PhD position in

Structured and functional emulsions and foams

Candidates profile

• MSc or equivalent in Chemistry
• Scientific interest, dedication to research and career goal to work in the field of foams, emulsions and manufacture of sustainable foods
• Appreciation for interdisciplinarity and proactive drive to collaborate across fields
• Proficiency in English, good communication skill and social competence

Hiring institution: Sofia University, “St. Kliment Ohridski”, Sofia, Bulgaria

Enrolment in a doctoral programme of 4.2. Chemical Sciences /Physical Chemistry – Disperse systems/

Supervision:

• Main supervisor: Prof. Slavka Tcholakova
• Co-supervisor(s): Assoc. Prof. Zahari Vinarov

Objectives:

Study systematically the interfacial and bulk self-assembly properties of mixtures of natural emulsifiers which show strong synergistic effects in emulsion and foam formation and stabilisation (saponins, phytosterols, plant proteins and polysaccharides, steviosides)

For the best combinations, which provide long term (months) physical stability at the lowest total ingredient concentration while exhibiting acceptable organoleptic properties, develop procedures for structuring low-fat and low-calorie emulsions and foams with extended shelf-life.

Use scalable homogenisers to prepare prototypes of functional food emulsions and foams stabilized by multi-functional ingredients, such as phytosterols and saponins which have proven hypocholesterolemic effects, plant proteins, steviosides and other natural ingredients from sustainable sources.

Test the functionality of the prototype formulations by determining the bioaccessibility of the bioactives by an in-vitro model of the human GI tract and evaluate their organoleptic properties via panels.

Expected results: 

Development of new efficient approaches for structuring of low-fat and low-calorie food emulsions and foams using natural and functional ingredients, obtained from sustainable plant sources          

Planned secondments

• CNRS, France, C. Chassenieux, M19-M20, 2 months: Characterization of the structure and rheology of emulsions.
• CNRS, France, L. Ramos, M21-M25, 5 months: Rheological characterisation of gels.
• Cargill, R. Jakobi, M37-39, 3 months: Engineering approaches for complex-in-structure food emulsions.

Hosting lab and working environment: Laboratory for Active Formulations and Materials at the Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Sofia University

Type of recruitment: Full-time exclusive employment contract including full social security coverage

Foreseen start date: 1st of November 2025

Duration: 36 months

Hours per week:  40 hours

Estimated monthly gross salary: 2070 € (including Living and Mobility Allowances)

Application procedure: via the ESM website

Application deadline: 31st of May 2025

Contact for more information: Prof. Slavka Tcholakova

Application closed

PhD position in

Edible Water in Water Emulsions

Candidates profile

• MSc or equivalent in food sciences or in physics or physical chemistry of soft matter science or with a solid training in rheological and structural investigations of soft materials or in sensory studies. A degree with distinction is a plus.
• Scientific interest, dedication to research and career goal to work in food or soft matter sciences (academia or research center), or food industry.
• Appreciation for interdisciplinarity and proactive drive to collaborate across fields
• Proficiency in English, good communication skill and social competence

Hiring institution: CNRS Le Mans (France)

Enrolment in a doctoral programme of ED3MG (France) (https://ed-3mg.doctorat-paysdelaloire.fr/)

Supervision:

• Main supervisors: Christophe Chassenieux
• Co-supervisor(s): Taco Nicolai (France)

Objectives:

• Design stable water in water emulsions with whole food grade and plant-based ingredients,
• Investigate their textural (structure and mechanics) properties at rest and under flow,
• Use them as cargos for hydrophilic molecules such as probiotics and various flavours,
• Test their sensorial properties.

Expected results:

• Rules for formulating stable w/w emulsions that display the same textural properties at rest and under shear as oil-in-water emulsions but with no fat.
• Design of functional w/w emulsions as cargo of hydrophilic molecules.

Planned secondments

• Bel, Peggy Thomar, 1month, mechanical study of the hydrogels and emulgels under strong deformation.
• CSIC, Amparo Tarrega and Laura Laguna, 2 months, sensorial studies
• ULUND, Lars Wilson, 3 months, SAXS investigation of w/w interfaces
• USOFIA, Slavka Tcholakova, 1 month, measurements of ultra-low surface tension
• KIRIL, Rositsa Tropcheva, 1month, encapsulation of probiotics

Hosting lab and working environment: IMMM le Mans (France) (https://immm.univ-lemans.fr/fr/index.html).

Type of recruitment: Full-time exclusive employment contract including full social security coverage.

