PhD scholarship in assessment of health impact of microbial foods in vivo – BRIGHT

About the opportunity

Are you fascinated by how the food we eat shapes our microbiome and metabolic health? Excited by the prospect of designing pre-clinical studies that will help generate the evidence to justify the first human clinical trials for a novel food category? Eager to work in a cutting-edge, interdisciplinary research environment tackling major food-system challenges? Then join us as our new PhD Student in Animal Nutrition and Host-Microbe Metabolism! This position is part of BRIGHT’s mission-oriented Microbial Food research programme (‘Mission 2’), which aims to build an AI-powered framework for the rational design of microbial foods. Working with a team of microbiome and food scientists at DTU and abroad, you will help design and run murine studies that isolate the contribution of fermentation, biomass composition, and processing to the host-relevant nutritional and metabolic effects of microbial foods.

Salary and benefits

• Employment based on the collective agreement with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations with a salary/allowance agreed upon with the relevant union
• 3-year full-time PhD position
• An international and rewarding work environment at a leading technical university

Who can apply?

• A two-year Master's degree (120 ECTS points) in animal nutrition, host-microbe metabolism, gut biology, or a related discipline, or a similar degree with an academic level equivalent to a two-year Master's degree
• Excellent organizational and project management skills
• Fluent in spoken and written English with literacy in common IT and AI systems
• Hands-on experience with rodent husbandry, familiarity with microbiome sequencing, and exposure to metabolic phenotyping methods are advantageous

Required documents

• A letter motivating the application (cover letter)
• Curriculum vitae
• Grade transcripts and BSc/MSc diploma (in English) including official description of grading scale
• One letter of reference, with referee's email and phone number

When to apply

• Applications must be submitted no later than 27 September 2026 (23:59 Danish time)
• Start date: 01-01-2027 or according to mutual agreement

How to apply

• Open the online application link
• Fill out the online application form
• Combine all required application materials into one PDF file in English
• Submit your complete online application before the deadline

Additional information

• You may apply prior to obtaining your master's degree but cannot begin before having received it.
• Open-source background checks may be conducted on qualified candidates due to research in critical technology subject to security and export control rules.