The Department of Food Science, Aarhus University invites highly qualified applications for a tenured Associate Professor position, the position is to be funded for the first three years by strategic funds from the Faculty of Science and Technology. An internationally talented applicant also has the opportunity to secure a competitive start package ensuring a successful start in building their research team.
The position:
This Associate Professor position will strengthen and complement ongoing research in sensory and consumer science, in the area of multisensory human perception in food quality and health at the Department of Food Science. This position is focused on the human senses and their pivotal role in eating behavior and sustainable high quality food and beverage applications. The position is aligned to the Science Team ‘Food Quality Perception and Society’ at the Department of Food Science http://food.au.dk/en/foodresearch/science-teams/food-quality-perception-.... The science team has access to state of the art well-established sensory and analytical facilities, and advanced infrastructure, with a professional; trained and tested sensory panel and an ISO-approved sensory laboratory. Core to the team’s research approach is the synergy of human sensory measurements with instrumental techniques utilizing advanced facilities available in house e.g. GC-MS, LC-MS and NMR. There is also access to complementary research infrastructure via our close collaborators in psychology, physiological and neuro-imaging fields.
You are expected to have a strong research profile in sensory and consumer science and human multisensory perception linked to studying food qualities for positive health impacts and applications.
You are expected to lead, collaborate and focus on cross-disciplinary research projects in sensory and consumer science in contexts such as:
- Multisensory human perception in food quality and health to understand eating behavior
- The relationships between human sensory perception and instrumental techniques utilizing various products in food and health contexts
- Maintaining properties of natural raw materials, via instrumental analysis using advanced data analytical techniques to ensure high sensory quality foods
- Understanding the psychophysics of taste and flavor perception leading to psychophysical methods to predict consumer acceptability
- Researching individual differences in the perception and liking related to the basic tastes and multimodal interactions
- Utilizing multivariate analysis in sensory method development linked to multidisciplinary data.
An Associate Professor position requires demonstration of independent and novel research initiatives combined with successful postdoctoral positions including international experience, as demonstrated by a significant number of international publications.
You are expected to have experience in and take responsibility for experimental planning, data handling, publication of scientific papers and communication of scientific outcomes to both research and industry audiences.
Your responsibilities will include close integration and strengthening the current research profile of the Science Team. You are expected to take initiatives in interdisciplinary research together with local and international research and industry partners and to secure external funding to establish a successful research program and your own research team.
The candidate is expected to supervise students at the Bachelor, Master´s and PhD-level as well as young researchers and technical staff. Teaching courses at Bachelor, Master and PhD level is also expected.
Collaboration and exchange of knowledge with industry and national advisory institutions is seen as a natural part of the position.
Qualifications
The following qualifications are required:
• Hold a PhD degree in Food Science with specialization in Sensory Science
• Documented research experience in Sensory and Consumer Science
• Documented research experience in sensory profiling and instrumental analysis
• Multivariate data analysis, sensometrics and experimental design
• Multimodal approaches in the food, health and eating behavior space
• Documented original research of a high international standard
• Documented experience in writing and securing grant applications from both industrial and public sources
• Documented experience in academic project leadership
• Documented experience in co-supervision / supervision of Bachelor / Masters / PhD- students
• Documented excellent communication of research results internationally and nationally as evidenced by a high peer publication rate and participation in industry / societal events.
• Documented teaching experience and a demonstrated ability to develop relevant educational material
• Documented skills in relation to international collaboration and development of interdisciplinary research teams
The Department of Food Science
The Department of Food Science is part of the Faculty of Science and Technology, Aarhus University and includes research within the areas Sensory and Consumer Science Biofunctional Food, Systems Biology, Food Chemistry and Technology, Food Quality, Food Metabolomics and Plant Production. The Department currently employs 60 full time scientific staff, approx. 50 PhD students and Postdocs, plus approx. 30 visiting students and staff who together contribute to an international research environment where English is the preferred language in the laboratory, at meetings and at seminars.
The Department works in teams and therefore self-leadership, clear and open communication, success in mentoring, supervising and teaching are important qualities needed to be successful in the Department. In addition the Department has a strong culture that is based on openness, equality, consultation, inclusion and contributing to the Department strategy and working environment are viewed as important.
The Department is responsible for a Master’s programme in Molecular Nutrition and Food Technology, taught at Aarhus University, Denmark, and a Master’s programme in Food and Health at the Sino-Danish Center in Beijing, China. In addition, Department staff contribute to several other key interdisciplinary educations, including Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes in Agrobiology, and a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering in Food Technology, Aarhus University. Staff also teach on a number of other educations offered at other Universities in Denmark and China.
Please refer to http://food.au.dk/en/ for further information about The Department of Food Science and to http://scitech.au.dk/en/ and http://www.au.dk/en/ for information on Science and Technology and Aarhus University, respectively.
Employment and place of work
The place of work is Kirstinebjergvej 10, DK-5792 Aarslev, Denmark, and the area of employment is Aarhus University with related departments. It is planned that the Department of Food Science will be relocated to Agro Food Park, Skejby, Aarhus in 2019. Teaching activities are primarily conducted at AU-Campus, Aarhus.
Aarhus University offers competitive start-up packages which will be negotiated on behalf of the successful applicant.
Living in Denmark
Please visit the International Centre website (http://www.au.dk/en/internationalcentre/) for information about arriving and living in Denmark.
Application procedure
Short-listing is used. This means that after the deadline for applications – and with the assistance from the assessment committee chairman, and the assessment committee if necessary, – the head of department selects the candidates to be evaluated. The selection is made on the basis of an assessment of who of the candidates are most relevant considering the requirements of the advertisement. All applicants will be notified within 6 weeks whether or not their applications have been sent to an expert assessment committee for evaluation. The selected applicants will be informed about the composition of the committee and will receive his/her assessment. Once the recruitment process is completed a final letter of rejection is sent to the deselected applicants, including the main considerations emphasized during the selection process.
Formalities and salary range
Science and Technology refers to the Ministerial Order on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Danish Universities under the Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation.
The application must be in English and include a curriculum vitae, degree certificate, a complete list of publications, a statement of future research plans and information about research activities, teaching portfolio and verified information on previous teaching experience (if any). Guidelines for applicants can be foundhere.
Appointment shall be in accordance with the collective labour agreement between the Danish Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. Further information on qualification requirements and job content may be found in the Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Danish Universities.
Salary depends on seniority as agreed between the Danish Ministry of Finance and the Confederation of Professional Associations.
All interested candidates are encouraged to apply, regardless of their personal background.
Aarhus University offers Relocation service to International researchers. You can read more about it here.
Deadline
All applications must be made online and received by:
Wednesday November 15th 2017
Please apply online here
For Further Information: Contact Prof. D. V. Byrne, Science Team Leader: Food Quality Perception & Society, Department of Food Science, Aarhus University, Denmark. see:http://pure.au.dk/portal/en/persons/derek-v-byrne(2b23ffb2-357f-47d2-9f6e-36d5f52413e8).html