Postdoc position – food structure and functionality

The Department of Food Science, Aarhus University (Denmark), invites applications for a 24-month postdoc position to work the physical chemistry of food proteins, in particular their structure formation and changes occurring during processing and digestion. The starting date is September 1, 2025, or subject to mutual agreement.


The research project

To respond to some of the most critical societal changes of the next decade, we need to redesign our food system, using new food sources or adopting more sustainable processes and novel digital approaches.  We are looking for a creative, competent and motivated candidate, who will develop and support projects at the intersection of soft matter physics and food science.

The Postdoc position is part of the Food technology group at the Department of Food Science and may also include teaching and dissemination activities, as well as supervision of students. You are expected to complement and grow your expertise, and to actively participate in attracting funding, and deliver on multiple projects carried out in one of the most dynamic groups in food science at Aarhus University. You will have many opportunities to connect with other research partners, and collaborate with PhD and other post doctoral fellows, in cross-disciplinary collaborations with other research groups both national and international as well as with industrial partners.


Qualifications

• A PhD degree in biotechnology/biochemistry/food physics/food science/in vitro digestion and similar
• Documented expertise in using advanced physical techniques on soft matter
• Have a good understanding of advanced analytical techniques
• Advanced knowledge in research design and methods (running extensive experimental studies)
• Familiarity with practices of transparency and open science
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills to effectively collaborate and communicate in academia and to the public at large
• Experience and interest in training and supervising junior scientists
• Efficient at planning and organizing major tasks
• Documented experience in writing research publication and research grants
• Curiosity-driven interest in investigating the structure-function relationships of food biomacromolecules and evaluate the importance of structuring the foods of the future.
• A high level of verbal and written communication in English;
• Practical abilities to carry out experimental research, and excited to develop new experimental setups.
• Demonstrated ability to carry out research independently;
• Good interpersonal skills, the ability to thrive in a diverse, multidisciplinary environment, and the ability to disseminate scientific results;
• Experience in supervising students, teaching and conducting hypothesis-based research of the highest academic standards;

Candidates who only partially meet this profile are nonetheless encouraged to apply.
Candidates are not required to speak Danish.


The Department of Food Science

Research will be conducted at a newly built 7000 m2 state-of-the-art research facility at the Department of Food Science, Aarhus University (AU FOOD). AU FOOD is in possession of the most advanced analytical research infrastructure, with well-integrated, high-tech prototype facilities. This world-leading infrastructure, will be available to underpin the proposed project (e.g. 2DLC-ESI/Q-ToF MS/MS with ion mobility source, QToF-GC-MS, 600 MHz NMR, twin-screw extruders) and result in an unprecedented cross-disciplinary competence to answer key research questions in biopolymer science. The Department currently employs approx. 60 full time scientific staff and 80 PhD students and Postdocs, with approx. 80 thesis-based Bachelor and Masters students and visiting staff and students, who together contribute to an international research environment where English is the preferred language in the laboratory, at meetings and at seminars. Read more about the Department of Food Science at www.food.au.dk.


What we offer

We offer a unique research experience in an interdisciplinary research project, combining state-of-the-art techniques in extrusion, food structuring and multi-omic data. We also offer a great mentoring experience, a collaborative environment in which the candidate will be able to share across subfields and applications, and a research environment characterized by collaboration, commitment to diversity and inclusion, and success in mentoring.


Place of work

The place of work is the Department of Food Science, Aarhus University, Agro Food Park 48, 8200 Aarhus N (Denmark).


Contact information

For further information about the project or the position, please contact the principal investigator and project leader Milena Corredig.  mc@food.au.dk
 


Application procedure

Shortlisting is used. This means that after the deadline for applications – and with the assistance from the assessment committee chairman, and the appointment committee if necessary, – the head of department selects the candidates to be evaluated. All applicants will be notified whether or not their applications have been sent to an expert assessment committee for evaluation. The selected applicants will be informed about the composition of the committee, and each applicant is given the opportunity to comment on the part of the assessment that concerns him/her self. Once the recruitment process is completed a final letter of rejection is sent to the deselected applicants.


Letter of reference

If you want a referee to upload a letter of reference on your behalf, please state the referee’s contact information when you submit your application. We strongly recommend that you make an agreement with the person in question before you enter the referee’s contact information, and that you ensure that the referee has enough time to write the letter of reference before the application deadline.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to ensure that letters of reference received after the application deadline will be taken into consideration.

If you wish to add a referee after you have submitted your application, you must send this person’s details (name, job title, place of work, and email address) as well as the name of the position you have applied for to: HR.Nattech@au.dk


Formalities and salary range

Technical Sciences refers to the Ministerial Order on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Danish Universities under the Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation.

The application must be in English and include a curriculum vitae, degree certificate, a complete list of publications, a statement of future research plans and information about research activities, teaching portfolio and verified information on previous teaching experience (if any). Guidelines for applicants can be found here.

Appointment shall be in accordance with the collective labour agreement between the Danish Ministry of Taxation and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. Further information on qualification requirements and job content may be found in the Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Danish Universities.

Salary depends on seniority as agreed between the Danish Ministry of Taxation and the Confederation of Professional Associations.

Aarhus University’s ambition is to be an attractive and inspiring workplace for all and to foster a culture in which each individual has opportunities to thrive, achieve and develop. We view equality and diversity as assets, and we welcome all applicants.

Research activities will be evaluated in relation to actual research time. Thus, we encourage applicants to specify periods of leave without research activities, in order to be able to subtract these periods from the span of the scientific career during the evaluation of scientific productivity.

Aarhus University offers a broad variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including relocation service and career counselling to expat partners. Read more here. Please find more information about entering and working in Denmark here.

Aarhus University also offers a Junior Researcher Development Programme targeted at career development for postdocs at AU. You can read more about it here.

The application must be submitted via Aarhus University’s recruitment system, which can be accessed under the job advertisement on Aarhus University's website.
 


Aarhus University

Aarhus University is an academically diverse and research-intensive university with a strong commitment to high-quality research and education and the development of society nationally and globally. The university offers an inspiring research and teaching environment to its 38,000 students (FTEs) and 8,300 employees, and has an annual revenues of EUR 935 million. Learn more at www.international.au.dk/