Post-Doctoral Researcher - Microalgae in Human Nutrition and Health in Zürich

This is a joint project between the ETH Sustainable Food Processing Group and Nutrition and Metabolic Epigenetics Group in the Department of Health Science & Technology (D-HEST).

The ETH Sustainable Food Processing Group uses a combination of innovative sustainability assessment and emerging food production approaches to target fundamental challenges in agri-food systems. This group is highly interdisciplinary, cross-cutting across sustainability, nutrition, bioengineering, and food science domains. One major focus of the team is emerging microalgae-based food production for more sustainable and nutritious foods.

The Laboratory of Nutrition and Metabolic Epigenetics acts as Co-Host in this project and studies the molecular interplay between nutrition, metabolism and the epigenome. The group uses a translational approach from in vitro systems and mice to humans combining next-generation sequencing, single-cell methodologies, genetics, cellular and molecular biology to decipher mechanisms that contribute to the development of chronic metabolic diseases and ageing.

We are starting the recruitment for a Post-Doctoral Researcher - Microalgae in Human Nutrition and Health beginning of June 2022. The position is going to be open until a suitable candidate is found. Start date by mutual agreement with the latest start date on October 1st, 2022. The position is fully funded.

This collaborative project aims to assess the potential nutritional and health benefits of microalgae-based foods, such as proteins or peptide fractions for final food applications. The project objectives are two-fold:

• to quantify nutritional and health impacts of microalgae biomass fractions in vitro (cellular systems) in a broader scope, and
• to link these in vitro results to targeted and focused in vivo analyses using animal models such as mice and/or mini pigs

An additional focus will be the comparison with other future foods and alternative proteins (e.g., plant-based foods, cultured meat, and insects) in collaboration with several international partners. The whole research is strongly aligned with our Singapore ETH Centre SEC led project on Urban Microalgae-Based Protein Production.

You will have a Doctoral degree (or equivalent) in Nutrition, Metabolic Research, Health Sciences, or a closely-related field, with excellent academic qualifications. You must be fluent in both written and spoken English. Relevant experiences in vitro and in vivo analyses of nutritional and health impacts will be considered a plus. An independent and self-motivated researcher who is able to work in a fast-paced interdisciplinary environment is highly appreciated.

• Continuous training opportunities
• Support for career development in academia, entrepreneurship, and industry
• An interactive and diverse team culture
• A flexible working environment with home office options

In line with our values, ETH Zurich encourages an inclusive culture. We promote equality of opportunity, value diversity and nurture a working and learning environment in which the rights and dignity of all our staff and students are respected. Visit our to find out how we ensure a fair and open environment that allows everyone to grow and flourish.