PhD fellowship in PICKFOOD at the Niels Bohr Institute

A 3-year PhD fellowship is available at the NIELS BOHR INSTITUTE, UNIVERSITY OF COPENHAGEN, COPENHAGEN, DENMARK, with an expected start in July 2022, or as soon as possible thereafter.

The fellowship is funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 956248.

About PICKFOOD
Would you like to start your career in a European training network of leading research universities and professionals from the industry? Then you might be interested in this PhD position, which will enable you to join the PICKFOOD project. PICKFOOD is a top level interdisciplinary training and research programme involving 15 PhD positions across physics, physical chemistry and food science. PICKFOOD aims to create at European level a network of next generation young scientists trained in novel methodologies within Pickering emulsions research enabling the development of safe, healthy and functional foods and at the same time minimizing food waste due to lipid oxidation.

About your project
It is well known that small particles can get trapped at the interface between two fluids. This effect can be used to coat droplets with micro or nano-scale particles, and thereby stabilize emulsions without the use of surfactant molecules, known as Pickering emulsions.

Together with 2 other Early Stage Researchers (to be recruited respectively by Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and Aalto University (AALTO)), you will contribute to the implementation of PICKFOOD Work package 3 which focuses on the formation mechanism of stable Pickering emulsions.

Fabrication of new Pickering encapsulates covers development of new materials as well as their characterization not only by standard methods but also by methods not usually accessible by food laboratories including X-rays synchrotron and neutron scattering. The candidate will identify of food-grade particles with potential for Pickering stabilization and possible applications in the food industry. The interactions and assembly behaviour of the selected Pickering-stabilized emulsions will be analysed in the nano-range, as these factors determine the microstructure and are known to influence food structure, rheology and functional properties at the macroscopic scale.

Whereas NTNU will test different combinations of mineral and vegetable oils to evaluate and understand the properties inducing formation of edible oil-in-oil emulsions and AALTO will identify food-grade colloidal particles whose state and morphology can be controlled with temperature and/or pH.

Mobility within the PICKFOOD European Training Network is of high importance and you are therefore expected to spend 3 months at Bether Encapsulates (BEC in the Netherlands) for exploring novel approaches for encapsulation process , 6 months at NTNU for Small Angle X-rays Scattering  studies for verifying the encapsulation and extent of release and one month at the University of Campinas (UNICAMP, Brazil) to evaluate the relationship between interfacial dilatational rheology and actives bio accessibility encapsulated in Pickering emulsions evaluated by in vitro digestion techniques.

The candidate will be enrolled at the Niels Bohr Institute (https://nbi.ku.dk/ ) at the University of Copenhagen. The graduate program requires the student to obtain 30 ECTS points during the three-year period in order to graduate. Mandatory courses/schools are the Course for responsible conduct of research (1.5 ECTS) and an Introduction to University Pedagogy course (3 ECTS). A broad set of PhD courses are offered (https://phdcourses.ku.dk/ ).

Job description
Your key tasks as a PhD student at University of Copenhagen are:

• Carry out an independent research project under supervision
• Complete PhD courses or other equivalent education activities corresponding to approx. 30 ECTS points
•  Participate in activities in the PICKFOOD network including secondments to other partners in the project
• Obtain experience with teaching or other types of dissemination related to your PhD project
• Teach and disseminate your knowledge
• Write a PhD thesis and publish scientific papers based on your research project

Eligibility criteria
- The researcher must not have resided or carried out his/her main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of his/her host organization for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to his/her recruitment - unless as part of a procedure for obtaining refugee status under the Geneva Convention[1] .

- The researcher must be Early Stage Researcher (ESR): at time of recruitment he/she must be in the first 4 years (full-time equivalent research experience)[2] of his/her research careers and must not have been awarded a doctoral degree.

Further requirements
We are looking for a dedicated and skilled individual with the following qualifications:

Qualifications: Master’s degree, preferably within Physics, Chemistry or Food Science. To be considered for the position, it is a condition that your Master’s degree is considered to be equivalent to a Danish Master’s degree. We encourage you to read more in the assessment database: Assessment database — Uddannelses- og Forskningsministeriet (ufm.dk) . Please note that we might ask you to obtain an assessment of your education performed by the Ministry of Higher Education and Science.

