"Doctoral researcher in choline research – part of a MSCA Doctoral Network on micronutrients in sustainable and nutritious diet"

About the open PhD position (DC5)

Are you interested in becoming part of MICROSUNSET and building a strong foundation for a successful research career? The Department of Food and Nutrition at the University of Helsinki is looking for highly skilled and motivated applicants for a PhD scholarship focused on choline in plant-based foods. You will join the research group “Food quality and safety: lipids, vitamins and other bioactive compounds” and work across the fields of food chemistry, food technology and nutrition.

Research objectives

The primary objective of the PhD project is to investigate plant-based foods, particularly legumes, as sources of choline. The work will involve the development and validation of validate a method suitable for the extraction and quantification of choline and the analysis of choline contents of selected raw materials and foods. Additionally, the effects of pretreatments necessary to eliminate harmful compounds in legumes and other processing methods will be examined, along with prospects for enhancing choline through bioprocessing and the associated changes in bioaccessibility in vitro. The research is expected to yield new information on choline in plant-based foods, promoting the adoption of nutrition recommendations.

Throughout the project, you will collaborate with other Doctoral Candidates (DCs) in the MICROSUNSET consortium to contribute to generating evidence-based knowledge about micronutrient content, intake, digestibility and bioavailability from plant-based diets.

Part of the PhD study is planned as external stay at

• Valio (Helsinki, Finland) for one month to learning legume fermentation in an industrial scale, investigate the effect of bioprocessing and gain insight to R&I, markets and consumer preferences
• DTU (Copenhagen, Denmark) for five months to investigate choline in fermentation

Responsibilities

The primary goal of this PhD project is to investigate the enhancement of choline in plant-based foods, to support a healthier future European population.

As part of your research, you will

• Enrol in a relevant Doctoral Programme at the University of Helsinki and comply with its doctoral training requirements
• Participate actively in the MICROSUNSET training (12 ECTS), dissemination, communication and exploitation activities.
• Conduct high-quality research under supervision of a diverse scientific team,
• Publish and present research results in international conference proceedings and peer-reviewed scientific journals.
• Prepare and defenda doctoral thesis in the field of micronutrients and sustainable food products.
• Support student supervision and contribute to teaching at BSc and MSc levels.

Qualifications

You must have a two-year master's degree (120 ECTS points) in Food Sciences or a closely related field, or a similar degree with an academic level equivalent to a two-year master's degree.

Furthermore, the ideal candidate has:

• Completed a relevant master’s program
• Knowledge about food chemistry, processing, and bioprocessing techniques
• Hands-on experience with analytical equipment such as HPLC and LC-MS, LC-MS/MS as well as sample preparation techniques and their application to food
• Knowledge about quality assurance of analytical methods
• Good communication skills in English, both written and oral
• Experience with international collaboration and the ability to work effectively in interdisciplinary teams
• A structured and analytical approach to work and problem-solving
• Experience with research dissemination – publications or conference presentation as well as professional qualifications relevant for the PhD-project will be taken into consideration

Terms of employment

The selected candidate will be employed full-time by the University of Helsinki on the MSCA-DN MICROSUNSET for a period of 36 months. The start date is 1 September 2026 or after as agreed.

Salary, pension and terms of employment are in accordance with the requirements from the European Commission related to the MSCA programme. The EU MSCA grant received by UH consists of a monthly living allowance of 4731,80 euros, and a monthly mobility allowance of 710 euros. Please notice that the monthly salary you will receive will be lower than the above amounts, as these shall cover all costs related to your employment, such as monthly salary, future salary raises, pension, paid holidays, compulsory taxes, and labour market contributions. At the University of Helsinki, ca. 30 % will be deducted from the amounts, which are still subject to personal income tax.

The workplace of the position is in Helsinki, Finland.

Application procedure

Your complete online application must be submitted through the University of Helsinki’s recruitment system via the Apply Now button no later than 20 April 2026 (23:59 EEST).

Applications must be submitted as one PDF file that must contain the following documents in English:

• A letter motivating the application (cover letter) (max one page)
• Curriculum vitae incl. education, experience, language skills and other skills relevant for the position
• A certified copy of the original Master of Science diploma (A Master’s degree or equivalent is not necessary at the time of application, but will be required at the date of recruitment)
• Grade transcripts and BSc/MSc diploma (in English) including official description of grading scale

Furthermore, it is important that you document in your CV that you fulfil the eligibility requirements mentioned above. Note the requirement regarding mobility in “About the MSCA-project”.

You may apply prior to ob­tai­ning your master's degree but cannot begin before having received it.

Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.