We offer support and training to young and talented researchers towards writing successful research proposals for 2 years European Individual Fellowship (EIF) Postdoctoral projects to be hosted at the AgroParisTech INRAe mixed research unit SayFood, at Université Paris-Saclay, France.

The support will include coaching on project proposal writing and help to integrate the research proposal in the research activities of our research unit. The deadline to submit the full proposal is September 9^th 2020, but the deadline to apply for the support initiative IEF@SayFood is May 31^st 2020.

We call expressions of interest for writing research proposals that can contribute to one of the following three research themes:

1. Ecosystems biology of fermented dairy and plant-based products

In the context of sustainable development, the demand for plant-based dairy substitutes is increasing but the quality of the products needs improvement to satisfy the consumers. The replacement of milk proteins by plant proteins implies changes of physical and chemical properties of the food matrix. Production of bitter flavours and development of spoilers or pathogens are unfavourable potential outcomes of plant-based ripened food. The mechanistic approaches of ecosystems biology allow analyses of complex biological systems and are complementary to approaches based on correlation or co-occurrence ecological networks studies. The combination of stoichiometric metabolic models with measured community-level concentrations and biomass abundances allows for the inference of metabolic interactions in a microbial community The prediction of intracellular fluxes and optimal metabolic exchange rates can guide ecological engineering strategies to master the process and avoid sanitary risk and waste, producing the typical fermented dairy or plant-based products, with organoleptic properties valued by the consumers.

Theme contacts: D. Eric Dugat-Bony and D. Swennen.

2. Investigating the creation of controlled food structures and their destructuring mechanisms during consumption

The structure of a food product governs the release of nutriments and of the sensory stimuli during consumption. This research axis, at the crossroads between product engineering, sensory sciences and biomechanics considers holistically the physico-chemical phenomena governing i) the formation of a product structure during food processing and ii) the food break down into a bolus ready to be swallowed during consumption. We develop advanced structuration processes to design tailored, complex food structures (cereal based, plant based, dairy, …) and original in vivo and in vitro methods to better understand the mechanisms governing food break down from the  mouth to the gut, considering the physiological characteristics of individuals. This unique holistic approach paves the way towards novel, healthy and appreciated food designs meeting the specific needs of different consumers.

Theme contacts: M.Ramaioli and V.Mathieu.

3. Investigating the potentialities of plant proteins to produce functional spray dried powders

In response both to the projected increase of human population and necessity of sustainable development, there is a growing interest in using new plant proteins from grains, legumes, vegetables and algae in food.

The project will investigate how different protein sources affect the processing and functional properties of powders obtained by spray drying. This research, at the crossroads between product and process engineering, includes the study of the evolution of the product physico-chemical properties as well as of heat and mass transfers and mechanical constraints during processing. The general aim is to understand, model and control the construction of the product properties. The impact of the two main steps of the process, e.g. atomization and drying could specifically be investigated with either real or model products (solutions, suspensions, emulsions) through experiments at the lab and pilot scale using available or specifically designed and/or instrumented equipments. 

Theme contact: C.Turchiuli

Eligibility – Candidates should have an excellent publication track record, must be, at the date of the call deadline, in possession of a doctoral degree or have at least four years of full-time equivalent research experience, must move or have moved from any country to France. MSCA mobility rules apply and the researcher cannot have resided or carried out his/her main activity (work, studies, etc.) in France for more than 12 months in the three years immediately before the call deadline. Special provisions exist for researchers who had a career break in research. More information can be obtained by consulting the guide for applicants.(https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/data/ref/h2020/other/guides_for_applicants/h2020-guide-appl-msca-if-2018-20_en.pdf)

Applications should include a two-page CV and a three-page research project outline and should be sent to Marco Ramaioli (marco.ramaioli@inrae.fr) and Eric Dugat-Bony (eric.dugat-bony@inrae.fr ) by May 31^st, 2020.

About the host institutions - INRAE (formerly INRA) is the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment: a community of more than 10,000 people dedicated to carrying out research on these themes in France and abroad and ranked second worldwide for food science and technology according to 2018 InCitesTM Clarivate Analytics data. AgroParisTech is a higher education and research institute (“Grande Ecole”) aiming at addressing some of the main global challenges of the 21st century : feeding a growing population while sustainably managing territories, preserving natural resources, supporting innovation and integrating the bio economy. AgroParisTech is a member of Université Paris-Saclay and is ranked 1st in France and 17th worldwide in the subject “Agricultural sciences” in the ShanghaiRanking's Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2019. Université Paris-Saclay comprises 275 laboratories shared with the CEA, CNRS, IHES, INRAe, INRIA, INSERM, Onéra, Located south of Paris, Université Paris-Saclay benefits from a strategic geographical and socio-economic position enhanced by its international visibility. With 65,000 students, 9,000 professors and lecturers, and 11,000 technical and administrative staff, Université Paris-Saclay represents 13% of the French research potential and is one of the best academic institutions in France.