Postdoctoral Position in Structure-Based Drug Design at Uppsala University, Sweden

Summary

Uppsala University is seeking a highly motivated Postdoctoral Researcher to join the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology. This position focuses on developing virtual screening techniques and using machine learning to discover novel drugs. The successful candidate will work within Prof. Jens Carlsson’s research group, which is part of the Computational Biology and Bioinformatics program and affiliated with the Science for Life Laboratory.

Job Details

Research Area

The project is situated within the field of Computational Biology and Bioinformatics. The Carlsson group specializes in molecular modeling techniques to study protein-ligand interactions, specifically focusing on G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). The research involves understanding molecular signaling mechanisms and designing ligands for pharmaceutically important targets.

Job Description

The main goals of this postdoctoral project include:

• Developing and applying structure-based virtual screening techniques to identify ligands for peptide-binding GPCRs in large chemical libraries.
• Utilizing molecular docking and machine learning techniques to screen combinatorial libraries of peptides and peptidomimetics.
• Analyzing collections of naturally occurring peptides from various biological sources.
• Collaborating with experimental research groups within the Biodiversity2Drugs consortium to identify bioactive peptides of therapeutic relevance.

Eligibility/Qualification

Required Qualifications:

• A PhD degree in computational chemistry or a foreign equivalent (must be obtained by the time of the employment decision).
• Strong expertise in computational chemistry with demonstrated experience in cheminformatics and structure-based ligand design.
• Proficiency in molecular docking or co-folding methods for predicting protein–ligand complexes.
• Experience working with chemical libraries.
• Excellent written and spoken English.
• Priority is given to candidates who completed their degree no more than three years before the application deadline.

Additional Qualifications:

• Experience in machine learning and scientific programming.
• Experience in structure-based modeling of GPCRs and peptides.
• Strong collaborative abilities, motivation, and creativity.

How to Apply

Interested candidates must submit their application through the Uppsala University recruitment system. In this recruitment process, the traditional cover letter has been replaced by specific questions that applicants must answer during the online application process. Please ensure all documents proving your qualifications are uploaded.

Last Date for Apply

Applications must be submitted no later than 23 November 2026.

Apply Link

For more details and to submit your application, please visit the official job portal: Uppsala University Job Application Link