Researcher (Postdoctoral Level) in Bioimaging

Researcher (Postdoctoral Level) in Bioimaging

Åbo Akademi University

Turku, Finland

The position is part of the newly established Research Council of Finland funded Centre of Excellence in Immune–Endothelial Interfaces (IMMENs; 2026–2033). IMMENs aims to understand how local immune responses are regulated at the lymphatic endothelium–immune cell interface, and to develop new methods and tools to study these interactions.

PROFILE AND TASKS

The successful candidate will drive method development at the interface of advanced light microscopy, quantitative image analysis, deep learning, and smart microscopy, and will collaborate closely across the IMMENs consortium.

The tasks performed by a researcher include conducting research independently and contributing to project leadership. The tasks are specified below.

Tasks

• Conduct high-impact research that uses and advances light microscopy and quantitative image analysis in immune–endothelial interface biology.
• Develop deep learning–enabled analysis pipelines for microscopy (e.g., segmentation, tracking, phenotyping, multimodal analysis).
• Develop smart microscopy approaches, including analysis-guided acquisition strategies and/or feedback workflows that accelerate discovery and enable quantitative live imaging.
• Contribute to open, reusable software and data.
• Collaborate actively with IMMENs groups and with the broader Turku imaging ecosystem; disseminate research via publications, conferences, and workshops.
• Contribute to a vibrant research environment through seminars, mentoring, and support of students and junior researchers.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EVALUATION

Essential qualifications

• Doctoral degree in a relevant field (e.g., bioimaging, computational biology, biophysics, biomedical engineering, computer science applied to life sciences, cell biology, or a related field).
• Strong track record and demonstrated ability to conduct independent research.
• Practical experience in at least two of the following:
  • Endothelial Cell Biology,
  • Microscopy,
  • Quantitative image analysis for microscopy,
  • Machine learning/deep learning applied to imaging.
• Programming skills in Python.
• Ability to work collaboratively in interdisciplinary teams and communicate results clearly.
• Strong communication and writing skills in English.

Desired qualifications

• Deep learning for bioimage analysis
• Experience building end-to-end image analysis pipelines.
• Experience with microscopy image analysis ecosystems and tools.
• Demonstrated experience in developing or contributing to open-source scientific software.

The applications will be assessed as follows

• Research competence (80%), including academic merits and scholarly publications in the relevant scientific field, previous participation in research projects and requested practical skills.
• Interactive competence (20%), including community activities, administrative experience, co-operative skills, the ability to interact with the surrounding society, as well as international collaboration within the relevant research field.

The appointment will be based on an overall assessment of the applicant’s potential for development and competencies and in relation to the necessary qualities to carry out the tasks for the position successfully. The applicants may be invited to an interview.