Postdoc position in Food Science - Marine collagens

Project description Food value chains generally suffer from inefficiency due to the large amount of side streams generated across the chains. The seafood industry, in particular, faces this challenge, where up to 70% of the harvested aquatic biomass typically leaves the value chain as side streams for feeding or is wasted. Biorefining these side streams into multiple higher-value ingredients for food and health-related applications can substantially increase the sustainability of our seafood value chains. A newly established national multi-actor project funded by FORMAS, called MARIFINE, aims to develop innovative biorefinery platforms for the valorization of these aquatic side streams. We are offering a two-year postdoctoral position to an ambitious researcher interested in working on biorefining side streams from the project with a special focus on the collagen fraction and scaling up the developed technologies. The postdoctoral researcher will work at the Division of Food and Nutrition Science, in close collaboration with multiple stakeholders, including AquaFood AB and RISE. Information about the division and the department The Department of Life sciences is aiming at bridging cutting edge life science research with biochemical engineering, in order to emerge as the leading innovation center in the region. The research has broad applications in areas of health and industrial production of e.g. fine chemicals, food and energy. The department offers highly qualified education for engineering students within the area of bioengineering. It is furthermore collaborating in broad, interdiciplinary national and international networks within academia and the industry. The division of Food and Nutrition Science is one of four research divisions at the Department of Life Sciences. Food and Nutrition Science is one of the leading units in the area in Sweden with particular strengths in nutritional and computational metabolomics, dietary biomarkers, micronutrient metal nutrition, nutritional immunology, marine food science, plant based foods and nutrition as well as food by-product biorefining and protein technology. The division has a wide range of modern analytical equipment for chromatography coupled with mass spectrometery, an in vitro human cell laboratory, and a microbiology laboratory. The division focuses on nutritional solutions for health and disease prevention by studies on the molecular, cellular, and whole-body level. It also has a strong focus on sustainable use of food raw materials and on many different quality aspects of food. Major responsibilities Conduct research within MARIFINE project with a specific focus on biorefining side streams to develope and optimize efficient and scalable technologies for recovering their collagen fraction. The candidate will be responsible for experimental planning, maintaining contact with project partners, conducting practical work, collecting samples, handling data, writing publications, and communicating results within the project. Your major responsibility as postdoc is to perform your own research in a research group. The position may also include teaching on undergraduate and master's levels as well as supervising master's and/or PhD students to a certain extent. Another important aspect involves collaboration within academia and with society at large. The position is meritorious for future research duties within academia as well as industry/the public sector. Qualifications The applicant must hold a PhD in food technology, food chemistry, protein technology, biotechnology or similar. • Experience of working with aquatic or animal by-products is meritorious. • Experience of working with protein/collagen extraction and/or enzymatic hydrolysis in lab and pilot scale as well as protein characterization is meriterious. • Excellent communication skill in English, and proven record of scientific article writing. • Ability to work independently as well as in teams and take responsibility for progress of the project. To qualify for the position of postdoc, you must hold a doctoral degree awarded no more than three years prior to the application deadline (according to the current agreement with the Swedish Agency for Government Employers). Exceptions from the 3-year limit can be made for longer periods resulting from parental leave, sick leave or military service*. * The date shown in your doctoral degree certificate is the date we use, as this is the date you have met all requirements for the doctoral degree. Contract terms This postdoc position is a full-time temporary employment for two years. We offer Chalmers offers a cultivating and inspiring working environment in the coastal city of Gothenburg.  Read more about working at Chalmers and our benefits for employees. Chalmers aims to actively improve our gender balance. We work broadly with equality projects, for example the GENIE Initiative on gender equality for excellence. Equality and diversity are substantial foundations in all activities at Chalmers. Application procedure The application should be marked with 20240246 and written in English. The application should be sent electronically and be attached as PDF-files, as below. Maximum size for each file is 40 MB. Please note that the system does not support Zip files. CV: (Please name the document as: CV, Surname, Ref. number) including: • CV, include complete list of publications • Previous teaching and pedagogical experiences • Two references that we can contact. Personal letter: (Please name the document as: Personal letter, Family name, Ref. number) 1-3 pages where you: • Introduce yourself • Describe your previous research fields and main research results • Describe your future goals and future research focus Other documents: • Attested copies of completed education, grades and other certificates. Use the button at the foot of the page to reach the application form. Please note: The applicant is responsible for ensuring that the application is complete. Incomplete applications and applications sent by email will not be considered. Application deadline: 2024-05-15   For questions, please contact: Mehdi Abdollahi,  khozaghi@chalmers.se