PhD Scholarship in molecular microbiology

The National Food Institute (DTU Food) offers a PhD position within the field of microbiology and ecology of the intestine.

You will be part of the Research group for Gut, Microbes and Heath at DTU Food. We offer an ambitious, dynamic and sociable research environment with lots of exiting challenges and opportunities.

The position is affiliated to the project PRIMA (Personalized dietary Recommendations based on the Interaction between diet, Microbiome and Abiotic conditions in the gut) funded by the Challenge Programme under the Novo Nordic Foundation. This project is a cross-disciplinary effort involving top research environments in Denmark and Belgium. The overall aim of the project is to develop personal and improved dietary recommendations based on knowledge about the intestinal environment in a given individual.

The PhD project will focus on gut microbial metabolic responses to specific nutritional and environmental conditions. This will be investigated in pure bacterial cultures, as well as in defined mixed communities, and in a flow-based in vitro gut model system.

Qualifications
Candidates should have a master's degree in biology, bioengineering, biotechnology, engineering or a similar degree with an academic level equivalent to the master's degree in engineering.

Assessment
Candidates are expected to have a solid understanding of bacterial growth physiology, metabolic pathways and/or response to environmental factors. Additionally, interest (but not necessarily experience) within intestinal microbiology and ecology will be important. You need to be ambitious, highly motivated, and capable of working independently, and to have good skills within written and spoken English.

Preference will be given to candidates with experience within one or more of the following areas:

• bacterial physiology, growth and metabolism
• bacterial responses to environmental factors
• experience with handling of both aerobic and anaerobic bacteria
• experimentation in mixed bacterial communities
• chemostat experimentation or in vitro flow-based models of bacterial communities  

Approval and Enrolment
The scholarship for the PhD degree is subject to academic approval, and the candidate will be enrolled in one of the general degree programmes at DTU. For information about our enrolment requirements and the general planning of the PhD study programme, please see the DTU PhD Guide .  

We offer
DTU is a leading technical university globally recognized for the excellence of its research, education, innovation and scientific advice. We offer a rewarding and challenging job in an international environment. We strive for academic excellence in an environment characterized by collegial respect and academic freedom tempered by responsibility.

Salary and appointment terms
The appointment will be based on the collective agreement with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. The allowance will be agreed upon with the relevant union. The period of employment is 3 years.

The workplace is DTU Lyngby Campus.

You can read more about career paths at DTU here .

Further information
Further information may be obtained from Professor Tine Rask Licht, tel.: +45 3588 7186.

You can read more about DTU Food on www.food.dtu.dk/english . 

If you are applying from abroad, you may find useful information on working in Denmark and at DTU at DTU – Moving to Denmark .  

Application 
Your complete online application must be submitted no later than20 October 2021 (Danish time).

IMPORTANT – PLEASE CAREFULLY FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS:

Applications must be submitted as one PDF file containing all materials to be given consideration. To apply, please open the link "Apply online", fill out the online application form, and attach all your materials in English in one PDF file. The file must include:

• A letter motivating the application (cover letter)
• Curriculum vitae
• Grade transcripts and BSc/MSc diploma
• Excel sheet with translation of grades needs to be included by Danish as well as foreign applicants (see guidelines and Excel spreadsheet here )

Incomplete applications will not be considered. Candidates may apply prior to ob­tai­ning their master's degree, but cannot begin before having received it.

Interviews will take place during november, and expected start of the new phd students is January 15th or as soon as possible thereafter.

All interested candidates irrespective of age, gender, disability, race, religion or ethnic background are encouraged to apply.

DTU Food (The National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark) works within six technical focus areas: Biotechnology, nutrition, food quality, food safety, food technology and environment & human health. Activities cover a wide range of food products throughout the entire food chain from farm to table, comprising both research activities and research-based consulting and teaching.

Technology for people
DTU develops technology for people. With our international elite research and study programmes, we are helping to create a better world and to solve the global challenges formulated in the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Hans Christian Ørsted founded DTU in 1829 with a clear vision to develop and create value using science and engineering to benefit society. That vision lives on today. DTU has 12,900 students and 6,000 employees. We work in an international atmosphere and have an inclusive, evolving, and informal working environment. DTU has campuses in all parts of Denmark and in Greenland, and we collaborate with the best universities around the world.