Doctoral researcher in Radiopharmaceutical Chemistry

Helsingin yliopisto; Helsinki; On-site; EUR 29,000 - 31,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Occupational health care

Sports facilities

Professional development and language

Job summary

The University of Helsinki’s Department of Chemistry invites applications for a fixed-term Doctoral Researcher in Radiopharmaceutical Chemistry. The successful applicant will join the TRIM group, enroll in a doctoral program, and start between January 2026 and when a suitable candidate is found.

This 3.5-year position involves research in radiolabeling and imaging and teaching lab courses. Salary starts around 2600–2800 €/month, with a performance component, and comprehensive employee services

Qualifications

• M.Sc. degree or equivalent in Chemistry, Radiochemistry, Pharmacy, Biochemistry or related fields.
• Prior experience in laboratory work, in organic synthesis and compound characterization is desirable.
• Experience with radioactive materials and research animals is advantageous, but motivation and independence are essential.
• Good written and oral communication skills in English are needed.
• Willingness to travel within the EU for research visits.
• Work necessitates handling of radioactivity.

Responsibilities

• Perform organic synthesis, purification and characterization of radiolabeling precursors and radiolabeling synthesis development.
• Characterize radiolabeled compounds and evaluate biologically in vitro and in vivo using PET/SPECT imaging.
• Present findings to collaborators and prepare funding applications and manuscripts for publication.
• Contribute to management of research group facilities and supervise student laboratory work (~5% of time).

Skills

Organic synthesis

Radiochemistry

Radiolabeling

Biology evaluation

English communication

Education

M.Sc. in Chemistry or related field

Tools

Handling of radioactive materials

Laboratory techniques

Job description

The University of Helsinki, founded in 1640, is one of the worlds leading universities for multidisciplinary research. The university has an international academic community of 40,000 students and staff members. The Department of Chemistry at the Faculty of Science carries out research on chemistry and its applications at an international level and provides academic teaching based on high-quality research.

Radiopharmaceutical Chemistry research at the departments Tracers in Molecular Imaging (TRIM) research group led by Associate Prof. Mirkka Sarparanta is focused on the development of new molecular imaging tracers for positron emission tomography (PET) and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and therapeutic radioligands for different biomedical applications including oncology, drug delivery and neuroimaging.

In addition, we offer training at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels in Radiopharmaceutical Chemistry at the University of Helsinki.

The Department of Chemistry invites applications for a fixed-term

DOCTORAL RESEARCHER

position in Radiopharmaceutical Chemistry under the supervision of Associate Professor, Dr. Mirkka Sarparanta. The successful applicant will join the TRIM research group at the Department of Chemistry and enroll in one of the doctoral programs at the University of Helsinki. The work is scheduled to start in January 2026 or as soon as a suitable candidate has been found. This is a fixed-term position of approximately 3,5 years.

Position description

• Your work will involve organic synthesis, purification and characterization of radiolabeling precursors, radiolabeling synthesis development, radiolabeled compound characterization and biological evaluation of the developed ligands in vitro in cell models and in vivo in mouse tumor models with PET and SPECT imaging and biodistribution studies.
• You are expected to present your findings to collaborators and in scientific meetings, prepare funding applications for travel grants, as well as lead the writing of manuscripts for publication in international scientific journals.
• You will have shared responsibilities in management of the facilities of the research group.
• You are also expected to teach on the laboratory courses in Radiochemistry and supervise undergraduate student laboratory work accounting to approximately 5% of the working time annually.

Requirements

• Motivated candidates with a M.Sc. degree or equivalent in Chemistry, Radiochemistry, Pharmacy, Biochemistry or other related fields are encouraged to apply.
• Prior experience in laboratory work, in organic synthesis and compound characterization is highly desirable.
• Experience in other relevant experimental methods, and in handling of radioactive materials and research animals are advantageous, but most importantly you should have a strong motivation for research in a highly multidisciplinary topic, enthusiasm to learn these methods and contribute ideas, and possess the ability to conduct your research independently while being an active member of an international research team.
• Good written and oral communication skills in English will be needed.
• Willingness and ability to travel within the EU for research visits is necessary as parts of the project will be conducted at collaborating laboratories in Sweden and Poland.
• Work necessitates handling of radioactivity.
• The selected candidate must meet the eligibility requirements for doctoral studies at the University of Helsinki (https://helsinki.fi/en/admissions-and-education/apply-doctoral-programmes) and prepare and apply for a doctoral study right within the trial period of 6 months.

Salary and benefits

The salary will be in accordance with the University salary system (for teaching and research personnel, starting level 2). In addition, the appointee will be paid a salary component based on personal performance. The starting salary will be approximately 2600–2800 €/month.

The University of Helsinki offers comprehensive services to its employees, including occupational health care, sports facilities, and ample opportunities for professional development and language studies.

The International Staff Services office (https://www.helsinki.fi/en/university/working-at-the-university) assists employees from abroad with their transition to work and life in Finland.

Additional information

For further inquiries regarding the position, please contact Dr. Mirkka Sarparanta ([e-mail]).

Osaamisalue: Hallinto- & toimistotehtävät