International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory Careers

Junior Research Fellow – Specialist in In vitro digestion of food ingredients and bioavailability assessment of bioactive compounds

Job Reference: Ref.10.24.59

Employer: International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL)

Location: Braga, Portugal

Group/Unit: Pastrana Research Group

Number of Vacancies: 1

Employment Type: Full time

Contract Duration: 6 months

Open Date for Applications: November 8th, 2024

Closing Date for Applications: November 26th, 2024, 23h00m (Lisbon Time)

Key words: #encapsulation #foodproduct #foodsafety

Overview

The Pastrana RG is dedicated to the development of personalised foods and sustainable packaging. We are looking for a Junior Research Fellow to join our team in the evaluation of food ingredients in in vitro digestion, and assess the bioavailability of bioactive compounds.

Job Duties

The job duties will be the following:

• Work on a national project at INL in the food area;
• Characterise encapsulation systems for food applications;
• Assess the stability, efficacy (i.e., in vitro digestion) and safety (i.e., cell based in vitro models) of the developed encapsulation systems;
• Perform required experiments and write technical reports.

Mandatory Qualifications

Education

• MSc Degree in Chemical and Biological Engineering, Biotechnology, Biochemistry, Bioengineering, Nanotechnology or other related fields.

Experience and Technical Skills

• Experience in cell culture and related techniques for the assessment of cytotoxicity (i.e., cell viability and oxidative stress), and barrier and permeability studies;
• Experience in the evaluation of in vitro digestion of food ingredients and micro and nano-encapsulation systems;
• Experience in physical and chemical characterisation techniques of encapsulation systems;
• Analytical techniques (e.g., HPLC, fluorescence spectroscopy) and confocal laser microscopy;
• Experience in nano-characterisation techniques, such as DLS, NTA, XRD, UV-Vis.

Other Skills

• Knowledge of food regulation;
• Experience in product development.

Personal Skills

• “Hands-on” approach together with a high commitment to respecting working deadlines;
• Problem Solving ability;
• Strong motivation to work both independently and as part of a team in an interdisciplinary environment, with the ability to pay close attention to detail and to meet deadlines;
• Team work spirit;
• Good communication skills;
• Highly organised and dynamic.

Our Benefits

• Competitive salary;
• Tax benefits and other Diplomatic privileges;
• Private health insurance;
• Family allowances (according to family situation);
• Free nursery service at INL premises (subject to availability);
• Support for education fees of dependent children;
• Relocation support;
• 30 working days of annual leave.

How to Apply

The application must be in English and include the following mandatory documents:

a)     Cover letter;

b)     Curriculum Vitae;

c)      Academic and/or Professional diplomas;

Online application instructions:

1. The application is made online by clicking the “Apply” button below;
2. The candidate must complete all required sections of the online application form;
3. The candidate must submit the mandatory documents mentioned above in pdf format by including them in the “Additional files” section using the “Add portfolio” button.

Important note:

Incomplete applications including the failure to provide mandatory documents or providing inaccurate information will result in the application not being considered.

How the Selection Process works
 

A. Applications eligibility check

This stage will be carried out on the basis of the mandatory requirements, education, experience and technical skills defined for the job, as well as the validation of the mandatory documents. Only candidates who meet the eligibility criteria will move forward to the next stage.

B. CV Assessment

The Selection Committee will evaluate the eligible applications based on their CV and other submitted documents and the suitability for the position. The best ranked candidates will be shortlisted for the interview stage(s).

C. Interview(s)

The interview(s) may be done in different formats: video recording, online or onsite.

The question based interview will evaluate the match between the candidate’s profile and the requirements for the position, including the technical and personal skills. To better support this stage, the candidate may be requested to prepare a short presentation.

D. Nomination

The selected candidate will be nominated and formally offered the position, including the disclosure of the contractual conditions. 

Additional Information

Application feedback

We highly value your interest in becoming part of the INL experience and it is important for us to maintain good communications with all candidates. No matter the outcome of your application, we will always provide you with feedback.

Equal Opportunity and Non-Discrimination Principle

INL follows a non-discrimination and equal access principle, wherefore no candidate can be privileged, benefited, impaired or deprived of any rights whatsoever, or be exempt of and duties based on any possible discriminatory issues.

The advertisement deadline may be extended at any time without previous notice in order to improve the suitability and effectiveness of the recruitment process.

About INL

The International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory – INL (http://www.inl.int), is the first and only Intergovernmental Organisation in the world entirely focused on Nanoscience and Nanotechnology.

It was founded under an international legal framework to perform interdisciplinary research, deploy and communicate nanotechnology for the benefit of society. INL aims to be a recognised leading global nanotechnology innovation hub.