IceLab Interdisciplinary Postdoctoral Fellowships

Many challenging research questions exist in the under-explored terrain between traditional disciplines. At Integrated Science Lab (IceLab), we promote and facilitate transdisciplinary collaborations that integrate theoretical, computational, and empirical work. Current IceLab researchers combine mathematical and computational modelling expertise with a deep interest in working with empirical researchers across the shared campus of Umeå University and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.  

The 2026 call for interdisciplinary projects opened April 27, 2026 for three postdoctoral scholarships connected to stress response modeling. 

An information session is available on May 13th, 2026 at 10:00 in IceLab to hear more about the program, new changes for this year and to receive guidance on project ideas.

Apply now with your shared project! 

Project and Postdoctoral Fellow Selection Process 

Interdisciplinary projects and postdoctoral candidates are selected in a multi-phase process

In phase 1, a team of researchers who will act as co-advisors of the future postdoctoral fellow write a project proposal and submit it to IceLab (June 5, 2026). The team should consist of two or more researchers from at least two different departments at Umeå University or SLU.

Projects should connect with the IceLab excellence center's stress response modeling theme to gain from the center's expertise and bring fresh perspectives to its research. In order that the future postdoc should benefit the most from their time in IceLab, projects should have a modeling or computational component to them. 

An external review committee will evaluate the project proposals and recommend 5 top projects to proceed to phase 2. 

More information on contents of the phase 1 application, evaluation criteria, and a link to the application document below.

In phase 2, to identify top postdoctoral candidates who match the required expertise of each project, we will announce a call that includes all 5 top-ranked projects. Researchers involved in the top-ranked projects select the best candidate for their project. IceLab will assist in advertising the positions but strongly advise top-ranked project teams to be proactive in searching for candidates in parallel. 

In phase 3, the 5 top projects submit their top candidates and give a presentation motivating their candidate selection and project, to an internal review committee. The internal review committee will select the 3 project and postdoctoral fellowship candidate pairings to fund. 

Timeline for the 2026 Project and Postdoctoral Fellow Selection 

Project Call

2026-04-27 Call opens

2026-05-13 Information session in IceLab - 10:00

2025-06-05 Application deadline - 15:00 (Umeå local time)

2026-06-16 5 projects selected for phase 2 in external review

2026-06-26 5 projects seek postdoctoral candidates with a joint ad

Postdoc Call

2026-09-17 Application deadline for postdoctoral candidates for 5 selected projects

2026-10-16 Submit project + top candidate to internal review committee for 5 selected projects

2026-11-9 Top 3 project + candidate selected and offered funding

2027-01-01 3 postdoctoral fellows can start

Dates may change slightly 

Application Content and Evaluation Criteria 

To be considered, an application must include the following information (in English): 

In the template: 

• Project title
• Names and contact information of the applicants
• Project summary with a research question (max 500 words)
• Description of the interdisciplinary approach (max 500 words)
• Added value – how does a shared postdoc critically contribute to your collaborative project
• Statement supporting the likelihood of your finding a high-quality candidate for this project
• Research areas involved
• Description of past or potential future collaborations and synergies with IceLab members and activities

Additional material to attach to the application:

• Uploaded team description including CVs for all applicants (max 3 pages per applicant), and details regarding applicants’ roles and responsibilities in the project (one PDF document)
• Uploaded detailed project description including scientific background, research plan and feasibility. (one PDF document, max 3 pages) 

Note: The project does not need to involve a current member or affiliate of IceLab. Projects aligned with the research theme of Stress Response Modeling at IceLab, especially those with a computational or modeling component, are highly valued.

Evaluation criteria and guiding questions for phase 1 external review 

Once the application window has closed, an external review team will review and rank the applications according to the following criteria and guiding questions:  

Project originality, scientific quality and feasibility 

• Are the project’s design and questions of high scientific quality?
• Is the project well-described? Are the research problem, prior research, methods and other components clear?
• Is the project feasible for a 2-year postdoctoral fellowship?
• Is the project likely to be successful in finding an appropriate candidate for the postdoctoral fellowship?
• Does the proposed project show potential for novel research discoveries through its results or potential to open new research fields and approaches? 
• Is the project connected to the research theme of stress response modeling?

Interdisciplinary added value 

• Does the project include novel ways of combining theories, disciplines, data or methods?
• Do the applicants form a new, genuinely interdisciplinary grouping?  
• Does the project show a genuine need for collaboration between the applicants to succeed?
• Is the addition of a shared postdoctoral fellow a necessary step for this collaborative project idea to flourish?
• Does the team include at least two researchers from different research areas and departments from UmU or SLU?
• Is the division of work and collaboration between the participants in the project clearly described?
• Can this project strengthen IceLab’s environment by, for example, supporting its interdisciplinary activities and giving access to new scientific disciplines and departments not previously explored by IceLab’s core members?
• Do the applicants demonstrate a willingness and ability to collaborate across disciplinary boundaries? 

The external review team will identify 5 projects that can go on to search for candidates for the postdoctoral fellowships.  

Internal review of project and candidate pairings 

An internal review committee will review the top 5 projects along with their chosen candidates for the postdoctoral fellowship. The committee will consist of principal investigators of the candidate projects, current IceLab interdisciplinary postdoctoral fellows and other postdocs and PhD students.  They will review the projects and top candidates to rank the project and candidate pairings. They will interview the candidates as part of this process and assess how candidates may fit and contribute to the IceLab environment.  

To create a strong interdisciplinary postdoctoral community, the postdoctoral fellows will be based in IceLab. IceLab has fifteen years of experience in this type of research and can ensure that every researcher in the program will be connected through IceLab’s physical space and activities. Researchers who receive funding from this program, but are not yet full IceLab members, will become affiliates of the research environment, participate in IceLab activities and maintain an open and collaborative focus throughout the project lifetimes and beyond.  

Selected postdoctoral fellows should be able start the projects in early January 2027, and no later than April 2027. 

Application Form for Project Proposal

Use the attached template to submit a multidisciplinary project proposal by 5 June 2026 at 15:00 CET.

Contact us for more information about the IceLab Multidisciplinary Postdoctoral Fellowship Programme

Martin Rosvall, IceLab Director

Martin Rosvall, Physics Professor and IceLab Director. Complex Networks. Cries over melting snow.

Gabrielle Beans, IceLab Coordinator

IceLab Coordinator and Research Communicator, also at Curiosum. Fundamentally curious.