Postdoctoral scholarship (2 years) within Mathematical Modelling of Endosymbioses

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. Life in Umeå: Umeå is a young, creative, and steadily growing city of about 135,000 people, where students make up a big part of everyday life. That mix gives the city an easy-going yet lively feel, with plenty of cafés, pubs, small venues, and cultural events, without the stress or pace of a big city. Day to day, though, Umeå is simply a comfortable place to live, safe, compact, and easy to get around, especially by bike. As the largest city in northern Sweden, it offers what you need while staying friendly, calm, and close to home. What people often appreciate most is how close you stay to nature here. Read more and apply at: https://www.umu.se/en/work-with-us/postdoctoral-scholarships/postdoctoral-scholarship-2-years-within-mathematical-modelling-of-endosymbioses_944778/

Last updated: 10 June 2026