Teams of two or more researchers are invited to submit novel multidisciplinary project proposals in this funding call, to help launch projects that benefit from collaboration across disciplines and methodologies.
Three projects will access funding for a 2-year postdoctoral fellowship. These shared postdoctoral fellows, supervised by multidisciplinary teams of researchers spanning departments at Umeå University or the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, enable new collaborations to grow from an idea into tangible new research.
The Integrated Science Lab (IceLab) supports the successful project teams along their multidisciplinary journey by hosting the selected postdoctoral fellows in IceLab's interdisciplinary research hub, participating in all activities and connecting with IceLab researchers daily. IceLab members explore the uncharted territory between traditional disciplines, and regularly integrate theoretical, computational and empirical work. In addition, the supervising project team of an IceLab multidisciplinary postdoctoral fellow become IceLab affiliates in turn.
IceLab offers opportunities for collaborative sparks to light at events like the Lunch Pitches, which are currently active. Up to three pitchers can present an idea and meet potential collaborators in the follow up discussions during the lunch pitches. There are still possibilities to give a Lunch Pitch this spring and fall, for those interested in starting down the path from idea, to spark, to a funded shared project.
Information Meeting and Application
IceLab invites you to join an information meeting on the current multidisciplinary postdoctoral project call on April 26th at 13:30, in KBC Glasburen or through Zoom .
During this meeting the project selection process will be explained, and researchers interested in finding a partner to submit a project proposal with will be offered the opportunity to pitch their ideas. Register in advance if you are interested in attending.
The deadline to submit project proposals is 26 May 2022. More information on the project call, registration for the information meeting and link to the application portal can be found on IceLab's website
Past funded projects
This is the third year IceLab has offered these multidisciplinary postdoctoral fellowships. In 2020 and 2021, 28 applicant teams including participants from 17 different departments or organisations proposed projects.
How do interconnected networks of cells emerge during wood formation?
In this project, the postdoctoral fellow will 3-D image analysis of growing live wood cells to better understand the mechanism of wood formation at the cellular level.
Postdoctoral fellow: Saqib Qamar (started January 2022)
Principal investigators: Stéphane Verger (Assistant Professor, Umeå Plant Science Centre, Swedish University for Agricultural Sciences (SLU)) and Magnus Andersson (Associate Professor, Department of Physics, Umeå University).
Bacterial cell wall systems biology
In this project, chemical profiling data from bacterial cell walls had been carried out and data needed to be analysed to identify cell wall synthesis pathways with strong implications for the development of antimicrobial therapies. Experiments will follow to confirm candidates inferred.
Postdoctoral fellow: Nasreen Bano (starting spring 2022).
Principal investigators: Felipe Cava (Associate Professor in Infection Biology, Department of Molecular Biology), Nathaniel Street (Associate Professor, Department of Plant Physiology), Eric Libby (Associate Professor, Department of Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics, IceLab member, Umeå University).
Predicting the co-evolutionary trajectories of simple microbial communities
This project aims to use genome-scale metabolic networks to answer questions about the evolutionary relationships between competitive and cooperative interactions and their underlying metabolic mechanisms.
Postdoctoral fellow: Josephine Solowiej-Wedderburn (from September 2022)
Principal investigators: Peter Lind (Assistant Professor, Department of Molecular Biology, Umeå University), Eric Libby (Associate Professor, Department of Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics, IceLab member, Umeå University).
Identifying cost-effective public health strategies for long-term control of COVID-19 in Sweden
This project is about using models to identifying control strategies of COVID-19 that can be sustained for longer time period without impeding the economy too much.
Postdoctoral fellow: Olena Kostylenko (from December 2020)
Principal investigators: Joacim Rocklöv (Visiting Professor, Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Umeå University), Åke Brännström (Professor, Department of Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics, IceLab member, Umeå University).
New targets for future antimicrobials
This project is about exploring bacterial gene products critical for bacteria to maintain infection in humans. Such products particularly those involved in stress responses can be explored as targets for new antimicrobials.
Postdoctoral fellow: Leyden Fernandez (from January 2021)
Principal investigators: Maria Fällman (Professor, Department of Molecular Biology), Kemal Avican (Senior Research Assistant, Department of Molecular Biology), Martin Rosvall, (Professor, Department of Physics, Director, Integrated Science Lab)
Climate effect on the inland carbon cycle
This is about studying carbon fluxes of a whole network of Nordic inland waters with the ambition to be able to predict the effects on carbon cycling by climate change.
Postdoctoral fellow: Dominic Vachon (from January 2021)
Principal investigators: Jan Karlsson, (Professor, Department of Ecology and Environmental Science and Director, Climate Impacts Research Centre), Martin Rosvall, (Professor, Department of Physics, Director, Integrated Science Lab)