Advances in NMR techniques for next generation Foodomics

Applicants are invited for a PhD fellowship/scholarship at Graduate School of Technical Sciences, Aarhus University, Denmark, within the Food Science programme. The position is available from 01 February 2026 or later. You can submit your application via the link under 'how to apply'.

Title

Advances in NMR techniques for next generation Foodomics

Research area and project description

The Department of Food Science at Aarhus University is inviting applications for a Ph.D. student position focused on the development and applications of NMR spectroscopy in the characterization of foods - Foodomics.

Foodomics is a scientific approach that studies food, nutrition and their effects on health using omics technologies. NMR spectroscopy has played a key role in establishing Foodomics and has offered distinctive insights into foods’ health-promoting potential as well as their functional characteristics. However, ¹H NMR spectroscopy, which is the current workhorse of NMR-based Foodomics, has some analytical limitations. Thus, spectral overlap renders substantial parts of the food metabolome unidentified.

This PhD project aims at developing and examining new and alternative NMR-based approaches within Foodomics. This includes elucidating the potential of ¹³C NMR spectroscopy, which so far has been limited applied in Foodomics. For this purpose, sensitivity-enhancement strategies will be explored, including a dissolution dynamic nuclear polarization technique (d-DNP). This will be done in collaboration with a prominent European d-DNP group.

The PhD project will entail studies on new foods of alternative sources and/or derived from innovative biotechnological processing techniques and solutions.

Tasks and responsibilities include

• Conduct research on development and applications of NMR spectroscopy in food science.
• Collaborate with a multidisciplinary team including a 4-6-months stay in an international research environment abroad.
• Design and implement experiments, collect and analyse data, and interpret results.
• Present findings at conferences and publish research in reputable peer-reviewed journals.
• Participate in outreach activities to disseminate research outcomes to stakeholders and contribute to teaching in the department

Qualifications and specific competences

Applicants must have a relevant master’s degree (120 ECTS) in chemistry, biotechnology, food technology, or in a related field.

The preferred candidate has substantial hands-on experience in NMR spectroscopy. Relevant expertise in food science, foodomics, multivariate data analysis and good analytical skills is an advantage.

The successful candidate should be motivated to combine laboratory work and experiments, data processing and analysis and ability to work independently and as part of a team in an international research environment.

Place of employment and place of work

The place of employment is Aarhus University, and the place of work is Department of Food Science, Agro Food Park 48, Dk-8200 Aarhus N., Denmark.

Contacts

Applicants seeking further information regarding the PhD position are invited to contact

• Hanne Christine Bertram, e-mail: [email protected] (main supervisor)

For information about application requirements and mandatory attachments, please see our application guide . If answers cannot be found there, please contact:

• [email protected]

How to apply

Please follow this link to submit your application.

Application deadline is 26 November 2026 at 23:59 CET.

Preferred starting date is 01 February 2027.

For technical reasons, you must upload a project description. Please copy the project description above and upload it as a PDF in the application.

Please make a project description (½-4 pages). The project description should describe your ideas and research plans for this specific project. If you wish to, you can indicate an URL where further information can be found.

Please note

• Only documents received prior to the application deadline will be evaluated. Thus, documents sent after deadline will not be considered.
• The programme committee may request further information or invite the applicant to attend an interview.
• Shortlisting will be used, which means that the evaluation committee only will evaluate the most relevant applications.

Formalities and salary range

Salary and terms as agreed between the Danish Ministry of Taxation and the Confederation of Professional Unions. You will be employed as an academic staff member at basic salary grades 4–8. As a PhD fellow you will also receive a monthly non-pensionable allowance.

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

The application must be submitted via the online recruitment system, which can be accessed under ‘How to apply’.