Doctoral Candidate in Deep Representation Learning – Foundations and New Directions

 

The Helsinki Doctoral Education Network in Information and Communications Technology (HICT) is a collaborative doctoral education network hosted jointly by Aalto University and the University of Helsinki, the two leading universities within this area in Finland. The network serves as a collaboration platform for doctoral education combining all the relevant subfields of computer science and information technology at Aalto University and the University of Helsinki. It involves at present 80 professors and almost 300 doctoral students, and the participating units graduate altogether more than 40 new doctors each year.

We offer the possibility to join world-class research groups in both universities with multiple interesting research projects to choose from. The list of all open Doctoral Candidate positions in this joint call can be found here: https://hict.fi/admissions/

HICT Doctoral Candidate in Deep Representation Learning – Foundations and New Directions

Supervisor(s): Vikas Garg (Aalto University)

Applications are invited for a PhD position and a Postdoctoral position in deep representation learning, broadly construed. Topics of particular interest include:

(1) Generative Models
(2) Graph Neural Networks
(3) Neural ODEs/PDEs/SDEs, Deep Equilibrium Models, Implicit Models
(4)  Differential Geometry/Information Geometry/Algebraic Methods for Deep Learning
(5) Learning under limited data, distributional shift, and/or uncertainty
(6) Bayesian Methods, Probabilistic Graphical Models, & Approximate Inference
(7) Fair, diverse, and interpretable representations
(8)  Off-policy reinforcement learning, inverse reinforcement learning, and causal reinforcement learning
(9) Multiagent systems and AI-assisted human-guided models
(10) Learning on the edge (i.e., learning under resource constraints)
(11) Applications in physics, computer vision, drug discovery, material design, synthetic biology, quantum chemistry, etc.
(12) Quantum Machine Learning for structured spaces

Representative publications:

(1) John Ingraham, Vikas Garg, Regina Barzilay, and Tommi Jaakkola. Generative Models for Protein Design. NeurIPS (2019).
(2) Vikas Garg, Stefanie Jegelka, and Tommi Jaakkola. Generalization and Representational Limits of Graph Neural Networks. ICML (2020).
(3) Vikas Garg and Tommi Jaakkola. Solving graph compression via Optimal Transport. NeurIPS (2019).
(4)  Vikas Garg, Lin Xiao, and Ofer Dekel. Learning small predictors. NeurIPS (2018).
(5) Vikas Garg, Cynthia Rudin, and Tommi Jaakkola. CRAFT: Cluster-specific assorted feature selection. AISTATS (2016).
(6) Vikas Garg, Adam Kalai, Katrina Ligett, and Steven Wu. Probably approximately correct domain generalization. AISTATS (2021).
(7) Vikas Garg and Tommi Jaakkola. Predicting Deliberative Outcomes.  ICML (2020).

Ready to apply?

If you want to join our community and start your journey towards Doctoral dissertation submit your application via our electronic recruitment system. The application form will close 6th February 2022 at 23:59 Finnish time (UTC +2).

If you are currently working at Aalto University, please submit your application via HR System Workday (Career – Find jobs – Apply).

Please be prepared to add the following attachments:

• Cover letter
• CV
• Transcript of your Master’s studies

You will be asked to provide also the contact details of 2-3 academic referees.

What we offer?

HICT is a network of world-class professors and researchers with huge passion for their field of study. In HICT you will become part of enthusiastic and professional team of bold and innovative thinkers.

During your Doctoral studies you will be a full-time employee in either Aalto University or the University of Helsinki depending on the supervisor and the research area. You will be covered by occupational health care based on the employment contract.

More information:

General information about the joint HICT call and HICT: https://hict.fi/

General questions about HICT: Christina Sirviö, HICT team

General questions about recruitment process: Sanni Kirmanen, Aalto University HR

Firstname.lastname@aalto.fi

Interested?

Apply now!

