Tampere University and Tampere University of Applied Sciences create a unique environment for multidisciplinary, inspirational and high-impact research and education. Our university community has its competitive edges in technology, health and society. www.tuni.fi/en

The newly established BioInterfaces group (research.tuni.fi/biointerfaces/) at the Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences uses molecular dynamics simulations to tackle a diverse set of questions related to biological interfaces composed of lipids and proteins. The group is currently looking for a doctoral researcher (PhD student) to work on high-throughput simulations of biomolecular systems and the related machine learning applications.

Job description

The group recently obtained 3-year funding (link only in Finnish) to study the behavior of peptides and proteins in lipid membranes using high-throughput computational approaches and machine learning. The computational work is supported by the experiments performed by collaborating teams. Your tasks will involve performing and analyzing simulations, communicating with the collaborators, participating in manuscript preparation, and disseminating the findings at meetings and conferences. You are also expected to contribute to the teaching of the unit.

Requirements

You should have a MSc degree in as physics, chemistry, biosciences, or a related subject area, preferably with some background in molecular dynamics simulations (e.g., GROMACS) and knowledge of programming (e.g., Python) and machine learning. You should be fluent in spoken and written English. 

Tampere University is a unique, multidisciplinary and boldly forward-looking, evolving community. Our values are openness, diversity, responsibility, courage, critical thinking, erudition/ Bildung, and learner-centredness. We hope that you can embrace these values and promote them in your work.

We offer

The lack of curated databases has prevented the realization of the possibilities of ML in molecular biophysics. In this position, you will develop and use high-throughput simulation approaches to generate large datasets related to various biologically relevant questions. These datasets are then used to train ML models, whose predictions are validated using experimental approaches.

The position will be filled for a fixed-term period of 3 years (duration of the doctoral studies at Tampere University), starting in early 2026 (the start data is flexible). In this position, you will receive a monthly personal grant supplemented by a part-time work contract so that your net income aligns with that of other doctoral researchers at the unit (approximately 2200€/month in the beginning). In addition to the PI and the postdocs of the group, your work will also be supported by undergraduate students working on the project and preparing their BSc or MSc theses.

The BioInterfaces group is part of the Computational physics laboratory, which hosts 8 active research groups covering topics in biophysics, quantum matter, complex systems, novel materials, nanostructures, electronic structure and interdisciplinary challenges in medical technologies and physiology. The BioInterfaces group collaborates with numerous computational and experimental groups nationally and internationally. The group has access to the exceptional computational resources hosted by CSC–IT Center of Science in Finland.

We offer you the opportunity to join our dynamic and innovative international community.  As a member of staff at Tampere University, you will enjoy a range of competitive benefits, such as occupational health care services, flexible work schedule, versatile research infrastructure, modern teaching facilities and a safe and inviting campus area as well as a personal fund to spend on sports and cultural activities in your free time. Please read more about working at Tampere University. You can also find more information about us and working and living Tampere by watching our video: Tampere Higher Education Community - our academic playground.  

Finland is among the most stable, free and safe countries in the world, based on prominent ratings by various agencies. Tampere is the largest inland city of Finland, and the city is counted among the major academic hubs in the Nordic countries. Tampere region is the most rapidly growing urban area in Finland and home to a vibrant knowledge-intensive entrepreneurial community. The city is an industrial powerhouse that enjoys a rich cultural scene and a reputation as a centre of Finland’s information society. Tampere is also surrounded by vivid nature with forests and lakes, providing countless opportunities for easy-to-access outdoor adventures and refreshment throughout the year. 

Read more about Finland and Tampere: 

• Visit Finland
• This is Finland
• Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment: Welcome to Finland
• Visit Tampere

How to apply

Please submit your application through our online recruitment system. The closing date for applications is September 15^th, (23:59 EET / UTC +2). Please write your application and all accompanying documents in English and attach them in PDF format.

Applications should include the following documents:

• Curriculum Vitae including the list of scientific publications 
• Contact information of 1–2 people that can be contacted for references
• Motivation letter in free form (max 2 pages) describing your skills and competencies that are relevant for the position.

For more information, please contact:

Assistant Professor, Group Leader Matti Javanainen, tel. +358 50 411 55 227, matti.javanainen (at) tuni.fi

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Tampereen yliopisto ja Tampereen ammattikorkeakoulu muodostavat yhdessä Suomen toiseksi suurimman monitieteisen, innostavan ja vaikuttavan tutkimus- ja oppimisyhteisön. Korkeakouluyhteisömme osaamiskärjet ovat tekniikka, terveys ja yhteiskunta. Lue lisää: www.tuni.fi

BioInterfaces-tutkimusryhmä etsii väitöskirjatutkijaa laskennallisen biofysiikan alalle kehittämään simulaatiotekniikoita ja koneoppimismalleja, joiden avulla voidaan paremmin ymmärtää biologisten kalvojen ja proteiinien vuorovaikutuksia.

Ryhmä tutkii molekyylidynamiikkasimulaatioiden avulla monimutkaisten biomembraanien rakennetta ja dynamiikkaa, proteiinien käytöstä näissä kalvoissa, sekä biomolekyylien käytöstä rajapinnoilla. Lisäksi kehitämme työkaluja ja malleja simulaatioidemme tarpeisiin.

Tehtävänkuvaus

Väitöskirjatutkijan tehtäviin kuuluu simulaatioiden toteutus ja analysointi, tutkimusjulkaisujen valmistelu, tulosten esittely alan tapaamisissa sekä mahdollisesti pienimuotoinen osallistuminen opetustyöhön.

Hakuohjeet

Lue tarkemmat tiedot tehtävästä ja hakuohjeet yllä olevasta englanninkielisestä ilmoituksesta.

Jätäthän hakemuksesi yliopiston sähköisellä hakulomakkeella (linkki löytyy tämän ilmoituksen alta).

Hakuaika tehtävään päättyy 15.9.2025 klo 23.59.