Postdoctoral scholarship (2 years) within plant cell adhesion and mechanosensing
The Department of Plant Physiology is offering a postdoctoral scholarship within the project “Unravelling the Molecular and Mechanical Basis of Plant Cell Wall–Membrane Attachment”. The scholarship is full-time for two years with access August 3, 2026, or by agreement.
The Kempe Foundations (JCSMK261-0066) funds this two-year postdoctoral scholarship. The scholarship amounts to 360 000 SEK per year and is not subject to tax. The grant also provides an additional 175 000 SEK for IT equipment, bench fees and running cost. The PI covers the additional running costs for the project.
Departmental specific information
The Department of Plant Physiology is part of the Umeå Plant Science Centre (UPSC) which has around 200 researchers working on various aspects of plants biology. UPSC is one of Europe's strongest research environments for plant research, which notably includes ecology, genetics, physiology, biochemistry, cell biology and molecular biology (see http://www.upsc.se ). Our common goal is to understand the ability of plants to adapt and acclimate to a changing world.
For more information about Stéphane Verger’s research group, see:
The goal of this project is to discover how plant cells build and reinforce the vital connection between their plasma membrane and cell wall.
Plant cells are surrounded by a strong but flexible structure called the cell wall. This wall gives the cell its shape and protects it, while also regulating growth, adhesion, cell-to-cell communication, and signaling. The plasma membrane is a key interface within which a variety of receptors and other protein sit, integrating and mediating signal transduction from the outside (cell wall) to the inside of the cell. This machinery critically depends on a robust and responsive connection between the plasma membrane and the surrounding cell wall. This tight contact is essential for healthy plant growth, development and stress adaptation.
The postdoctoral scholarship holder will have the opportunity to use advanced microfluidic, optical tweezers (c-trap) and live-cell microscopy, with mutants and fluorescent reporter lines, to characterize this adhesion and aim to discover the genes and dynamic processes that allow stable attachment at this essential interface.
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.
Doctoral degree should be within molecular, cellular or developmental biology.
Additional requirements are:
Advanced experience with microscopy.
Some experience with microfluidics.
Ability to structure and perform research independently.
Excellent oral and writing skills in English.
Meriting criteria are:
Experience with plants, protoplast or other living material in vitro.
Skills in image processing, computational simulation, device control or programming in general.
Experience with standard molecular biology techniques.
We are looking for candidates who have good social skills and the ability to function well both independently and in a team. We value creativity, drive and the ability to communicate and take initiative.
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 and submitted by the deadline June 22, 2026.
A full application should include:
Cover letter (max 2 pages) in which you describe your qualifications, explain your fit for the project and state your motivations for this application.
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.
Copy of doctoral thesis if available.
Contact information to at least two persons willing to act as references.
Other documents that the applicant wishes to claim.
Further information
Further details can be obtained from associate professor Stéphane Verger, (stephane.verger@umu.se).