Doctoral Candidate in Developing Novel Symmetry-Learning Algorithms for out-of-distribution generalization

 

The Helsinki Doctoral Education Network in Information and Communications Technology (HICT) is a collaborative doctoral education network hosted jointly by Aalto University and the University of Helsinki, the two leading universities within this area in Finland. The network serves as a collaboration platform for doctoral education combining all the relevant subfields of computer science and information technology at Aalto University and the University of Helsinki. It involves at present 80 professors and almost 300 doctoral students, and the participating units graduate altogether more than 40 new doctors each year.

We offer the possibility to join world-class research groups in both universities with multiple interesting research projects to choose from. The list of all open Doctoral Candidate positions in this joint call can be found here: https://hict.fi/admissions/

HICT Doctoral Candidate in Developing Novel Symmetry-Learning Algorithms for out-of-distribution generalization

Supervisor(s): Stephane Deny (Aalto University)

Traditional deep learning methods typically require very large training datasets, and they only generalize well to data coming from the very same distribution as the training set. These two requirements make deep learning methods difficult to apply out-of-the-box to many industry problems where the training data is limited, and where the use-case data characteristics might not be represented in the training set. Recently, alternative deep learning architectures called equivariant neural networks have been proposed to tackle these issues. They consist in encoding prior knowledge of the symmetries of a problem into the architecture of a network. Applied to small medical imaging datasets, these methods are currently state-of-the-art and outperform traditional deep networks. However, these methods have been developed to build invariance to well-known symmetries found in images (e.g., translation, scale, rotation), and are therefore not directly applicable to other types of data, for which the specific symmetries of the problems are unknown (e.g., biomedical data). In this project, we will build upon my recent work (Bouchacourt et al., 2021: https://ai.facebook.com/blog/building-ai-that-can-understand-variation-in-the-world-around-us) to develop novel algorithms able to learn the symmetries of a problem from the data itself. The expected outcome is to learn data-efficient representations that can generalize to data characteristics never seen during training.

About me:  I am a new assistant professor in the Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering and the Department of Computer Science at Aalto University. During my PhD (Vision Institute of Paris) and postdocs (Stanford, Meta AI), I have worked on retinal interfaces for blind patients, neural data analysis and state-of-the-art methods for self-supervised learning and symmetry-learning (more: https://sites.google.com/view/stephanedeny/home)

Preferred skills: Some experience with a deep learning language such as PyTorch or Tensorflow. Some interest in the topic.

Ready to apply?

If you want to join our community and start your journey towards Doctoral dissertation submit your application via our electronic recruitment system. The application form will close 6th February 2022 at 23:59 Finnish time (UTC +2).

If you are currently working at Aalto University, please submit your application via HR System Workday (Career – Find jobs – Apply).

Please be prepared to add the following attachments:

• Cover letter
• CV
• Transcript of your Master’s studies

You will be asked to provide also the contact details of 2-3 academic referees.

What we offer?

HICT is a network of world-class professors and researchers with huge passion for their field of study. In HICT you will become part of enthusiastic and professional team of bold and innovative thinkers.

During your Doctoral studies you will be a full-time employee in either Aalto University or the University of Helsinki depending on the supervisor and the research area. You will be covered by occupational health care based on the employment contract.

More information:

General information about the joint HICT call and HICT: https://hict.fi/

General questions about HICT: Christina Sirviö, HICT team

General questions about recruitment process: Sanni Kirmanen, Aalto University HR

Firstname.lastname@aalto.fi

Interested?

Apply now!

Doctoral Candidate in AI technologies for interaction prediction in biomedicine

 

The Helsinki Doctoral Education Network in Information and Communications Technology (HICT) is a collaborative doctoral education network hosted jointly by Aalto University and the University of Helsinki, the two leading universities within this area in Finland. The network serves as a collaboration platform for doctoral education combining all the relevant subfields of computer science and information technology at Aalto University and the University of Helsinki. It involves at present 80 professors and almost 300 doctoral students, and the participating units graduate altogether more than 40 new doctors each year.