Foreseen start date: 1st of October 2025

Duration: 36 months

Hours per week:  38.5 hours/week

Estimated monthly gross salary: 3 024 € (Including living and mobility allowance)

Application procedure: Candidates must submit their application via:  the ESM website, and the CNRS job portal 

Application deadline: 5th of June 2025

Contact for more information: Christophe Chassenieux IMMM@CNRS (christophe.chassenieux@univ-lemans.fr)

Application closed

PhD position in

Relating the colloidal and air-water interfacial properties of plant protein systems

Candidates profile

• MSc or equivalent in Bioscience Engineering (preferably with focus on food science), Food Sciences, with a solid training in the areas of food chemistry, food technology, food constituent functionality. A degree with distinction is a requirement.
• Scientific interest, dedication to research and career goal to work in food science (academia or research center), or food industry.
• Appreciation for interdisciplinarity and proactive drive to collaborate across fields.
• Proficiency in English, good communication skill and social competence

Hiring institution: KU Leuven (Leuven, Belgium)

Enrolment in a doctoral programme of the Arenberg Doctoral School, associated to the Science, Engineering & Technology group of KU Leuven, Belgium (https://set.kuleuven.be/phd)

Supervision:

• Main supervisor: prof. Arno Wouters (KU Leuven, Belgium)
• Co-supervisor(s): prof. Christophe Chassenieux (Université Le Mans, France)

Objectives:

The impact of various chemical, physical and enzymatic processing steps on the extraction and isolation of plant proteins (with oats as model), including chemical and colloidal characterization of the obtained protein fractions, will be studied. In addition, the impact of varying pre-treatments and environmental conditions (such as pH, ionic strength and temperature) on the bulk self-assembly of native oat proteins will be studied. In both cases, the air-water interfacial and foaming properties of the proteins will be investigated. This will allow establishing relationships between protein physicochemical and colloidal properties on the one hand and their functional properties on the other hand.

Expected results:

• Insight into the impact of various prior processing steps on the composition (proteins and co-extracted constituents), physicochemical and colloidal properties of isolated proteins.
• Mechanistic insights in the foaming properties of plant proteins
• Understanding of the relationship between the state of self-assembly of plant proteins and their interfacial and foaming properties.

Planned secondments

• Université Le Mans (France), prof. Christophe Chassenieux, self-assembly of proteins as function of environmental conditions
• Lund University (Sweden), prof. Lars Nilsson, protein aggregate characterization with UF4-SAXS
• Cargill (Belgium), Dr. Paul Smith and Dr. Katlijn Moelants, characterization of foams

Hosting lab and working environment: Laboratory of Food Chemistry and Biochemistry (LFCB), KU Leuven, Belgium (https://www.biw.kuleuven.be/m2s/clmt/lmcb)

Type of recruitment: Full-time exclusive employment contract including full social security coverage

Foreseen start date: 1st of October 2025

Duration: 36 months on the ESM project. Following the KU Leuven Arenberg Doctoral School requirements, an evaluation moment is foreseen 9 months after the start of the PhD trajectory, after which the trajectory proceeds (in most cases) or can be stopped if the candidate does not meet the quality requirements. The standard duration of a PhD trajectory in Belgium is 48 months. The final PhD year will be covered from other funding sources, on the condition that the candidate is well on track.

Hours per week:  38 hours

Estimated monthly gross salary: Approximately €3055 per month. The exact amount may depend on the social status of the candidate (registered partner with/without income, dependent children, etc.).

Application procedure: via the ESM website.

Application deadline: 6th of June 2025

Contact for more information: prof. Arno Wouters (Laboratory of Food Chemistry and Biochemistry, KU Leuven; arno.wouters@kuleuven.be)

Application closed

PhD position in

Structuration of plant proteins with polysaccharides

Candidates profile

• A successfully completed MSc degree before the start of this job in the area of physics, physical chemistry, material science, chemical engineering. Knowledge in soft matter, rheology or food science would be appreciated
• Experience of working in a lab is essential.
• Work in an independent and self-motivated manner
• A keen interest in both fundamental and applied research, especially related to the food transition.
• Appreciation for interdisciplinarity and proactive drive to collaborate across fields
• Proficiency in English, good communication skill and social competence

Hiring institution: CNRS

Enrolment in a doctoral programme of University of Montpellier (doctoral school I2S)

Supervision:

• Main supervisor: Amélie Banc
• Co-supervisor(s): Laurence Ramos (CNRS), Laura Laguna (CSIC)

Objectives:

• Design, characterise and model plant-based gluten mimetic based on a near-critical polysaccharide gel doped with plant proteins.
• Characterise the sensory properties of soft solid matrix made of plant proteins and polysaccharides.

