-time, fixed-term appointment for 11 months and is based in Umeå. The work will be conducted in close collaboration with mass spectrometry and chemical biology environments at Umeå University, the Swedish Metabolomics Centre and SciLifeLab-related infrastructure.

Work responsibilities
You will independently lead the experimental and analytical method development for the project's click-chemistry-based lipid interactomics. Responsibilities include planning and optimising UV photoactivation, covalent capture of transient lipid-protein contacts, alkyne-azide ligation, magnetic-bead affinity enrichment, and sample preparation for high-resolution LC-MS/MS and XL-MS. You will establish reproducible workflows, appropriate negative controls and quantitative strategies that distinguish specific interactions from background signals.

You will perform experiments in established muscle and adipocyte models and integrate interactomics with targeted lipidomics and pulse-chase flux measurements. You will be responsible for quality control, data analysis and structural interpretation of protein-lipid adducts and candidate binding interfaces, and for prioritising interaction nodes for functional validation. The role also includes scientific documentation, protocol development, FAIR data management, manuscript preparation, presentation of results and knowledge transfer within the research group and to collaborators. Some shared administrative duties may be included.

Required qualifications
We are looking for a candidate who has:

•         a doctoral degree in proteomics, analytical chemistry, biochemistry, chemical biology, structural biology, clinical pharmacology or a closely related field;

•         documented hands-on experience of mass-spectrometry method development and data analysis covering both protein/peptide analysis and quantitative LC-MS/MS of small molecules in biological or clinical samples;

•         documented experience of crosslinking mass spectrometry (XL-MS), structural proteomics or a directly comparable methodology;

•         the ability to independently plan, troubleshoot, quality-assure and document complex experimental workflows;

•         excellent oral and written scientific communication skills in English.

Desirable qualifications
Experience in one or more of the following areas will be considered particularly valuable:

•         photoaffinity labelling, click chemistry, UV crosslinking or affinity enrichment of protein adducts;

•         lipidomics or sphingolipidomics, including targeted triple-quadrupole and/or high-resolution Orbitrap/Q-Exactive analysis;

•         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 interfaces;

•         cell culture and experimental models of skeletal muscle, adipocytes, insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes;

•         integration of proteomics, lipidomics and interactomics data using R, Python or equivalent tools;

•         supervision, laboratory training, international collaboration and reproducible open-science practices.

Personal attributes and language
The project requires a structured and rigorous approach, scientific ownership and the ability to drive method development from optimisation to biological interpretation. You should be solution-oriented and enjoy interdisciplinary collaboration across chemical biology, proteomics, lipidomics and metabolic physiology. Particular emphasis will be placed on personal suitability and a documented ability to contribute to an inclusive research environment. The main working language of the project is English.

Application
Your application should include a CV, a cover letter clearly explaining how your experience meets the qualification criteria, a doctoral degree certificate and a publication list. The application must be received no later than 2026-10-01. We look forward to receiving your application.