We offer the possibility to join world-class research groups in both universities with multiple interesting research projects to choose from. The list of all open Doctoral Candidate positions in this joint call can be found here: https://hict.fi/admissions/

HICT Doctoral Candidate in AI technologies for interaction prediction in biomedicine

Supervisor(s): Juho Rousu (Aalto University)

Several positions are open in a project with the aim of developing new AI techniques for predicting interactions of objects. Such problems are prevalent in society, found in numerous applications, such as various link prediction problems in social networks, recommendation systems, and healthcare.

The project will tackle several key challenges, including improving explainability, efficient use of resources, and reliability of the predictions. The technologies will be rigorously evaluated in practical applications in biomedicine such as predicting drug combination responses in cancer (Julkunen et al., Nature Communications, 2020). The positions are affiliated to a large multi-year research grant funded by Academy of Finland.

Other Supervisors of this project include Tero Aittokallio (FIMM), Tapio Pahikkala (University of Turku), Antti Airola (University of Turku)

Julkunen, H., Cichonska, A., Gautam, P., Szedmak, S., Douat, J., Pahikkala, T., Aittokallio, T. and Rousu, J., 2020. Leveraging multi-way interactions for systematic prediction of pre-clinical drug combination effects. Nature communications, 11(1), pp.1-11.

Ready to apply?

If you want to join our community and start your journey towards Doctoral dissertation submit your application via our electronic recruitment system. The application form will close 6th February 2022 at 23:59 Finnish time (UTC +2).

If you are currently working at Aalto University, please submit your application via HR System Workday (Career – Find jobs – Apply).

Please be prepared to add the following attachments:

• Cover letter
• CV
• Transcript of your Master’s studies

You will be asked to provide also the contact details of 2-3 academic referees.

What we offer?

HICT is a network of world-class professors and researchers with huge passion for their field of study. In HICT you will become part of enthusiastic and professional team of bold and innovative thinkers.

During your Doctoral studies you will be a full-time employee in either Aalto University or the University of Helsinki depending on the supervisor and the research area. You will be covered by occupational health care based on the employment contract.

More information:

General information about the joint HICT call and HICT: https://hict.fi/

General questions about HICT: Christina Sirviö, HICT team

General questions about recruitment process: Sanni Kirmanen, Aalto University HR

Firstname.lastname@aalto.fi

Interested?

Apply now!

Doctoral Candidate in Machine learning for Human-AI collaboration

 

The Helsinki Doctoral Education Network in Information and Communications Technology (HICT) is a collaborative doctoral education network hosted jointly by Aalto University and the University of Helsinki, the two leading universities within this area in Finland. The network serves as a collaboration platform for doctoral education combining all the relevant subfields of computer science and information technology at Aalto University and the University of Helsinki. It involves at present 80 professors and almost 300 doctoral students, and the participating units graduate altogether more than 40 new doctors each year.

We offer the possibility to join world-class research groups in both universities with multiple interesting research projects to choose from. The list of all open Doctoral Candidate positions in this joint call can be found here: https://hict.fi/admissions/

HICT Doctoral Candidate in Machine learning for Human-AI collaboration

Supervisor(s): Tuukka Ruotsalo (University of Helsinki)

The Cognitive computing research group is seeking 1-2 PhD candidates to conduct research in Machine learning for Human-AI collaboration. The candidate will work on machine learning methods that allow new types of man-machine interactions in which machines can learn directly from human behaviour and physiology. The methods will be developed and applied for physiological sensing and brain-computer interfacing data. The position provides an opportunity to contribute both to fundamental computer science and ground-breaking human-computer interaction research. The candidate will join world—class research environment and will be part of the Cognitive computing  research group (https://www.cs.helsinki.fi/group/intercom/). The starting date is negotiable, but the positions are filled when suitable candidates are found.

