PRR Project

Summary

RATIONALE FOR THE NEED TO HIRE THIS CHAIRSince the beginning of humanity, humans have struggled with challenges concerning food safety and nutrition. Despite the advancements made in food preservation and safety in the last two centuries, there are still many issues that require the attention of the scientific community. Currently, new threats such as excessive population growth (expected to reach 10 billion by 2050), climate change (which causes yield/quality losses due to extreme weather events), intensification of global food trade (rising to us$ 1.94 trillion by 2022), and transboundary crop pests and diseases (which result in yield/quality losses and an increased need for pesticides) are challenging existing models of food production, modifying the assessment of hazards and risks, and potentially impacting the safety of final food goods. Additionally, many emerging processing technologies, food additives/supplements/ingredients using micro- and nano-structures, new packaging materials, or coatings are rinsing additional food safety concerns. On the other hand, the nutritional value of food needs to be better balanced to avoid problems of nutrient deficiencies or overnourishment (two billion people are still suffering from these issues). Now more than ever, the food production chain requires constant monitoring of well-known and emergent hazards, whether physical, chemical, or biological. Also, more scientific advances in this field need to be made to answer the demands of the food sector regarding regulations and nutrition quality standards; cutting-edge studies need to be conducted to support decisions of the regulatory agencies of the sector (ASAE, DGS, EFSA, DG SANTE, etc.). Novel biotechnological approaches are needed to answer to these problems whether at the level of prevention or mitigation, and to advance a more sustainable and resilient food production chain. SCIENTIFIC PROFILE REQUIREDThe ideal candidate should have a Ph.D. in Chemical and Biological Engineering in the area of knowledge of Food Technology, Food Sciences, Food Science and Technology and Nutrition, with a strong background in food contamination, food preservation, food safety, cytotoxicity, pathogens control, and risk assessment. A proven track record demonstrating high-quality research in this field will be highly valued. Experience in doctoral supervision, management of research projects, and participation in outreach events will also be valued.TASKS TO BE ASSIGNED TO THE PROSPECTIVE RESEARCHERThe candidate to be recruited will be required to conduct original research regarding the nutritional and safety properties of food by developing fundamental and applied research to tackle both well-known and emerging issues in the field. This includes assessing food safety concerns related to biological or chemical contaminants. Additionally, it will be required research on novel biotechnological solutions at the level of prevention or mitigation to guarantee the biological and chemical safety of foods and their nutritional quality/integrity. The researcher is expected to make a solid contribution to the body of knowledge in this field, as assessed through scientific publications and/or patents.The selected candidate will also be required to be actively involved in grant proposal development, by participating in large R&D projects submission and also to secure his/her research projects, as principal investigator. As such, project management will be a pivotal duty of this Chair.Recruiting undergraduate students will also be pivotal for the successful development of this chair. As such, formal supervision duties, for both MSc and PhD students, will be required.The selected researcher will also be encouraged to establish and develop new collaboration networks with both national and international researchers, which can complement the ongoing efforts related to Food Nutrition and Safety. In line with this duty, the candidate is expected to participate in international events.The chosen candidate will also be required to participate in CEB outreach events and will be given the liberty to propose and organize novel outreach events. The candidate will also be stimulated to participate in the governing of CEB, as an active member of its scientific council, and will be encouraged to engage in specialized governing committees.