PhD scholarship in development and use of new technologies to study the behaviour and to control foodborne viruses in heat treated soft fruits

Danmarks Tekniske Universitet

Lyngby-Taarbæk, 1 stilling

The National Food Institute (DTU Food) invites applications for a 3-year PhD-position in the use of new technologies to study the behaviour and to control foodborne viruses in heat treated soft fruits with start 1 December 2015 or as soon as possible thereafter.



The successful applicant will be based in the Research Group for Diagnostic Engineering, Division of Microbiology and Production at DTU Food. The research group collaborates with authorities and industry on research and intervention strategies to prevent foodborne pathogenic microorganisms from reaching consumers through the food chain and works on developing new efficient and rapid, cost-effective inactivation- and detection methods to control bacteria and viruses in food, feed, water and primary production.



The PhD scholarship is financially supported by mainly DTU-Food and in part related presently ongoing projects obtained from EU-FP7, Danish and Norwegian Research Councils as well as collaborating partners in specifically this PhD project.



Berry products, distributed frozen and consumed raw are frequently the source of viral disease outbreaks due to human norovirus or hepatitis A virus and have emerged as a high-risk food for viral infection and foodborne viral outbreaks. The PhD project will investigate the mechanisms and efficiencies of approaches including heat and steam-ultrasound for the decontamination of soft-fruits contaminated with viruses. Moreover, methods that facilitate the detection of infectious viruses will be developed, to improve the health related risk assessment of data arising from the presently applied which also detects viral genomes of non-infectious viruses. The results, shared with the public health sector and stakeholders, will contribute to the reduction of the public health risk and improve food safety among berry consumers.



Responsibilities and tasks

In this PhD project steam ultrasound will be explored for the mechanisms behind, - and the efficacy to inactivate viruses on surfaces in kitchen environments and on soft fruits, and the time-temperature needed for the inactivation of viruses during heat treatment of different products of soft fruits will be determined. For this, noroviruses as well as surrogate viruses propagated in cell cultures will be applied and new methods to differentiate between intact and non-intact viruses will be developed. The project will be conducted in collaboration with Force Technology and Danish soft fruit producers.



The student will work with cell lines and virus infectivity and titration assays, electron microscopy, isolation, concentration and purification of viruses from different environmental surfaces and products of soft fruits, perform nucleic acid extraction to obtain purified genomic RNA, and molecular methods like PCR and sequencing for the detection and characterization of viruses. The methodologies will be used to obtain an unbiased and quantified detection of the presence of infectious viruses in samples related to the different soft fruit products and to propose intervention strategies for the industry and authority.



The ideal candidate:

•has a MSc degree in life science (e.g. microbiology, biochemistry, molecular biology, biomedical engineering),

•has experience in working with microorganisms, preferably viruses,

•preferably has experience in purifying RNA/DNA from complex matrices,

•has knowledge of infectious diseases and their epidemiology,

•has a strong theoretical microbial background, a strong drive for results and are ambitious,

•fulfils the requirements as set by the Technical University of Denmark,

•is interested in working in an international research environment,

•likes to communicate scientific results and has good communication skills in English, and preferably also at least basic knowledge of Danish.

•is able to work independently and to plan and carry out complicated tasks, while also being part of a large and dynamic group of different disciplines.



Qualifications

Candidates should have a master's degree in engineering or a similar degree with an academic level equivalent to the master's degree in engineering.



Approval and Enrolment

The scholarships for the PhD degree are subject to academic approval, and the candidates will be enrolled in one of the general degree programmes of DTU. For information about the general requirements for enrolment and the general planning of the scholarship studies, please see the DTU PhD Guide.



Assessment

The assessment of the applicants will be made by Senior researcher Anna Charlotte Schultz.



We offer

We offer an interesting and challenging job in an international environment focusing on education, research, public-sector consultancy and innovation, which contribute to enhancing the economy and improving social welfare. We strive for academic excellence, collegial respect and freedom tempered by responsibility. The Technical University of Denmark (DTU) is a leading technical university in northern Europe and benchmarks with the best universities in the world.



Salary and appointment terms

The salary and appointment terms are consistent with the current rules for PhD degree students. The period of employment is 3 years.



Workplace

The workplace will be in the Diagnostic Engineering group at the National Food Institute in Søborg. The day-to-day work will during the specific tasks be performed in close collaboration with the relevant collaborators mentioned above.



Further information



Further information may be obtained from Anna Charlotte Schultz +45 3588 7356.

You can read more about the Division of Food Microbiology on http://www.food.dtu.dk



DTU is a technical university providing internationally leading research, education, innovation and public service. Our staff of 5,800 advance science and technology to create innovative solutions that meet the demands of society; and our 10,300 students are being educated to address the technological challenges of the future. DTU is an independent academic university collaborating globally with business, industry, government, and public agencies.