Department of Food Science wishes to appoint a Ph.D. fellow in a project entitled Microbiological and physical-chemical stability of high alcohol, high sugar containing food products from March 1st 2011 or as soon as possible thereafter for a period of 3 years.
Project description
A number of solid and semi-solid food products are containing relatively high concentrations of alcohol and/or sugar with the double purpose of giving the products the desired taste and preserving the products at the same time. However, such products (i.e. chocolate pralines) are occasionally spoiled either due to the actions of extremophile microorganisms capable of growing in such harsh environments and/or physical-chemical changes in the product. Spoilage due to microbial and physical-chemical changes is often linked and e.g. changes in the alcohol concentration due to physical-chemical changes might lead to microbial growth as the growth conditions change.
The purpose of the present project is to obtain a deeper understanding of how physical-chemical changes in high alcohol/high sugar containing products influence microbial survival and growth in these environments and in turn influence the physical-chemical stability of the products.
Job description
Your key tasks as a Ph.d fellow at Life are:
- Manage and carry through your research project
- Take PhD courses
- Write scientific articles and your PhD thesis
- Participate in international congresses
- Stay at a research institution abroad for a few months
- Teach and disseminate your research
Terms of employment
The position will be filled according to the agreement between the Danish Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. The post is covered by the Protocol on Job Structure.
About LIFE
Based in a country that has the world´s most environmentally friendly agricultural production and located in Medicon Valley, among global pharmaceutical, biotech and food companies, the Faculty of Life Sciences at the University of Copenhagen is situated in the heart of one of the world´s strongest life science environments.
