Phd Candidate in Experimental Soft Matter Science Related to Food Applications

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.

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.

This network is detailed on the site www.pickfood.eu

In the PICKFOOD project NTNU has three PhD vacancies working in the area of experimental soft matter science in the Soft and Complex Matter Lab located at the Department of Physics, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology – NTNU in Trondheim Norway. The 13 other Pickfood positions are advertised through the EURAXESS portal (https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/691490 ).

About Pickfood position #6 located at NTNU:

Title: Structural development of Pickering emulsions during electric field manipulation and spraying

The current project is to form and characterize Pickering emulsions - particularly food grade Pickering emulsions- under electric fields and upon spraying and other methods to form Pickering emulsion films. This project will use various X-ray and neutron based methods and other methods to characterize structural development of Pickering emulsions under electric field and when sprayed. Particular attention is based X-ray based characterization in situ. The PhD project will elaborate phase behaviour and film formation of Pickering emulsions under electric fields and upon spraying. The project will also screen associated safety and food safety aspects. This project will train the candidate on Pickering emulsions and how they behave in external fields. It will also train the candidate in neutron and X-ray scattering and other methods.

The NTNU workplace of the PhD candidate will be in the Soft and Complex Matter Lab (http://www.softcomlab.com ) in certain cases supported by the NTNU Nanolab (https://www.ntnu.edu/nano ).

Experimental methods that may be utilized in the project are microscopy (optical, atomic force - AFM, electron (SEM, TEM)) and microfluidic methods. Custom made experiments, such as special purpose sample cells will be designed and built with the help of the laboratory’s technical staff, the NTNU mechanical workshop or by own 3D printing. 

The position has duration of 3 years.

Staring date for employment in the position is January 1 2022.

You will report to Head of Department of Physics Professor Erik Wahlstrøm.

Dr. Matti Knaapila from the Department of Physics will be the main supervisor of the PhD candidate, and Professor Jon Otto Fossum and Professor Paul Dommersnes (Department of Physics) will be co-supervisors at NTNU. Supervision at IFE will be conducted by Geir Helgesen and Kenneth Knudsen; at ETH Zürich by Lucio Isa (Department of Materials) and at FVST by Hanne Boskov Hansen.

For more information and how to apply, please click the above 'Apply' button to access.