Post-doctoral position in drug development at Turku Finland

Post-doctoral position is available in the laboratory of Professor Jukka Westermarck at the Turku Bioscience Centre, University of Turku, Turku, Finland (https://bioscience.fi/research/cancer-cell-signaling/profile/). Turku Bioscience is a top-quality research center harboring several distinguished research groups and excellent core facilities (https://bioscience.fi/services/). The entire biomedical campus harbors more than 100 research groups including a strong cancer research community. The working language is English, and University of Turku has comprehensive welcome services for the newcomers.  Turku on the other hand is a charming medieval city in South-West coast of Finland with good connections to Helsinki and Stockholm. 

The project is focused on evaluating therapeutic potential of targeting of PP2A inhibitor protein CIP2A. Recent advancements have revealed very exciting opportunities for direct targeting of CIP2A. We are now searching for a highly motivated senior post-doctoral fellow with solid previous experience on structural biology and small molecule targeting to explore therapeutic potential of these novel findings.

Obligatory candidate requirements

  • PhD with post-doc experience
  • Solid hands-on experience on protein chemistry and interaction technologies
  • First author publication related to structural biology in high quality publication series
  • Publication on phosphoproteome signaling and/or phosphatases
  • Good team-working and communication skills

Preferrable technical competencies and other qualities

  • Experience on cancer cell culture methods
  • Experience on small molecule targeting
  • Solid understanding on CIP2A/PP2A biology

Eligibility requirements for these positions are defined in the University of Turku's regulations: https://www.utu.fi/en/university/organisation.

We value collegiality and promote equality, diversity, and inclusivity. We encourage all qualified applicants with different backgrounds to apply for our open positions.

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Benefits

We offer you responsible and interesting tasks and the opportunity to develop your professional skills in a versatile operating environment. You get a professional and inspiring team to support your work. We take care of your well-being at work and the functionality of your everyday life, e.g. with the help of flexible working hours and our well-being services.

  • Possibilities to develop your expertise – We encourage our personnel to develop their professional expertise by offering versatile training and competence development possibilities which employees can take advantage of during their working hours. Also, the course offering of Open University is free of charge for our personnel.
  • Your well-being is important to us! – In addition to comprehensive occupational health care, our own well-being services monitor, support and develop the well-being of our personnel. You are entitled to use the CampusSport’s services at a personnel price.
  • We support your work-life balance – Flexible working hours and extensive remote work options help you balance work and leisure time. 
  • An inspiring and supportive work community – We encourage each other and value working together!

Please read more about University of Turku as an employer from our Come work with us! pages.

The European Commission has awarded the University of Turku the right to use the HR Excellence in Research quality label. The label is a token of the University's commitment to continuous development of the position and working conditions of researchers according to the guidelines set forth in the European Charter for Researchers. 

Salary and trial period

Position is available starting from August 10, 2026 or upon agreement also at later time and funding is secured until April 30th 2030. 

The salary is determined in accordance with the university salary system for teaching and research personnel, and will depend on qualifications of the applicant. In the beginning of the employment, the salary will be on average 3700–4100 euros/month, depending on previous experience and skills. The amount of the salary is defined when the employment contract is prepared. A six (6) month trial period applies to the position.

Please submit your application through our online recruitment system. Please write your application and accompanying documents in English.

Applicants should enclose with their application:

  • Max 1 page application letter clearly describing how your profile matches to the candidate requirements listed above
  • CV
  • complete list of publications
  • Copy of PhD certificate. If the certificate is not in Finnish or in English, an official English translation is required at your own cost.
  • Contact details of three referees, e.g. prior academic supervisors or persons acquainted with you and your work (name, relationship, work place, position, phone and email).

Please ensure that you submit all requested attachments.

If you have inquiries regarding this post before sending application, please contact Jukka Westermarck by e-mail: jukwes(at)utu.fi.

If you need help with the application process, please contact our HR Specialist Paula Luoma by e-mail paula.luoma(at)utu.fi.

Applications will be assessed on a rolling basis, and shortlisted candidates may be invited to interview prior to the closing date.

Turku Bioscience Centre

Turku Bioscience is an advanced core facility and research centre hosted jointly by University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University. Our aim is to provide complete packages of service expertise and know-how to provide both academic and corporate research groups the tools and means to shorten the runway from an initial discovery to the take-off of a success story. To this end, we aim to stay at the frontiers of new technologies and research and we are also actively facilitating interactions and joint projects between academia and industry.

The University of Turku is an inspiring and international academic community of 25,000 students and staff in Southwest Finland. We build a sustainable future with multidisciplinary research, education, and collaboration. With us, your work will have a significant impact and relevance in the changing world.

See our open vacancies

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The application form cannot be saved as a draft. However, after submitting you can return to edit your application via the link you receive by email. The application can be edited until the application deadline.

You have 6 hours to complete your application before the timeout.

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Post-doctoral position in drug development at Turku Finland

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