Requirements

The work involves research-related activities, including conducting theoretical and applied research, data analysis, writing research articles, participating in and presenting research at academic conferences, and teaching-related activities.The ideal candidate has a strong background in either machine learning or human-computer interaction. However, sole understanding of modern machine learning methods and good programming skills are required. Excellent written and oral communication skills in English are needed. Applicants should have an MSc in computer science or a related field.

Ready to apply?

If you want to join our community and start your journey towards Doctoral dissertation submit your application via our electronic recruitment system. The application form will close 6th February 2022 at 23:59 Finnish time (UTC +2).

If you are currently working at Aalto University, please submit your application via HR System Workday (Career – Find jobs – Apply).

Please be prepared to add the following attachments:

• Cover letter
• CV
• Transcript of your Master’s studies

You will be asked to provide also the contact details of 2-3 academic referees.

What we offer?

HICT is a network of world-class professors and researchers with huge passion for their field of study. In HICT you will become part of enthusiastic and professional team of bold and innovative thinkers.

During your Doctoral studies you will be a full-time employee in either Aalto University or the University of Helsinki depending on the supervisor and the research area. You will be covered by occupational health care based on the employment contract.

More information:

General information about the joint HICT call and HICT: https://hict.fi/

General questions about HICT: Christina Sirviö, HICT team

General questions about recruitment process: Sanni Kirmanen, Aalto University HR

Firstname.lastname@aalto.fi

erested?

Apply now!

Postdoctoral positions in Theoretical Computer Science

 

The Department of Computer Science (DIKU) at the University of Copenhagen invites applications for several postdoctoral positions in theoretical computer science.

Description of the scientific environment
We are looking for outstanding junior researchers with an innovative mind-set and intellectual curiosity to strengthen and complement the research profile of the Algorithms and Complexity Section at DIKU. This is one of the leading research groups in theoretical computer science in Europe (currently ranked 7th worldwide in algorithms and complexity theory by CSrankings.org), with a strong presence at top-tier conferences like STOC, FOCS, and SODA, and also with publications in premier AI conferences like AAAI, IJCAI, and NeurIPS. We are part of an exciting environment including the Basic Algorithms Research Copenhagen (BARC) centre (https://barc.ku.dk/), joint with the IT University of Copenhagen, and have extensive collaborations with the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) and Lund University on the Swedish side of the Øresund Bridge, as well as with our many visitors. We aim to attract top talent from around the world to an ambitious, creative, collaborative, and fun environment. Using the power of mathematics, we strive to create fundamental breakthroughs in algorithms and complexity theory. While our focus in on foundational research, we do have a track record of surprising algorithmic discoveries leading to major industrial applications.

The University of Copenhagen was founded in 1479 and is the oldest and largest university in Denmark. It is often ranked as the best university in Scandinavia and consistently as one of the top places in Europe. Within computer science, it is ranked 2nd in the European Union (post-Brexit) by ShanghaiRanking.

Further information about the Department of Computer Science and the Faculty of Science can be found at https://www.science.ku.dk/english/about-the-faculty/organisation/. Inquiries about the positions can be made to Mikkel Abrahamsen (miab@di.ku.dk), Jakob Nordström (jn@di.ku.dk), Rasmus Pagh (pagh@di.ku.dk), or Mikkel Thorup (mthorup@di.ku.dk).

Job description
These are full-time research positions. Teaching of advanced courses is encouraged but not required. Travel funding is included, and we will also start receiving visitors again on a regular basis as soon as the Covid-19 situation permits.

The starting date is flexible from April to September 2022, and the intended duration is 2 years.

The University of Copenhagen is currently expanding strongly in computer science. We expect to have tenure-track openings in theoretical computer science in the coming years, and welcome postdoctoral researchers interested in exploring such opportunities.

