Department of Food Science (FOOD KU), Faculty of Science (SCIENCE) invites applicants for a PhD fellowship in Food Engineering, “Linking Powder Structure to Performance”
The project is in collaboration with Arla and startdate is (expected to be) 1 October 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter.

The project
Dairy powders are essential ingredients in infant nutrition, sports nutrition, medical foods and a wide range of consumer products. Their success depends not only on nutritional quality but also on how rapidly and completely they reconstitute in water. There is still a lack of understanding on kinetics and mechanisms of reconstitution.

The aim of the PhD is to identify the mechanisms that govern dairy powder reconstitution across multiple length scales, from powder beds and individual particles to molecular hydration. The student will develop experimental methodologies and combine these with state-of-the-art characterization techniques, including Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), optical microscopy, particle characterization and surface analysis. By integrating experimental observations across a diverse library of dairy powders, the project will establish relationships between powder composition, microstructure and instant functionality, ultimately providing new strategies for designing dairy powders with faster, more reliable and more robust reconstitution performance.

Who are we looking for?
We are looking for candidates with the field(s) of Food Engineering, Food Material Science. Applicants can have a background for example from Dairy Engineering, Food Science, Chemical Engineering, Physics, Chemistry. Knowledge of dairy systems and/or relevant characterisation methods will be considered an advantage.

Our group and research- and what do we offer?
The group is a part of Department of Food Science, Faculty of SCIENCE, University of Copenhagen. We are located in Copenhagen.

We offer creative and stimulating working conditions in dynamic and international research environment. Our research facilities include access to state of the art pilot plants, ability to use a range of sensors and expertise in process modelling and design.

The PhD project will be undertaken in collaboration with Arla Foods Ingredients and Arla Foods Amba. The partner companies are global leaders dairy powders. Close collaboration with industry presents a unique opportunity for the student to benefit from a dynamic environment, state of the art facilities as well as be exposed in an industrial environment that will enable transformation of fundamental knowledge to practical findings

Principal supervisor isProf. Serafim Bakalis, Department of Food Science, E-mail: [email protected] , Direct Phone: +45 93 56 56 81.
Qualifications needed
To be eligible for the regular PhD programme, you must have completed a degree programme, equivalent to a Danish master’s degree (180 ECTS/3 FTE BSc + 120 ECTS/2 FTE MSc) related to the subject area of the project, e.g. Food Science, Dairy Science, Chemical Engineering. For information of eligibility of completed programmes, see General assessments for specific countries and Assessment database.

Terms of employment in the regular programme
Employment as PhD fellow is full time and for maximum 3 years.

Employment is conditional upon your successful enrolment as a PhD student at the PhD School at the Faculty of SCIENCE, University of Copenhagen. This requires submission and acceptance of an application for the specific project formulated by the applicant.

The terms of employment and salary are in accordance to the agreement between the Ministry of Finance and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations on Academics in the State (AC). The position is covered by the Protocol on Job Structure.

Responsibilities and tasks in both PhD programmes

• Carry through an independent research project under supervision
• Complete PhD courses corresponding to approx. 30 ECTS / ½ FTE
• Participate in active research environments, including a stay at another research institution, preferably abroad
• Teaching and knowledge dissemination activities
• Write scientific papers aimed at high-impact journals
• Write and defend a PhD thesis on the basis of your project

We are looking for the following qualifications:

• Professional qualifications relevant to the PhD project
• Relevant publications
• Relevant work experience
• Other relevant professional activities
• Curious mind-set with a strong interest in Sustainable Food Processing
• Good language skills

Application and Assessment Procedure
Your application including all attachments must be in English and submitted electronically by clicking APPLY NOW below.

Please include:

• Motivated letter of application (max. one page)
• Your motivation for applying for the specific PhD project)
• Curriculum vitae including information about your education, experience, language skills and other skills relevant for the position
• Original diplomas for Bachelor of Science or Master of Science and transcript of records in the original language, including an authorized English translation if issued in another language than English or Danish. If not completed, a certified/signed copy of a recent transcript of records or a written statement from the institution or supervisor is accepted.
• Publication list (if possible)
• Reference letters (if available)

The further process
After deadline, a number of applicants will be selected for academic assessment by an unbiased expert assessor. You are notified, whether you will be passed for assessment.

The assessor will assess the qualifications and experience of the shortlisted applicants with respect to the above mentioned research area, techniques, skills and other requirements. The assessor will conclude whether each applicant is qualified and, if so, for which of the two models. The assessed applicants will have the opportunity to comment on their assessment. You can read about the recruitment process at https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/.

Interviews with selected candidates are expected to be held in August

Questions
For specific information about the PhD fellowship, please contact the principal supervisor.

General information about PhD study at the Faculty of SCIENCE is available at the PhD School’s website: https://www.science.ku.dk/phd/.

The University of Copenhagen wishes to reflect the surrounding community and invites all regardless of personal background to apply for the position.

Københavns Universitet giver sine knap 10.000 medarbejdere muligheder for at udnytte deres talent fuldt ud i et ambitiøst, uformelt miljø. Vi sikrer traditionsrige og moderne rammer om uddannelser og fri forskning på højt internationalt niveau. Vi søger svar og løsninger på fælles problemer og gør ny viden tilgængelig og nyttig for andre.

Kontakt
Serafim Bakalis
E-mail: [email protected]

Info
Ansøgningsfrist: 08-07-2026

Ansættelsesdato: 01-10-2026

Arbejdstid: Fuldtid

Afdeling/Sted: FOOD