Researcher - Plant proteins and their structure-function relationships for food and materials

Department of Plant Breeding

The Department of Plant Breeding, at SLU in Alnarp, works with research and education, as well as innovation. The focus is on activities that are of strategic importance for the sustainable and profitable production of crops for plant-based foods, feed and industrial products in a changing climate. The Department constitutes a multidisciplinary, innovative, and creative environment that works with current and future challenges.  

Read more about our benefits and what it is like to work at SLU at https://www.slu.se/en/about-slu/work-at-slu/

Duties:

The plant proteins and their possible uses in food and materials applications is an emerging field both in terms of research and related to industrial applications.

The overall objective for this position is to use plant proteins from a variety of biomass, including wheat, potatoes, pulses and green biomass, to evaluate structure-function relationships and opportunities for new products, both in terms of protein-rich plant-based food items, materials for food packaging, superabsorbents, etc. and composite materials.

The researcher will be involved in collaborative efforts with other ongoing projects at the Department, but also with other universities inside and outside Sweden as well as with industry.

Structural evaluations of produced materials may take place using synchrotron facilities. The researcher will initially be involved in several  on-going projects, while later on, the researcher is expected to write own grant applications.

Qualifications:

We are seeking a highly motivated candidate who has a PhD and post-doc experience in agriculture, biology, plant breeding or other types of education, preferably with a strong component of plant proteins and their structure-function relationships for both food and materials application.

Candidates should have a sound understanding of multidisciplinary tasks including biological plant systems and technological solutions.

Experiences on various technologies to evaluate structure-function relationships, including HPLC, synchrotron, extrusion and tensile tests are highly valuable.

The candidate should be able to work well independently as well as to collaborate in groups and have good overall communication skills, including the ability to communicate and write well in English.

Place of work:

Alnarp

Form of employment:

Permanent employment. SLU uses probationary employment.

Extent:

100%

Starting date:

According to agreement. 

Application:

We welcome your application no later than 2023-05-25, use the button below.

Academic union representatives:

https://internt.slu.se/en/my-employment/employee-associations/kontaktpersoner-vid-rekrytering/

The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) has a key role in the development for sustainable life, based on science and education. Through our focus on the interaction between humans, animals and ecosystems and the responsible use of natural resources, we contribute to sustainable societal development and good living conditions on our planet. Our main campuses are located in Alnarp, Umeå and Uppsala, however, the university also operates at research stations, experimental forests and teaching sites throughout Sweden.

SLU has around 3,000 employees, 5,000 students and doctoral students and a turnover of over SEK 3 billion. We are investing in attractive environments on all of our campuses. We strive to provide a work environment characterised by inclusivity and gender equality, where different experiences generate conversations between people and pave the way for science, creativity and development. Therefore, we welcome applications from people with diverse backgrounds and perspectives.