ARISE2 Postdoctoral Fellowship - 2026 Call
Postdoctoral Researcher
Employer
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
ARISE2 Postdoctoral Fellowship - 2026 Call
European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL)
Deadline:
30 September 2026
£3,228 to £4,118 EUR/ Month
Contact: Daniela
The life sciences increasingly depend on advanced services offered by core facilities, synchrotrons, data services and other research infrastructures, creating a need for highly-skilled professionals who can operate, improve and expand these scientific services.
EMBL’s ARISE2 programme offers over 20 fully funded, three-year postdoctoral fellowships for researchers with STEM backgrounds who are interested in advancing their careers in research infrastructures in academia or industry.
Your role
ARISE2 fellows will:
Develop a method or development within EMBL’s areas of expertise, with potential for broader service application
Receive structured training in the operation and management of research infrastructures, including service provision, project and staff management, innovation, science policy, FAIR principals and AI.
Build professional networks through secondment and job shadowing at EMBL and ARISE2 partner organisations
ARISE2 projects should align with EMBL’s research areas—such as genomics, structural biology, imaging, cell and tissue biology, environmental research, and translational applications—while contributing to the development of services that support the wider life science community.
You may develop projects in fields including:
Data and computational science: Bioinformatics, AI/ML, computational modelling, software engineering, data management, data science.
Imaging and optical engineering: Imaging and image analysis, optical engineering, detector development, microscopy, X-ray optics
Structural Biology and Mechanical Engineering: Automation, high-precision mechanics, microfluidics, robotics, X-ray crystallography
Biotechnology: (Bio)chemical engineering, chemistry or chemical biology, omics technologies.
You have
A Ph.D. at the time of the call deadline (September 30, 2026). Researchers who have successfully defended their doctoral thesis but who have not yet been formally awarded the degree are eligible to apply.
A university degree in a relevant STEM discipline (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics)
Experience in technology development – experience can be from academia and/or industry and should be relevant to the research fields of our groups and teams that are participating in the programme.
Strong research potential that can be illustrated by a diverse set of research outputs (e.g., publications, software, data sets, patents, technical documentation, contribution to technology development or other innovative research etc.)
The ability to work independently and in a collaborative settings
Excellent communication skills and fluency in English
Good organisational and time-management skills
You might also have
Experience in the improvement or development of methods, techniques or technology for service provision.
ARISE2 receives funding from HorizonEurope under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie action COFUND (grant agreement No 101178241).
Why join us
EMBL is Europe’s flagship research laboratory for the life sciences – an intergovernmental organisation performing scientific research in disciplines including molecular biology, physics, chemistry and computer science. We are an international laboratory with more than 2000 employees from many nations, operating across six sites, in Heidelberg (HQ), Barcelona, Hinxton near Cambridge, Hamburg, Grenoble and Rome. One of our missions is to provide access to advanced technologies and engage in technology transfer activities.
EMBL is a curiosity-driven, community-oriented and international organisation. As an inclusive, equal opportunity employer, we believe that diversity enables us to collaborate more effectively and be innovative in our approaches. We are, therefore, committed to creating an inclusive and flexible culture - one where everyone can realise their full potential and make a positive contribution to our organisation. We operate by our values of: openness, inclusion, integrity, transparency, fairness.
At EMBL, as per our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, we actively encourage applications from people who are currently underrepresented in science. We also welcome applications from researchers at risk and applicants with disabilities and offer consultations during the selection process to ensure individual needs are taken into account.
We value our collegial and family-friendly working environment, and offer excellent health insurance, pension contributions, flexible hybrid working arrangements, family allowances, diverse training opportunities and other social benefits.
Salaries and allowances offered to ARISE2 fellows are competitive. The entry-level gross salary (excluding employer’s social contributions) varies by EMBL host site and currently ranges from 3228,38 to 4118,45 EUR per month. EMBL fellows are exempt from national taxes due to EMBL’s intergovernmental status, but contribute to EMBL’s social security system. The first year salaries across the EMBL sites are: 4.118,45 € for EMBL Heidelberg and Hamburg, Germany; 3.646,24 € for EMBL Grenoble, France; 3.228,38 € for EMBL Rome, Italy; 3.291,23 € for EMBL Barcelona Spain and £3.383,52 for EMBL-EBI located outside of Cambridge, UK.
Our working language is English.
What else you need to know
You will need to select the group you wish to join and prepare the short project proposal which you would like to do in the group. We strongly encourage you to contact the groups before applying, to inform them about your interest and learn about their future plans.
For details on how to apply, please visit the ARISE2 website, where you will find the application and project template forms. Apply through https://embl.wd103.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/EMBL/job/ARISE2-Postdoctoral-Fellowship---2026-Call-for-Applications_JR4031 and upload a pdf version of the application form and project proposal (including ethics self-assessment form) in the section My Experience under "CV + Cover Letter".
