Research Scientist (EIT Food)

Applications Close: 05 January 2020

Salary: £31,625 to £38,575 depending on qualifications and experience

Contract Length: 12 months

Applications are invited for a Research Scientist to join the Laboratory of Dr Fred Warren in the Food Innovation and Health Programme at Quadram Institute Bioscience (QIB), based in Norwich, UK.

Background:

We are seeking a Research Scientist with a background in starch or carbohydrate biochemistry to join an exciting pan-European industry-academia collaborative project funded through the EIT food funding platform.

This project is a collaboration between the Quadram Institute, KU Leuven (Belgium), Matis (Iceland) and PepsiCo Inc. In this project we are looking to develop novel processing and ingredient technologies to develop the next generation of controlled energy release starchy food products. This project is aligned to EIT Foods’ key goals to deliver healthy food to the European consumer.

The role:

The main role of this job will be to generate and analyse prototype products with controlled starch digestibility, produced through novel processing and industrial enzyme technology approaches. The analysis carried out will include digestion assays, size exclusion chromatography, differential scanning calorimetry, and using spectroscopic methods (FTIR, NMR) to link starch structure in prototype products to digestibility. In addition, the successful candidate will be expected to contribute to preparing periodic project reports for EIT, attending and organising consortium meetings and providing training to staff and students, both internally at Quadram, and at external partners where required.

The ideal candidate:

We are looking for a highly motivated, enthusiastic individual who is looking to develop their skills in a fast-moving research project with direct links to the food industry and commercialisation routes. Key scientific expertise will be required in starch/carbohydrate structural analysis techniques (size exclusion chromatography, differential scanning calorimetry, spectroscopic methods etc.), and experience with enzyme digestion methods for analysing starch digestion kinetics. Additionally we are looking for someone with excellent organisational and communication skills as this project requires coordinating research with the other project partners to deadlines.

The ideal candidate will hold a PhD in biochemistry, biology, nutritional sciences or a related subject, have a demonstrable track record of publications in the area of starch/carbohydrate science and be motivated to work as part of a large, highly collaborative project.

Additional information:

Salary on appointment will be within the range £31,625 to £38,575 per annum depending on qualifications and experience.  This is a full-time post for a contract of 12 months with a potential to extend, depending on future funding.

Further information and details of how to apply can be found here or contact the Human Resources team on 01603 450462 or nbi.recruitment@nbi.ac.uk  quoting reference 1003821.

Interviews will be held on 13 January 2020

We are committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sectors of society.  The Institute supports equality of opportunity within the workplace and expects all employees to share and display these values.  To support our commitment, we have a range of family, faith and diversity friendly working arrangements to help all staff achieve excellence in their area of work.

As a Disability Confident employer, we guarantee to offer an interview to all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for this vacancy.

About the Quadram Institute:

The Quadram Institute is a new interdisciplinary research institute dedicated to understanding how food and microbes interact to promote health and prevent disease. Its mission is to deliver healthier lives through innovation in gut health, microbiology and food. A partnership between Quadram Institute Bioscience, the University of East Anglia, the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and BBSRC, it brings together scientists and clinicians in a state-of-the-art building on the Norwich Research Park. This is one of Europe’s largest centres of life sciences and home of the John Innes Centre and The Earlham Institute.

The closing date for applications will be 5 January 2020.

The Quadram Institute Bioscience is a registered charity (No. 1058499) and is an Equal Opportunities Employer.

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