PhD Candidate in Food Innovation and Microbiology

Job summary

This position involves a PhD scholarship focused on developing a local caffeine-free coffee alternative through fermentation processes. The candidate will engage in research that combines microbiology, food innovation, and sustainability, contributing to the creation of novel food products.

Qualifications

• A two-year master's degree (120 ECTS points) or equivalent academic level.
• Experience in microbiology and microbial food innovation.
• Some background in food fermentation and product development.
• Familiarity with generating and analyzing metagenomic and metabolomic data.
• Strong interest in sustainable food systems and microbial ecology.

Responsibilities

• Lead the scientific progress of the project, including planning and executing experiments.
• Conduct playful experimentation in culinary product development.
• Design and execute experiments to characterize ferments through metagenomics, metabolomics, and sensory analysis.
• Perform bioinformatic analysis, data integration, and statistical analysis.
• Visualize results and communicate findings to diverse scientific audiences.
• Publish research findings in international journals and present at conferences.
• Collaborate with researchers across disciplines and contribute to a collaborative research culture.

Skills

• High motivation, curiosity, and scientific integrity.
• Ability to work independently and take ownership of research.
• Proactive problem-solving skills and adaptability to new methods.
• Strong communication skills in scientific writing and oral presentations in English.
• Enjoyment of collaborative and interdisciplinary teamwork.
• Organizational skills and commitment to high-quality documentation and reproducible research practices.

Education

• A two-year master's degree (120 ECTS points) or equivalent academic level is required.

Tools

• Experience with metagenomic and metabolomic analysis tools is beneficial.