We accept applications from 30 June - 30 September (23:59 CEST), 2026.
Interviews of top candidates are planned for November 25-27th, 2026 by Zoom .
Start of the fellowship: between January-April, 2027.
Please contact the ARISE2 team (arise2@embl.org) if you have any questions.
EMBL is a signatory of DORA. Find out how we implement best practices in research assessment in our recruitment processes here
Please apply only through https: //www.embl.org/careers/
Location
Chapel Hill, NC
Position Type
Postdoc
Employment Type
Full Time
Institution Type
Four-Year Institution
Job Details
Department:
Lineberger Compr Cancer Center - 426801
Posting Open Date:
01/27/2026
Open Until Filled:
Yes
Position Type:
Postdoctoral Scholar
Position Title:
Postdoctoral Researcher
Vacancy ID:
PDS004761
Full-time/Part-time:
Full-Time Temporary
Hours per week:
40
FTE:
1
Work Location:
Chapel Hill, NC
Position Location:
North Carolina, US
Hiring Range:
Dependent on Experience/Qualifications
Estimated Duration of Appointment:
12 Months
Be a Tar Heel!:
A global higher education leader in innovative teaching, research and public service, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill consistently ranks as one of the nation’s top public universities and is among is the top ten research universities in the nation for federal research expenditures as well as for federally funded social and behavioral sciences research and development.Here at Carolina, our highly skilled postdocs play a vital role in our research enterprise and towards our overall commitment to research excellence. Across many disciplines, postdocs contribute to the intellectual vitality of the University. They provide innovative ideas and perspectives, foster a stimulating research environment and advance knowledge within their fields. Postdocs are crucial members of our scientific research workforce, contributors to our research outputs and an important reason why Carolina is one of the leading public research institutions in the country.UNC-Chapel Hill offers postdocs comprehensive medical and vision coverage, paid leave, and benefits and services that support professional development and a healthy work/life balance. Chapel Hill regularly ranks as one of the best college towns and best places to live in the United States, a reputation guided by the diverse social, cultural, recreation and professional opportunities that span the campus and community.
Primary Purpose of Organizational Unit:
Our mission is to improve the health and well-being of North Carolinians and others whom we serve. We accomplish this by providing leadership and excellence in the interrelated areas of patient care, education and research.
Patient care: We promote health and provide superb clinical care while maintaining our strong tradition of reaching underserved populations and reducing health disparities across North Carolina and beyond.
Education: We prepare tomorrow`s healthcare professionals and biomedical researchers from all backgrounds by facilitating learning within innovative and integrated curricula and team-oriented interprofessional education to ensure a highly skilled workforce.
Research: We develop and support a rich array of outstanding health sciences research programs, centers and resources. We provide infrastructure and opportunities for collaboration among disciplines throughout and beyond our university to support outstanding research. We foster programs in the areas of basic, translational, mechanistic and population research.
Position Summary:
Postdoctoral fellows will conduct research in the areas of Cancer Epigenomics and Single-Cell Technology development and application to advance cancer research. The Xu Lab investigates heterogeneous transcriptional regulation in cancer through three integrated directions: (1) developing cost-effective single-cell multi-modal technologies to track regulatory evolution across tumor progression; (2) defining epigenetic mechanisms that drive diverse cancer and immune cell behaviors and therapeutic responses, using our innovative approaches such as Paired-TF to link regulatory programs with transcriptional outcomes; and (3) dissecting transcriptional silencer regulation in oncogenesis through large-scale perturbation and single-cell profiling to uncover novel therapeutic targets.
We offer exceptional opportunities for postdocs to take strong leadership and ownership of projects, receive close mentorship, and help shape innovative research directions. Postdoctoral researchers will lead research projects, with specialization in either wet-lab experimentation on multi omics or dry-lab bioinformatic and computational analysis, present their work at international conferences, prepare research manuscripts, and participate in grant applications when appropriate.
Minimum Education and Experience Requirements:
Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences, Biochemical and Cellular Sciences, Genetics and Genomics, Bioinformatics, or a related field (degree must be conferred before the start date).
Required Qualifications, Competencies, and Experience:
* For wet-lab applicants: Ph.D.-level training and research experience in genomics, genetics, or multi-omics is preferred. Experience with genome editing technologies such as CRISPR is a plus.
* For dry-lab applicants: Ph.D.-level training and research experience in analyzing multi-omics next-generation sequencing data is required
* Strong proficiency in written and spoken English.
* Demonstrated research productivity with at least one representative publication or preprint.
Preferred Qualifications, Competencies, and Experience:
Special Physical/Mental Requirements :
Special Instructions:
For information on UNC Postdoctoral Benefits and Services click here