Experience: Basic knowledge of scattering techniques (light, X-rays and or / neutrons) will be considered as a strength.

Knowledge and skills: Very good communication and excellent analytical skills, fluency in English.

Abilities: Interpreting scientific literature and incorporation into project and understanding the research process are essential. Organising and prioritising own work and organising research within the project timetable are essential. Maintaining accurate and up to date records are essential.

Other: Flexible and co-operative; Good relationships with staff and ability to communicate effectively; Self-motivated and hardworking; Enquiring, critical approach to work; Willingness to learn new skills; and willing to travel and go on secondments.

About INSTITUTION
The Niels Bohr Institute (NBI) represents physics at the University of Copenhagen. We research and teach within a broad spectrum of physics areas: Astrophysics, Biophysics, eScience, Solid State Physics, Geophysics, Quantum Physics and Particle Physics. At the condensed matter group we focus on the understanding of the physical properties of solids and liquids, both naturally occurring and artificially produced. The ESR hosting group research is centered around the use of large-scale experimental facilities using X-rays and neutrons, including the new X-ray source MAX-IV and the coming neutron source ESS, located in Lund (S), but also home-lab facilities. With these sources, we have a cross-disciplinary research ranging from understanding biologically bound water in living cells and food proteins to complex hydrating dynamics in dental cements and development of oral vaccines.

NBI wishes our staff to reflect the diversity of society and thus welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background.

Terms of employment
The employment as PhD fellow is full time and for maximum 3 years.

Employment is conditional upon your successful enrolment as a PhD student at the PhD School at the Faculty of SCIENCE, University of Copenhagen. This requires submission and acceptance of an application for the specific project formulated by the applicant in collaboration with the main supervisor.

The PhD study must be completed in accordance with a) The Ministerial Order on the PhD program (2013), b) the rules and regulations laid down by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action European Training Network, c) and the Faculty’s rules on achieving the degree.

Salary and terms of employment are in accordancewith the EU MSCA rules and the agreement between the Ministry of Finance and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations on Academics in the State (AC). The position is covered by the Protocol on Job Structure.

More information
See more information about The Niels Bohr Institute . For further information about the position, applicants may contact Heloisa Nunes Bordallo (phone: +4521308829; email:[email protected]).

Application
Your application must be submitted electronically by clicking ‘Apply now’ below. Please observe that the three applications are individual positions and must be applied for separately. The applications must include the following documents in PDF format:

1. Motivated letter of application (max. one page)

2. CV incl. education, experience, language skills and other skills relevant for the position

3. Master of Science diploma and transcript of records. If not completed, a certified/signed copy of a recent transcript of records or a written statement from the institution or supervisor will do. As a prerequisite for a PhD fellowship employment, your master’s degree must be equivalent to a Danish master’s degree. We encourage you to read more in the assessment database: https://ufm.dk/en/education/recognition-and-transparency/find-assessments/assessment-database . Please note that we might ask you to obtain an assessment of your education performed by the Ministry of Higher Education and Science.

4. Publication list (if possible)

5. Letters of recommendation

Application deadline
Applications must be submitted before 28 February 28 2022, 23:59 GMT +1. We reserve the right not to consider material received after the deadline, and not to consider applications that do not live up to the abovementioned requirements.

The further process
After the expiry of the deadline for applications, the authorized recruitment manager selects applicants for assessment on the advice of the hiring committee. All applicants are then immediately notified whether their application has been passed for assessment by an unbiased assessor. Once the assessment work has been completed each applicant has the opportunity to comment on the part of the assessment that relates to the applicant him/herself.

You can read about the recruitment process at https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/

The applicant will be assessed according to the Ministerial Order no. 242 of 13 March 2012 on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Universities.

[1] 1951 Refugee Convention and the 1967 Protocol

[2] This is measured from the date when a researcher obtained the degree which would formally entitle him or her to embark on a doctorate, either in the country in which the degree was obtained or in the country in which the researcher is recruited, irrespective of whether or not a doctorate is or was ever envisaged.

Part of the International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU), and among Europe’s top-ranking universities, the University of Copenhagen promotes research and teaching of the highest international standard. Rich in tradition and modern in outlook, the University gives students and staff the opportunity to cultivate their talent in an ambitious and informal environment. An effective organisation – with good working conditions and a collaborative work culture – creates the ideal framework for a successful academic career.