Postdoctoral positions

Call for applications for postdoctoral positions at the Faculty of Natural Sciences of the Comenius University

General Information:
Here advertised positions resulted from the succesful projects within the „Call for postdoctoral positions at the Comenius University 2026-2027“ by the rector of the   Comenius University in accordance with the Internal Directive VP UK 2/2025. Minimum guaranteed yearly income (brutto) is 29502 EUR, plus further benefits in the amount of 10680 EUR that includes social security and health insurance paid by the employer.  Positions are cofinanced by the Faculty of Natural Sciences and the final salary may be higher depending on the availabilty of resources from individual grants of the supervisors.

Eligibility:
There is no geographic limitation for these positions. Applicants must have a PhD. (or equivalent) degree that was received less than three years prior to the decision on the award of a postdoctoral stay (7.5.2026). The applicant shall not exceed the age of 35 years. PhD holders from the Comenius University in Bratislava are not eligible.

Appointment Start Date:
Expected start date for the job was set to October 1st, 2026. Possible postponing should be individually negotiated by the supervisor.

Duration:
Initial work contract will be signed for one year, with possible extension depending on the available resources and the recommendation by the supervisor. 

Required Documents:
Completed application should include

1. Cover letter including motivation
2. Independent recommendation letters (sent via e-mail directly by recommending persons to the supervisor) – at least one, maximum three.
3. Curriculum vitae (biographical sketch) that includes details on your education and training to date, Visa status (if applicable), your experimental/programming experience, a bibliography of any publications
4. Proof of receiving of the PhD (or equivalent) degree (e. g. scan of the diploma)

Application deadline: Applications should be sent via e-mail to supervisors before June 14, 2026.

Website CU: https://uniba.sk/veda/postdoktorandske-pobyty/

 

Open positions:

Department of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry

Project:  Theory and implementation of NMR parameter calculations for diamagnetic systems using the modern X2C Hamiltonian

• The primary goal of the project is the development and implementation of an efficient relativistic two-component method based on density functional theory (DFT) for the calculation of NMR parameters of diamagnetic substances, combining the modern amfX2C Hamiltonian and acceleration techniques for the efficient calculation of two-electron interactions.

Supervisor: Dr. Michal Repisky      michal.repiskyuniba.sk

 

Desired qualifications and competencies: 

• PhD degree in theoretical/computational chemistry or physics, computational materials science, or applied mathematics.
• High proficiency in spoken and written English.
• Documented experience with programming languages (Fortran, C, C++, and/or Python).
• Self-motivation, independence, and creativity.
• Ability to work in an international environment.

 

Department of Organic Chemistry

Project: Medicinal Chemistry – advanced development of aldose reductase inhibitors (candidates for a novel type of drug for life-threatening complications caused by diabetes mellitus) by in silico predictions, organic synthesis, leading skeleton decoration, bioisosteric replacement, in situ Click Chemistry and biological screenings

• The presented project is focused on the rational development of organic compounds – aldose reductase inhibitors in order to obtain high-quality candidates for a new type of drug. Such a drug is not yet available in developed countries (USA, EU, UK). Our research is focused on the development of a drug based on highly active, selective and bioavailable aldose reductase inhibitors. Such compounds will stop or slow down the development of life-threatening diabetic complications associated with the known, ca 30-fold, hyperactivity of aldose reductase (the first enzyme of the polyol pathway) in conditions of hyperglycaemia in diabetics. Complications of diabetes are e.g. diabetic nephropathy, neuropathy, retinopathy, cataract, angiopathy, cardiotoxicity, AGEs (advanced glycation end products). Advanced diabetic complications often result in amputation of the lower limbs, blindness, heart attack, stroke, pulmonary embolism, or other diseases associated with chronic inflammation and oxidative stress due to diabetes, e.g. the formation of tumours. Our goal is to continue well-established international research with complementary expertise between Slovakia (medicinal chemistry, biological testing), France (special methods of organic synthesis, chemistry of fluorine compounds, stereoselective synthesis) and Serbia (pharmacological research, bioavailability testing) and to develop inhibitors that are highly active, selective (pharmacodynamic properties) and actually reach their destination in the organism, e.g. into cells where they can actively act (pharmacokinetic properties, bioavailability). This is only way for their possible successful application as drug candidates in further development towards new drugs. We understand the entire research practically, so after patenting and later publishing interesting results, we will look for a suitable partner in the pharmaceutical industry for further necessary development, i.e. for higher forms of clinical assays and trials for these substances and verifying their in vivo activity, dosing and therapeutic efficacy, which is the only, but financially extremely demanding path towards developing a new drug for diabetic patients for the global market.

Supervisor:   A/Prof. RNDr. Andrej Boháč, PhD.  andrej.bohacuniba.sk

 

Desired qualifications and competencies:

• We are looking for a creative expert with critical thinking in the field of organic synthesis, a deep understanding of its mechanisms, with experience in carrying out organic syntheses and preparing the required compounds. Our future colleague should be able to carry out independent research work using professional literature and chemical databases (e.g. SciFinder, Reaxys), should have good experience in determining the structures of organic compounds and their chemical characterization (NMR, 2D NMR, IR, MS). We expect that our future colleague should be passionate about the assigned scientific project, should be able to independently and regularly evaluate the experiments performed and propose their modifications, write down the achieved scientific results and actively contribute to their publication. Among other requirements, we expect an empathetic, cooperative and non-conflict personality. 

Department of Inorganic Chemistry

Project: Relativistic time-dependent density functional theory beyond the dipole approximation: from X-ray spectroscopy to light with orbital angular momentum

• The goal of the project is the development of relativistic electron dynamics based on real-time time-dependent density functional theory. The first phase of the project is focused on the calculation of spectroscopic properties with light–matter interaction described beyond the dipole approximation while in the second phase this description is extended to study the effects of orbital angular momentum carrying light on atoms and molecules.

Supervisor: Dr. Lukas Konecny     lukas.konecnyuniba.sk

 

Desired qualifications and competencies: 

• PhD degree in theoretical/computational chemistry or physics, computational materials science, or applied mathematics.
• High proficiency in spoken and written English.
• Documented experience with programming languages (Fortran, C, C++, and/or Python).
• Self-motivation, independence, and creativity.
• Ability to work in an international environment.