Formal requirements
Applicants should have or be about to receive a PhD degree in a subject relevant for the research area, and should have a passionate interest in research. The successful candidate is expected to have a solid background in theoretical computer science and mathematics, and should have a strong research record as witnessed by publications in top conferences such as STOC, FOCS, SODA, SoCG, CCC, or similar, or in journals of a comparable quality.

The working language of the group is English, and knowledge of English is also fully sufficient to navigate life in Denmark in general. It might also be worth mentioning that Denmark routinely scores at the absolute top in rankings of quality of life such as, e.g., the OECD Better Life Index http://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org .

Terms of employment
The position is covered by the Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff. Terms of appointment and payment accord to the agreement between the Ministry of Finance and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations on Academics in the State. The salary is internationally very competitive. Negotiation for salary supplement is possible.

Application Procedure
The application, in English, should be submitted electronically by clicking APPLY NOW below.

Please include:

• Curriculum vitae.
• Diploma and transcripts of records (PhD and MSc or equivalent).
• List of publications including links to the applicant’s pages at DBLP and Google Scholar.
• Brief research statement with description of research so far and future research goals and interests, and with a short description of 3 selected papers.
• Copies of the above 3 selected papers.
• Name and address for three references who might be contacted later in the recruitment process (after retrieving an explicit consent from the applicant).

The University wishes for our staff to reflect the diversity of society and thus welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background.

The deadline for applications is February 6, 2022, 23:59 GMT + 1

After the expiry of the deadline for applications, the authorized recruitment manager selects applicants for assessment on the advice of the Interview Committee.

You can read about the recruitment process at https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/.

 

APPLY NOW

Part of the International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU), and among Europe’s top-ranking universities, the University of Copenhagen promotes research and teaching of the highest international standard. Rich in tradition and modern in outlook, the University gives students and staff the opportunity to cultivate their talent in an ambitious and informal environment. An effective organisation – with good working conditions and a collaborative work culture – creates the ideal framework for a successful academic career.

Info

Application deadline: 06-02-2022

Employment start: 01-04-2022

Department/Location: Department of Computer Science

14 postdoctoral fellowships to the BRIDGE – Translational Excellence Programme

 

The Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences (SUND) at the University of Copenhagen is seeking 14 highly motivated and dynamic postdoc fellows to commence the BRIDGE – Translational Excellence Programme on September 1, 2022. Fellows will be appointed for a period of two years and receive an annual sum of DKK 50.000 to cover costs for PC, travel, conference and workshop participation, language courses and other activities outside the programme.

The BRIDGE – Translational Excellence Programme is financed by the Novo Nordisk Foundation with the ambition to train fellows in translational medicine, mentored by fully committed and top-level professionals in basic biomedical research, a clinical environment, and the life science industry. The programme constitutes a clear career path for candidates whose ambition is to bridge the gap between research, patient care and the life science industry and for those wishing to become pioneering leaders in the field of translational medicine.

The BRIDGE – Translational Excellence Programme expects to appoint 7 fellows with an MD background and 7 fellows with an MSc background.

Application deadline is February 28, 2022, at 23:59 CET. Appointed fellows are expected to participate in a two-day Boot Camp on September 8-9, 2022. Mentors are expected to participate on September 8, 2022.

Research area
The BRIDGE – Translational Excellence Programme provides fellows with the ability to translate insights from basic research into the clinical sciences and/or the life science industry, and vice versa, and the competences to manage essential collaboration between disciplines.

The Academic Curriculum tied to the programme covers the translational stages T0 (Population/clinic to lab feedback, Disease modelling -omic studies, Basic research), T1 (Biomarker discovery, Target development, Pre-clinical development) and border to early T2 (First in human, Phase 1 clinical trials, Phase 2 clinical trials, Phase 2b clinical trials).

Job description
Appointed fellows spend 80% of their time on individual translational research projects mentored by a Mentor Team consisting of a basic biomedical scientist from a SUND Department or Centre, and a clinical scientist from a hospital in the Capital Region of Denmark or Region Zealand, and/or from the life science industry. The fellows spend 20% of their time on a mandatory Academic Curriculum that covers the translational stages T0 to early T2 in addition to generic skills such as research management, ethics, research communication and successful grant writing. Please find more information about the BRIDGE Academic Curriculum.

