Postdoctoral Researcher in Sleep and Circadian Rhythms

Postdoctoral Researcher in Sleep and Circadian Rhythms Interventional and Translational Studies Integrating Physiology and Systems Biology The Department of Medical Cell Biology at Uppsala University is a strong and international research environment. The department has more than 110 employees, of which about 25 are doctoral students, 10 postdoctoral fellows, and 40 researchers, teachers and professors. Do you want to advance the understanding of how sleep and circadian rhythms shape human health? Are you passionate about integrating cutting-edge omics technologies with controlled human experiments and translational approaches? Join a leading research group at Uppsala University. About the position Sleep and circadian rhythms are fundamental regulators of cardiometabolic health, yet the molecular mechanisms linking them to disease remain incompletely understood. The Department of Medical Cell Biology at Uppsala University invites applications for a fully funded postdoctoral position (two years, with the possibility of a third year) focused on sleep and circadian biology (chronomedicine), cardiometabolic regulation, systems biology, and molecular mechanisms. The position offers substantial scope for scientific independence while being embedded in a supportive, interdisciplinary research environment with experienced principal investigators. We particularly welcome applicants who can bring expertise from computational biology, multi-omics, translational medicine, neuroscience, or related areas to questions in sleep and circadian physiology. Research enviroment The postdoctoral fellow will join a collaborative, internationally oriented research group with close links to Uppsala University Hospital, enabling bench-to-bedside research. Key resources include:

• Dedicated sleep laboratories for controlled sleep and circadian interventions
• Core facilities for sequencing, proteomics, metabolomics, and bioinformatics
• Access to unique clinical and population-based cohorts for translational validation
• Close collaborations with groups in diabetes, nutrition, molecular diagnostics, and omics bioinformatics
• Opportunities to integrate human experimental data with complementary clinical, computational, cellular, and preclinical approaches

Your mission The overall aim is to advance mechanistic understanding of how sleep and circadian rhythms influence cardiometabolic health through molecular and genomic pathways, and their integration with physiological regulation. Key responsibilities include:

• Designing, coordinating, and contributing to interventional human clinical trials in sleep and circadian medicine, including high-resolution (e.g. 24-hour) and nighttime sampling
• Leading integrative multi-omics analyses (transcriptomics, metabolomics, proteomics, microbiome).
• Developing bioinformatic and statistical approaches for high-dimensional human data
• Integrating molecular findings with physiological, behavioral, clinical, and lifestyle data
• Contributing to manuscript preparation, grant applications, and development of new research directions
• Collaborating across disciplines to develop follow-up studies, including preclinical models, cellular systems, and cohort-based analyses

Qualifications Required

• PhD in sleep research, circadian biology, bioinformatics, systems biology, neuroscience, molecular or translational medicine, or a related field (or equivalent foreign degree). The degree must be completed by the time of the employment decision and normally awarded no more than three years before the application deadline. Exceptions may be considered for documented special circumstances such as parental leave or sick leave.
• Documented experience, evidenced by peer-reviewed publications, in: (a) sleep and/or circadian rhythm research, or (b) bioinformatics and multi-omics integration (e.g. bulk or single-cell transcriptomics, spatial omics, proteomics, metabolomics, microbiome/metagenomics)
• Proficiency in analysis and visualization of complex biological data using R, Python, or similar
• Experience working with human data, preferably relating metabolic or cardiometabolic physiology and disease, such as obesity or type 2 diabetes, or other conditions with relevant metabolic components
• Strong interest in applying interdisciplinary expertise to sleep, circadian, and human physiological research
• Strong communication skills in written and spoken English

Meritorious

• Familiarity with biological knowledge resources and reference atlases (e.g. Reactome, Gene Ontology, GTEx, Human Cell Atlas)
• Experience with multi-omics integration pipelines, quality control, and dimensionality reduction (e.g. PCA, t-SNE, PLS-DA)
• Data visualization tools (e.g. ggplot2, Illustrator)
• Experience in machine/deep learning, neural nets, generative AI models.
• Wet-lab or preclinical experience (e.g. ELISA, qPCR, Western blot, animal work), including experience with cell culture, stem-cell-derived models, organoids, imaging, or related experimental systems
• Experience with clinical trials, clinical cohorts, registry data, real-world data, or translational biomarker studies
• Participation in large research collaborations and project coordination

What we offer

• A creative, international research environment at one of Scandinavia’s leading universities
• State-of-the-art infrastructure and dedicated sleep laboratories
• Competitive salary and benefits through Swedish collective agreements
• Opportunities for career development, independent research grants, national and international collaboration and conference participation
• Opportunities to develop expertise across human experimental physiology, sleep and circadian medicine, and integrative molecular approaches

Read more about working at Uppsala University: https://uu.se/om-uu/jobba-hos-oss/ Application The application should be written in English or Swedish and include:

• Curriculum vitae (CV)
• A list of scientific publications
• A personal letter (max. 1 page) describing your background, research interests, motivation, and suitability for the position
• Contact details for 2-3 referees (name, e-mail, telephone)
• Copies of relevant diplomas and transcripts (as attachments)

Applications are assessed on the basis of eligibility, documented experience, and individual suitability. About the employment The employment is a temporary position of 2 years according to central collective agreement. Full time position. Starting date as agreed. Placement: Uppsala For further information about the position, please contact: Jonathan Cedernaes, jonathan.cedernaes@mcb.uu.se Please submit your application by 12 October 2026, UFV-PA 2026/2879. Uppsala University is a broad research university with a strong international position. The ultimate goal is to conduct education and research of the highest quality and relevance to make a difference in society. Our most important asset is all of our 7,500 employees and 53,000 students who, with curiosity and commitment, make Uppsala University one of Sweden’s most exciting workplaces. Read more about our benefits and what it is like to work at Uppsala University https://uu.se/om-uu/jobba-hos-oss/ The position may be subject to security vetting. If security vetting is conducted, the applicant must pass the vetting process to be eligible for employment. Please do not send offers of recruitment or advertising services. Submit your application through Uppsala University's recruitment system. Employee organizations: Saco-S - saco-s@uu.se, Seko - seko@uadm.uu.se, ST (OFR/S) - ofr@uu.se