Doctoral researcher in biochemistry / bioprocessing / food science
Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Helsinki, is seeking for a doctoral researcher in biochemistry / bioprocessing / food science for a fixed-term 2-year contract to work in the Business Finland Co-Innovation project entitled “Valorization of animal-based by-products into bioactive innovations (VALABio)”. The successful candidate will work in Professor Pekka Varmanen’s research group at the Department of Food and Nutrition.
The position will start as soon as possible or as agreed and continue until 30 April 2028, with a possibility for extension. The VALABio project focuses on transforming low-value animal-based side streams from the dairy and meat industries into high-value bioactive compounds, including functional peptides and extracellular vesicle (EV)-based innovations for food, health, and diagnostic applications.
We are looking for a highly motivated doctoral researcher with an MSc degree in biochemistry, bioprocess engineering, food sciences, food chemistry, or a related field. The doctoral researcher will contribute to research on the production and characterization of bioactive peptides from dairy and meat side streams, student supervision, and education in biochemistry and food sciences. The appointed researcher will work closely with academic and industrial consortium partners.
A successful candidate should be able to:
- Identify, design, conduct, and report research on bioactive peptide production from dairy and meat side streams using enzymatic hydrolysis; bioactive peptide characterization via mass spectrometry based proteomics and peptidomics and functional bioactivity analyses; and encapsulation strategies for developing stable and functional peptide fractions. The work also includes participation in the development and optimization of scalable bioprocesses for producing these functional peptide fractions.
- Contribute to master’s student supervision and teaching activities in food technology, biochemistry, or bioprocessing.
- Engage with the scientific community, research partners, and the wider public at all levels, both nationally and internationally, through scientific publications, conferences, workshops, and social media (e.g., blogs).
- Contribute to proposal writing to secure additional research funding.
The candidate is expected to have:
Education, experience, and technical skills
- A master’s degree in biochemistry, bioprocess engineering, food sciences, or a related field, with experience in protein or bioactive peptide production, enzymatic hydrolysis, and analytical characterization of biomolecules, including LC-MS/MS-based proteomics and peptidomics, or related mass spectrometry techniques and bioinformatics, as well as bioactive peptide functionality.
- Knowledge of encapsulation of bioactive compounds and methods for characterizing microencapsulated powders is considered an advantage.
- Fluency in English and excellent scientific writing skills.
Personal attributes and competencies
- Excellent analytical and innovative research planning skills.
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with experience or interest in working within multicultural and multidisciplinary teams.
- High motivation for academic research, with initiative and the ability to work independently as well as collaboratively.
- Willingness to engage in interdisciplinary research combining food science, biochemistry, and biotechnology.
- Values continuous improvement based on constructive evaluation, self-reflection, and learning.
- A person appointed as a doctoral student is required to apply for the right to pursue doctoral studies at the University of Helsinki within six months after starting the position.
The appointee should either already have the right to pursue a doctoral degree at the University of Helsinki by the start of the appointment or apply for the right and obtain it within the probationary period of six months of their appointment. If the candidate does not already have the right to pursue a doctoral degree at the University of Helsinki, it must be applied for separately, please see: https://www.helsinki.fi/en/research/doctoral-education/the-application-process-in-a-nutshell
What we offer
The salary of the doctoral student will be based on level 2 of the demand level chart for teaching and research personnel in the salary system of Finnish universities. In addition, the appointee will be paid a salary component based on personal performance. The starting gross salary of the doctoral student will be approximately 2700–2900 euros/month, depending on the appointee’s qualifications and experience.
The University of Helsinki offers comprehensive services to its employees, including occupational health care and health insurance, sports facilities, and opportunities for professional development. The International Staff Services office (https://www.helsinki.fi/en/university/working-at-the-university) assists employees from abroad with their transition to work and life in Finland. A six-month trial period will be applied. The place of work is Viikki campus in Helsinki, Finland.
How to apply
The attachments required for the application include (preferably in a single PDF file):
- A cover letter explaining the applicant’s motivation for the research work and a short research plan (e.g., research approach, materials, and methods) (max. 3 pages).
- Curriculum vitae showing the applicant’s education, completed qualifications, work experience, possible list of publications, and contact information of two referees (max. 3 pages).
- Copies of Master’s and Bachelor’s degree certificates and official transcripts of records, and their translations if the originals are not in Finnish, Swedish, or English.
External applicants, please submit your application using the University of Helsinki Recruitment System via the Apply Now button.
Applicants who have a helsinki.fi username and a valid employment contract, a grant researcher's contract or a visiting researcher's contract at the University of Helsinki are requested to leave their application by using the Employee Login button.
The closing date for applications is 3 June 2026 (at 23:59 EEST).
Further information
Further information about the position and the project may be obtained from Docent Thao M. Ho (minh.ho@helsinki.fi), Prof. Pekka Varmanen (pekka.varmanen@helsinki.fi) or from industrial partner Dr. Mikko Immonen (mikko.immonen@valio.fi)
If you need technical support with the recruitment system or additional information about the application process, please contact recruitment@helsinki.fi
About us
The Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry is located on the Viikki campus. The mission of the faculty is to promote the sustainable use of renewable natural resources through scientific research and research-based teaching. We focus on agricultural and forest sciences, food and nutrition, microbiology, as well as on economics and management. We cover the full natural resource chain from farm to fork, the entire field of forest sciences from soil chemistry to marketing, as well as the environmental effects of related activities. Graduates from the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry are versatile experts in biosciences and business, able to meet the needs of both the business sector and society at large. https://www.helsinki.fi/en/faculty-agriculture-and-forestry
The Department of Food and Nutrition is one of the six units of the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry. We respond to sustainability challenges associated with the food system by investigating and developing raw materials used in food and production techniques on the road to an increasingly healthy and environmentally friendly diet. In our changing society, the need for research-based knowledge on food, diets and their health effects as well as the special needs of different consumer groups is growing. https://www.helsinki.fi/en/faculty-agriculture-and-forestry/research/food-and-nutrition
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