Eligibility
To become a BRIDGE-fellow applicants to need to have:

• An MD and a PhD or equivalent (proof of an appointment that requires doctoral equivalency). Specialist training is no hindrance to apply, and medical training is appreciated.

or

• An MSc and a PhD within a relevant discipline such as veterinary science, biology, biochemistry, molecular biology, bioinformatics, pharmacy, dentistry, or medical engineering.

As a PhD student you may apply, if you attach a declaration from your supervisor stating that your thesis will be submitted and defended prior to project commencement on September 1, 2022.

Please find more information about the 'four-year rule' for postdocs (Danish legislation) under 'Eligibility'  here.

Mentor Teams
Fellows must apply for the programme in cooperation with a Mentor Team.

A Mentor Team consists of two or three mentors, representing 1) basic biomedical science from the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, UCPH, and 2) clinical science from the Capital Region of Denmark or Region Zealand and/or 3) the life science industry environment in Denmark.

A life science industry mentor is highly encouraged to enter the Mentor Team, if relevant.

Incorporating a mentor from a basic biomedical science environment at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, UCPH, into the Mentor Team is mandatory. If a life science industry mentor acts as a third mentor – accompanying a basic and clinical mentor – that mentor may reside outside Denmark.

Qualifications
As a BRIDGE fellow, you are highly motivated to participate in the Academic Curriculum, to be mentored by senior researchers, network and cooperate with other BRIDGE fellows and you see yourself as an ambitious scientist who will work on bridging the gaps between research, medical treatment and/or the life science industry.

We expect BRIDGE fellows to be scientifically independent, showing a high degree of academic maturity and have:

• An enthusiastic interest in a translational research project co-designed with a Mentor Team and be a good match with a committed Mentor Team
• A strong CV, having published in high-quality journals and presented at international conferences
• The ability to manage one’s own academic research and associated activities
• Experience with project management
• Evidence of excellent interpersonal skills and leadership, with the ability to communicate research ideas and results in a clear and logical way and the ability to interact with peers and the broader research community confidently and effectively

How to apply
As a BRIDGE fellow, you will be working on a translational research project co-designed with a Mentor Team. As such, the first step in the application process is to connect with a Mentor Team.

If you are not already in contact with an eligible Mentor Team, we recommend that you:

1. Contact a (i) basic biomedical researcher from the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, UCPH, a (ii) clinical scientist from a hospital in the Capital Region of Denmark or Region Zealand and/or (ii) a scientist from the life science industry who fits your research interests and fulfil the programme requirements for Mentor Teams. We recommend that you have the Mentor Team preapproved in due time before application deadline 28 February 2022 by sending a request to: bridge@sund.ku.dk
2. Alternatively, browse through the list of submitted project synopses and find a Mentor Team that fits your research interests and contact the suitable Mentor Team to explore the possibility of collaborating on a BRIDGE application. The list will be published on the BRIDGE website on 15 December 2021

If you are an applicant without ties to the Faculty or hospitals in either of the two regions, please read more about our suggestions on how to proceed here.

If you are in contact with a Mentor Team, we recommend that you:

1. Have the Mentor Team constellation preapproved in due time before the call closure by sending a request to: bridge@sund.ku.dk.

Read more about becoming a fellow.

Read more about the three steps to apply and watch the animated video for your reference.

 Application material for applicants with a Mentor Team (deadline 28 February 2022)

• Mentor CV template
• Project synopsis template
  Part 1a: Project description (must be co-designed by the applicant and Mentor Team)
• Part 1b: Budget (must be signed by the Head of Department(s) and merged with Part 1a)
• Part 2: Project abstract and CV (must be composed by the applicant independently)

Applications must be submitted online via HR Manager through the link on the website (available from 7 January 2022) no later than February 28, 2022, at 23:59 CET.

