Paving the way to population-oriented nutrition: rational food design combined with in vitro digestion simulations

The Laboratory of Food Technology is one of the seven research groups of the Centre for Food and Microbial Technology, Department Microbial and Molecular systems, and is located at the Campus Arenberg in Leuven. The research mission of the Laboratory of Food Technology is to understand and quantify process-structure-function relations of food systems during processing, preservation and storage by optimal exploitation of the endogenous potential of fruit- ,vegetable- and legume-derived systems, both for developed and for developing countries. They do this on a daily basis through a joint effort of 25 co-workers and 15 MSc. students.

Within LFT, Prof. Tara Grauwet leads a research team (1 post-doc; 7 PhD students; 7 MSc. students) which studied until now majorly process-structure-health relations of food systems. In other words, the research includes in silico and in vitro digestion and bio-accessibility studies to understand how food structure can be steered to influence/optimize nutrient bio-accessibility and digestion of foods. For this, the lab acquired an international reputation on the use of static up to semi-dynamic models to simulate digestion in vitro, and developed a solid analytical platform to quantify digestion on a molecular level. For more information on the research aims of LFT, we kindly refer to our website: https://www.biw.kuleuven.be/m2s/clmt/lmt or our social media pages: https://twitter.com/labfoodtech; https://www.linkedin.com/company/86172867.

Project

The Laboratory of Food Technology (LFT) is looking for a PhD candidate to work on the design of food systems for populations with specific nutritional needs, a research topic funded by VLAIO (ICON project).

A lot of research on how food formulation and processing can be used to impact the macronutrient digestion functionality. To establish these process-structure-digestive function relations, in vitro models have proven their potential. However, the commonly used in vitro models often represent the physiological conditions of the healthy adult, while the society consists of many other (sub-) populations with distinct physiological conditions as part of the digestive tract (e.g. elderly, IBS patients, children, people with obesity). Through interaction with a project partner strong in documenting in vivo digestive conditions of specific subpopulations, this PhD work will focus on the translation of those to in vitro models to build case-specific simulation platform. In this work, these adapted models will be used to develop food (supplement) systems through formulation and processing that meet better the need of these populations.

Your work will focus on:

• Food design through formulation and processing 
• Analysis of composition and food structural characteristics
• Macronutrient digestion evaluation 
• Statistical analysis

Your responsibilities will be:

• You will design and characterize plant-based food products using various ingredients and techniques
• You will study the in vitro digestion behavior using static and semi-dynamic digestion simulation tools
• You will extend our in vitro simulation toolbox to specific populations with digestive conditions deviating from the generally studied healthy adult
• You will perform statistical analysis on the data obtained
• You will supervise bachelor and master students
• You will report your data to your supervisors, other researchers, as well as at (international) conferences

Profile

We are looking for a PhD candidate who should fulfil the following requirements:

• You have a Master's degree cum laude in Bioscience Engineering, Food Science & Technology or related discipline 
• You are highly motivated to do research in a dynamic research environment 
• You have interest in food science and basic knowledge of colloidal chemistry 
• You are communicative, creative, eager to learn and able to work independently as well as part of a team 
• You are passionate about research with a critical, analytical and innovative mindset
• You are familiar with general laboratory practices and have attention to details
• You have good communication skills in written and spoken English 
• You are proficient in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams
• Having experience in performing in vitro digestion studies is a plus 

Offer

We offer:

• An attractive fully funded scholarship for 4 years of PhD research with multiple benefits (health insurance, access to university infrastructure and sports facilities, etc.), continuation after the first year is dependent upon a positive evaluation. 
• The opportunity to develop scientific and personal skills via participation at trainings, workshops, and conferences (more information can be found here: https://set.kuleuven.be/phd/dopl/whytraining).
• Supervision by recognized experts and access to (beyond) state-of-the-art research and infrastructure
• A stay in a vibrant environment in the hearth of Europe. The university is located in Leuven, a town of approximately 100,000 inhabitants, located close to Brussels (25 km), and 20 minutes by train from Brussels International Airport. This strategic positioning and the strong presence of the university, international research centers, and industry lead to a safe town with high quality of life, with a warm welcome to non-Dutch speaking people and with ample opportunities for social and sport activities. The mixture of cultures and research fields are some of the ingredients making the university of Leuven the most innovative university in Europe. Further information can be found on the website of the university: https://www.kuleuven.be/english/kuleuven/.
• KU Leuven (University of Leuven) has been a center of learning for nearly six centuries. Today, it is Belgium's largest and highest-ranked university and, founded in 1425, one of the oldest and most renowned universities in Europe. The university caters to over 60,000 students from more than 140 countries. KU Leuven's three doctoral schools provide internationally oriented PhD tracks for more than 4,000 doctoral students. KU Leuven and affiliated knowledge institutes provide fertile ground for innovation and high-tech entrepreneurship in the Leuven region. This favorable climate for knowledge-driven entrepreneurship and innovation makes the Leuven region an attractive location for many high-tech companies.

Interested?

The start date can be negotiated to be any time between August, 15th and October, 1th, 2024.

Applications (in English) should include: 

-CV (contact details, education, work experience, prizes/awards, language skills, etc,...) 

-Official academic transcript of BSc. and MSc. studies 

-Motivational letter describing research career goals, skills and experience 

-Full contact details of two reference persons

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