The Department of Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics is offering a postdoctoral scholarship within the project “Relationship history: gains and losses of endosymbiosis”. The scholarship is full time for two years with starting date 1 November, 2026 or by agreement.
Project description Endosymbiotic relationships have fueled the evolution of complex life. Indeed, the entire eukaryotic lineage— which includes all animals, plants, and fungi—owes its existence to an endosymbiosis between a bacterium and an archaea. Yet, a wealth of recent scientific studies have shown that endosymbioses are not part of an inexorable path to complexity; rather they are fluid such that relationships can form and dissolve. For many organisms, their evolutionary history is marked by repeated gains and losses of different endosymbionts. The consequences of these repeated ventures into endosymbioses are largely unknown, and there are many substantial open questions, such as what determines whether relationships persist or fall apart? The answers to such questions have important consequences for our understanding of evolution as well as how species adapt to changing environments—since many species, e.g. insects and corals, are dependent on endosymbioses for survival.
Within the project the postdoctoral fellow will have the opportunity to address these questions using mathematical modeling (featuring dynamical systems and metabolic models) under supervision of project leader, Eric Libby at Umeå University. The postdoctoral fellow will be based in the interdisciplinary research environment IceLab and will be part of an active research team using mathematical models to study microbial evolution.
The postdoctoral fellow will be hosted by the Department of Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics and will be located at IceLab, a research centre of excellence. The postdoctoral scholarship is financed and administrated by the Kempe Foundation (JCSMK261-0049). The tax-free scholarship will be SEK 750,000 for two years, which means SEK 375,000 per year.
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 within the field of mathematical biology, evolutionary biology, or applied mathematics, or be deemed to provide equivalent academic competence.
Oral and written skills in English are required. Skills in a numerical programming language such as MATLAB, Python, or Julia are also a requirement.
Experience applying mathematical models such as dynamical systems approaches or metabolic models to biological systems or questions is desired. Documented knowledge and experience working in the field of endosymbiosis, evolution, microbiology is also a desired qualification. Candidates with successful experience collaborating and working on interdisciplinary research projects are preferred.
Application A full application should include:
- Cover letter of 1-2 pages that specifies the candidate’s interest in this scholarship and describes how their previous research experience fits the project,
- Curriculum vitae (CV) with publication list,
- Verified copy of doctoral degree certificate or documentation that clarifies when the degree of doctor is expected to be obtained,
- Verified copies of other diplomas, list of completed academic courses and grades,
- Copy of doctoral thesis and up to 1 relevant article,
- Other documents that the applicant wishes to claim,
- Contact information to two persons willing to act as references.
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 and submitted by the deadline 30 August, 2026.
Umeå University strives to offer an equal environment where open dialogue between people with different backgrounds and perspectives lay the foundation for learning, creativity and development. We welcome people with different backgrounds and experiences to apply for this scholarship, and especially encourage female applicants.
More information Further details are provided by Associate Professor Eric Libby, eric.libby@umu.se.