Please find the requirements for the application and download the application templates.

We reserve the right to disregard material received after the application deadline along with applications and application material that do not comply with the above-mentioned criteria. 

Recruitment procedure
The received applications will be shortlisted and assessed according to the Ministry Order on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Universities 2012 and the University of Copenhagen’s guidelines 2013.

Upon the application deadline, the authorised recruitment manager will select applicants for assessment based on the advice of the Appointment Committee. The Appointment Committee is composed of a subset of members of the BRIDGE - Executive Scientific Committee (link) assisted by supplementary health experts in Denmark.

All applicants will be notified on whether their application has been passed for assessment. The Assessment Committee will do a non-prioritised assessment based on the applicant’s academic qualifications and on the match between the fellow and his/her translational research project. All applicants will have the opportunity to comment on the part of the assessment that relates to the applicant him-/herself (Part 2).

Please find more information on the recruitment process.

Appointment interviews
Following the completion of the assessments, a subset of candidates will be invited for an appointment interview with the Appointment Committee. The BRIDGE programme will reimburse travel and accommodation expenses for invited applicants.

The interviews are scheduled to take place May 23-25, 2022. Please note that Mentor Teams will need to be present for a short introduction of the Mentor Team at this interview.

Financial composition of the fellowships
The fellowships cover salary in accordance with the collective agreement between AC (Danish Confederation of Professional Associations) and the Ministry of Finance. The financing of running costs for the individual research projects will be covered by the hosting environments. Each fellow will in addition receive an annual sum of DKK 50.000 during their two-year employment to cover costs for PC, travel, language courses, conference and workshop participation and other activities outside the programme.

Successful fellowship recipients will be enrolled in the BRIDGE – Translational Excellence Programme and employed at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at UCPH.  

Upon fulfilment of course participation and the individual research project fellows will be awarded a Certificate of Excellence.

Please note that applicants who at the application deadline have more than five years of experience since obtaining their PhD degree are not eligible. Any documented periods of leave will be accepted as extensions of this time limit (maternity leave, paternity leave, family care leave, illness, military service, etc.).

Please also note that more than two years of postdoc-experience based at UCPH prior to programme enrolment is not allowed. Any documented periods of leave will be accepted as extensions of this time limit (maternity leave, paternity leave, family care leave, illness, military service, etc.). Please refer to the applicable governmental jurisdiction here.

For more information about the BRIDGE - Translational Excellence Programme
Please visit www.bridge.ku.dk and/or contact Programme Coordinator Danny Damsgaard on telephone +45 93509265.

The University of Copenhagen wishes to reflect the diversity of society and welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background.

APPLY NOW

Part of the International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU), and among Europe’s top-ranking universities, the University of Copenhagen promotes research and teaching of the highest international standard. Rich in tradition and modern in outlook, the University gives students and staff the opportunity to cultivate their talent in an ambitious and informal environment. An effective organisation – with good working conditions and a collaborative work culture – creates the ideal framework for a successful academic career.

Contact

Danny Damsgaard

E-mail: danny.damsgaard@sund.ku.dk

Info

Application deadline: 28-02-2022

Employment start: 01-09-2022

Working hours: Full time

Department/Location: Det Sundhedsvidenskabelig Faktultet

Postdoc in Gentle and Sustainable Processing – Gentle extraction of rapeseed proteins assisted by pulsed electric fields

 

Will you contribute to develop more sustainable plant-based protein ingredients and accelerate the transition from animal- to plant-based food?

Department of Food Science, Section of Ingredients and Dairy Technology, invites applicants for a postdoc in gentle and sustainable processing with the aim to study gentle extraction of rapeseed proteins assisted by pulsed electric fields, with start 1 May 2022 or as soon as possible thereafter. Employment period is 2 years.