Expected results:

• Design of near-critical gels made with polysaccharides and plant proteins
• Characterisation and modelling of the structuration of mixed plant-based protein-polysaccharide gels
• Investigation of the linear and non-linear mechanical properties of mixed plant-based protein-polysaccharide gels
• Understanding of the link between the bulk mechanical properties of these near critical gels and the sensory properties

Planned secondments

• CSIC (L. Laguna) 2 months: performance of sensory analysis
• BEL (P. Thomar) 1 month: non-linear rheology and texture measurements

Hosting lab and working environment: The Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) is the largest public research organisation in France, accounting for around 1 100 services and/or research units throughout the country. As a multidisciplinary institution, it covers all fields of scientific research driving various programmes and actions designed to address society and industry expectations. The CNRS encourages collaborative projects and provides a strong administrative support to such projects. The hosting lab is L2C (Laboratoire Charles Coulomb). L2C, a Joint Research Unit between CNRS and University of Montpellier (UM), gathers more than 100 researchers in physics, nearly 50 technical and administrative staff members, and about 80 PhD students and postdocs. Research at L2C covers a very wide range of topics, from theoretical physics and astrophysics to soft matter physics, solid-state physics and biophysics. The Soft Matter Team (https://www.softmatter-l2c.fr/) is part of L2C, and is composed of 9 CNRS scientists, 8 faculty members, and about 20 postdocs and PhD students, working on both fundamental and applied soft matter research.

Type of recruitment: Full-time exclusive employment contract including full social security coverage

Foreseen start date: 1st of October 2025

Duration: 36 months

Hours per week:  38,5

Estimated monthly gross salary: 3 024 € (Including living and mobility allowances)

Application procedure: Candidates must submit their application via:  the ESM Project website, and  the CNRS job portal

Application deadline: 6th of June 2025

Contact for additional information: amelie.banc@umontpellier.fr

Application closed

PhD position in

Tribological properties of dispersed and multi-component food systems

Candidates profile

• A successfully completed MSc degree before the start of this job in the area of Food Science, Soft Matter, Physical Chemistry or related discipline
• Experience of working in a lab is essential. Basic knowledge on food ingredients, food structures and physical phenomena is needed
• Work in an independent and self-motivated manner
• A keen interest in both fundamental and applied research, dedication to career goal to work in the food industry
• Appreciation for interdisciplinarity and proactive drive to collaborate across fields
• Proficiency in English, good communication skill and social competence

Application

Applications must be written in English and include a Curriculum Vitae (CV, max. 2 pages), a cover letter (max. 1 page) indicating the motivation for the project, copies of transcripts of degrees obtained as well as the contact details of two references. For WUR, your command of the English language is expected to be at C1 level. It may be necessary to show an internationally recognized Certificate of Proficiency in the English language.

Hiring institution: Wageningen University (WUR.
Enrolment in a doctoral programme of Doctoral School (VLAG)

Supervision:

• Main supervisor: Elke Scholten (WUR)
• Co-supervisor(s): Maya Davidovich-Pinhas (Technion)

Objectives:

The quality and sensory perception of foods is determined by the structure and physicochemical properties of the specific food structure. Simple sensory attributes can often be directly linked to rheological characteristics. However, for more complete attributes, also lubrication (frictional) aspects are important. These lubrication aspects are very much related to the properties of the continuous phase, the type of dispersed phase, and the interactions between the different ingredients. This specific project aims to understand the link between lubrication aspects and the structural organization of a variety of dispersed and multi-component systems, and gaining insights into the physical phenomenon driving lubrication, such as wetting behavior, adsorption properties, droplet stability, jamming events, etc. Parameters that will be systematically varied are particle size, hydrophobicity, shape, volume fraction, crystallization behavior, etc. The structural organization will be examined by a variety of techniques, including microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, rheology, etc.

Expected results: 

• Overview of relation between structural aspects of different food systems and lubrication behavior.
• Description of key parameters and mechanisms driving lubrication aspects.
• Design rules for multi-component systems to control lubrication aspects and related expected sensory attributes for product reformulation purposes.

Planned secondments (host institution, supervisor, duration, topic)

• TRDF, Israel (Maya Davidovich-Pinhas) for 9 months (This will be subjected to modifications in location according to circumstances in Israel).
• Unilever, Netherlands (Krassimir Velikov) for 3 months.

Hosting lab and working environment: Hosting lab and working environment: The group Physics and Physical Chemistry of Foods (Physics and Physical Chemistry of Foods – WUR) within the Food Technology department is equipped with a variety of experimental techniques, including scattering techniques, diverse microscopy set-ups, and (bulk and interfacial) rheology and tribology. The group has vast experience in structuring food materials and understanding structure-texture relationships of a variety of systems, including emulsions, gels, emulsion-filled gels and oleogels.

Type of recruitment: Full-time exclusive employment contract including full social security coverage

Foreseen start date: 1st of October 2025

Duration: 48 months

Hours per week:  38 hours

Estimated monthly gross salary: The gross salary is based on the PhD salary scale of WUR, starting at €2901 in the first year to €3707 in the fourth year.

Application procedure: via the WUR application portal, using the following link: https://www.wur.nl/nl/vacature/phd-in-tribological-properties-of-dispersed-and-multi-component-food-systems.htm. Please check the eligibility and mobility criteria further in this website.

Application deadline: 31st of May, 2025

Contact for more information: Elke Scholten, elke.scholten@wur.nl

Application closed