DTU Fødevareinstituttet is looking for a PhD candidate to join a project focused on using microbiological approaches to enhance the nutritional value of plant-based foods. The primary objective is to identify, develop, and apply beneficial microorganisms capable of enhancing essential vitamins (B2, B12, and K2) in sustainable food products.
What You'll Do
- Screen microbial candidates from the NFICC collection at DTU Food using in-silico and in-vitro approaches to identify high-potential vitamin-producing strains.
- Conduct strain improvement using non-GMO methods such as droplet microfluidics and adaptive laboratory evolution (ALE).
- Develop fermented plant-based products, including oat- and legume-based yogurts, using selected microbial strains.
- Engage in collaborative research and training, including research stays at Wageningen University and Novonesis.
- Enrol in DTU National Food Institute’s doctoral school and comply with its doctoral training requirements.
- Participate actively in the MICROSUNSET training (12 ETCS), dissemination, communication and exploitation activities.
- Conduct high-quality research under supervision of a diverse scientific team.
- Publish and present research results in international conference proceedings and peer-reviewed scientific journals.
- Prepare and defend a doctoral thesis in the field of micronutrients and sustainable food products.
- Support student supervision and contribute to teaching at BSc and MSc levels.
What We're Looking For
- You must not have lived, studied, or worked in Denmark for more than 12 months in the last 36 months.
- You must not already hold a doctoral degree.
- Hold a two-year master's degree (120 ECTS points) in Food Technology or a similar degree at the equivalent academic level.
Nice to Have
- Completed a relevant master’s program.
- Strong interest in microbiology, fermentation, and functional foods.
- Hands-on experience in identification, selection, and non-GMO optimization of bacterial strains.
- Practical experience with analytical equipment and microfluidics platforms.
- Strong interest in and understanding of bioinformatics.
- Good communication skills in English, both written and oral.
- Experience with international collaboration and the ability to work effectively in interdisciplinary teams.
- A structured and analytical approach to work and problem-solving.
- Experience with research dissemination – e.g. scientific publications and/or conference contributions.
Technical Stack
- Droplet microfluidics
- Adaptive laboratory evolution (ALE)
- Bioinformatics
- Analytical equipment
Team & Environment
You will join the Research Group for Microbial Food Biotechnology at DTU National Food Institute as part of the MICROSUNSET consortium of 12 Doctoral Candidates across 7 universities. You will be supervised by a diverse scientific team, including Senior Researcher Claus Heiner Bang-Berthelsen.
Benefits & Compensation
- Training within the MICROSUNSET Doctoral Network program (12 ETCS).
- International and interdisciplinary research environment.
- Research stays at Wageningen University and Novonesis.
- Compensation: Monthly gross salary starts at approximately 4,300 EUR plus pension (before taxes). The EU MSCA grant provides a monthly gross salary of 6,035 EUR, which covers all employment costs.
Work Mode
This is an onsite role based at the Technical University of Denmark, DTU National Food Institute.
DTU is a leading technical university globally recognized for excellence in research, education, innovation and scientific advice. We strive for academic excellence in an environment characterized by collegial respect and academic freedom tempered by responsibility.