The project
Research opportunities as PhD student and postdoc are now available in the ‘SEEDFOOD: Functional and palatable plant seed storage proteins for sustainable foods’ project funded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation. The primary partners in the project are University of Copenhagen (UCPH), Technical University of Denmark (DTU) and University of Le Mans in France (ULM) and positions are available at all partners. The project coordinator is Professor Marianne Nissen Lund, Department of Food Science, UCPH.

SEEDFOOD will serve as multi-disciplinary centre in which you as young scientist will benefit from training and joint supervision by principal investigators, and we expect some mobility between labs. You will be part of a dynamic research environment based on knowledge sharing, high scientific ambitions and leverage of cross-disciplinary synergy. We will focus on active career development of junior researchers, and develop coaching and mentoring activities across the centre.

The vision of SEEDFOOD is to accelerate the transition from animal- to plant-based food proteins for sustainable food production and consumption. We will achieve this by tailoring plant protein ingredients with superior functional, palatable, and nutritional properties through novel protein design and in-depth understanding of molecular interactions in the food matrix.

We will use rapeseed protein to obtain new insights that provide the scientific foundation to promote the use of seed storage proteins for foods. Rapeseed is a protein-rich crop used for industrial oil production, it is farmed on a large scale in Europe and may be utilized in new food types locally across the globe. In SEEDFOOD we will create knowledge to transform poor functionality of plant seed storage proteins to rationally and sustainably tailor protein performance for future food design.

Scientific themes in SEEDFOOD encompass: gentle and sustainable processing to isolate and fractionate proteins; improvement of protein surface characteristics through enzyme and UV-light treatments; biophysical protein interactions; mechanistic analyses of molecular interactions; functionality and palatability in model foods.

We are seeking a postdoc for a 2-year position to study gentle extraction of rapeseed proteins using pulsed electric fields with start 1/5-2022 or as soon thereafter.

Tasks:

• To investigate PEF assisted extraction on properties of isolated rapeseed proteins
• To determine inactivation of harmful endogenous enzymes

Required qualifications:

• A PhD degree in food engineering; process engineering or equivalent
• Previous experience in pulsed electric fields is an advantage
• Excellent English communication skills.
• Good interpersonal skills and interest in working in a team of multiple partners.

Key selection criteria:

• Professional qualifications relevant for the position.
• Publications.
• Relevant work experience.
• Language skills.
• Creative thinking.

Further information on the Department is linked at https://science.ku.dk/english/about-the-faculty/organisation/. Inquiries about the position can be made to Professor Lilia Ahrné, lilia@food.ku.dk.

The position is open from 1 May 2022 or as soon as possible thereafter.

The University wishes our staff to reflect the diversity of society and thus welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background.

Terms of employment
The position is covered by the Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff.

Terms of appointment and payment accord to the agreement between the Ministry of Finance and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations on Academics in the State.

Negotiation for salary supplement is possible.

The application, in English, must be submitted electronically by clicking APPLY NOW below.

Please include

• Motivation Letter
• Curriculum vitae
• Diplomas (Master and PhD degree or equivalent)
• Complete publication list
• Separate reprints of 3 particularly relevant papers

The deadline for applications is 28 February, 2022, 23:59 GMT +1.

After the expiry of the deadline for applications, the authorized recruitment manager selects applicants for assessment on the advice of the Interview Committee.

You can read about the recruitment process at https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/.

APPLY NOW

Part of the International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU), and among Europe’s top-ranking universities, the University of Copenhagen promotes research and teaching of the highest international standard. Rich in tradition and modern in outlook, the University gives students and staff the opportunity to cultivate their talent in an ambitious and informal environment. An effective organisation – with good working conditions and a collaborative work culture – creates the ideal framework for a successful academic career.

Contact

Lilia Ahrné

E-mail: lilia@food.ku.dk

Info

Application deadline: 28-02-2022

Employment start: 01-05-2022

Working hours: Full time

Department/Location: Department of Food Science