PRR Project

Summary

RationaleAquaculture plays a vital role in ensuring food security considering the projected population growth in the next decades. However, it faces unprecedented challenges. The sustainable expansion of aquaculture requires the development of strategies to promote the well-being and health of fish while minimising nutrient and chemotherapeutics pollution. Nutrition is a key player in this endeavour. The search for innovative ingredients and the adoption of circularity and waste reduction principles, as advocated by the European Green Deal, are now priorities. Still, their impact on fish gut integrity, stress and immune responses must not be neglected. Climate change events pose further challenges to the aquaculture industry. As this novel feeding paradigm emerges, it is crucial to understand its impact on fish metabolic, physiological and immune responses and the interactive effects with challenging environmental events. Simultaneously, unravelling the potential of functional ingredients in the next-generation diets is key for mitigating the negative effects of environmental stressors and enhancing fish plasticity and resilience under challenging aquaculture conditions.In this framework, the candidate should conduct cutting-edge research, adopting a transdisciplinary approach to explore the interplay between fish nutrition and immunity in the context of challenging environmental events, addressing these objectives:1) to gain deeper metabolic insights into the effects of sustainable innovative diets on fish health and welfare that prioritize principles of circularity and waste reduction;2) to advance the knowledge on fish physiological responses to interactive effects of next-generation diets and climate change;3) to diminish nutrient and chemotherapeutics pollution through the development of nutritional strategies that increase feed efficiency and retention;4) to develop mitigation strategies that enhance fish plasticity and resilience to challenging aquaculture scenarios.Description of the tasksThe Tasks to be developed should use aquaculture marine fish species as a model. The Tasks should contribute to identify physiological adaptive features resulting from sustainable innovative dietary formulations and exposure to challenging environmental events (sub-optimal rearing temperatures, sudden shifts in water temperature or salinity levels). In parallel, the exploration of bioactive ingredients identified as potential immunomodulators for fish health management (e.g. yeasts, fish hydrolysates, insect meals), should be explored, as an alternative to antimicrobials and in line with the EU guidelines. Biochemical, transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses should be combined to assess fish gut integrity, stress, and immune responses. This will allow the mapping of changes in metabolic markers and pathways due to both nutritional interventions and exposure to environmental stressors. In vivo trials using tracers should be used to unveil the impacts of specific additives on key metabolic pathways under challenging conditions, to refine novel dietary formulations and to define nutritional strategies.ProfileCCMAR activities extend beyond scientific research to encompass collaborations with industry, advanced training, addressing societal challenges and fostering connections with international partners. The candidate should demonstrate a robust profile in these areas, thus contributing to CCMAR’s vision of establishing bridges between science, industry, and society. Hence, the candidate should, cumulatively, have:a) postdoctoral experience in Aquaculture, namely in the nutrition of commercially important fish species for aquaculture, focusing on the optimization of environmentally sustainable diets, by increasing nitrogen retention, replacing marine finite ingredients, and using dietary supplements to promote growth and fish welfare while minimizing stress;b) the capacity to design experiments on the above-referred areas, and to analyse and integrate data resulting from in vivo studies on nutrient fluxes, amino acid requirements and metabolism, and the minimisation of the stress effects through a nutritional approach, demonstrated by a solid publication record, coordination/participation in research projects and advanced training supervision in the specified areas;c) experience in obtaining research funds, shown by previous coordination/participation in national and international scientific projects;d) a previous track record of collaborations with the industry, evidenced by collaborative projects and contract-research services/projects;e) an international network of collaborations, proven by publications, projects and student supervision with international partners;f) experience in the dissemination of knowledge and outreach activities among the scientific community, aquaculture stakeholders and the broader society;g) experience in advanced training supervision and as examiner of advanced training theses.