PRR Project

Summary

We are seeking a highly motivated and experienced Assistant Researcher to complement and strengthen research activities within the Food and Nutrition Line of the Research Centre (CBQF), specifically within the Nutrition and Health group. This group focuses on food and healthy diet research, including analysis of food habits, nutrient inadequacy prevalence and links between diet and health outcomes, multifunctional foods with tailored nutritional profiles and bioactivity and functions and mechanisms of diet and its bioactive components, probiotics and their metabolites against inflammation and cancer onset and proliferation or in gut microbiome modulation, The Nutrition and Health group enables delivery of nutritional policy and high-quality science in support of current and emerging national and EU priorities in nutrition, health and sustainability in alignment with CBQF research goals, contributing effectively to the improvement of individual lives and society.As a member of this team, the Assistant Researcher will play a role in the development and execution of innovative research projects targeting gaps in our current knowledge on the mechanistic action of probiotics and diet on gut microbiome-host interactions. The Assistant Researcher will deploy the application of multiscale strategies integrating innovative in vitro platforms, involving intestinal organoid technology to model physiological and pathological diet-microbiome-host interactions, and well-designed human observations combined with omics technologies (metagenomics, proteomics and metabolomics) to better understand the roles of diet and the gut microbiota. Through the development and leadership of innovative research projects using cutting-edge multi-omics approaches, it is expected that the Assistant Researcher will open new possibilities for deciphering the mechanisms responsible for diet-microbiome-host interactions and identify new solutions for understanding and treating gastrointestinal diseases, complementing and extending the existing strengths in this area in the research group.The Assistant Researcher will also take a lead role in applying for competitive grants or research funding, develop links with relevant stakeholders for collaborative research, write scientific papers/presentations for scientific and professional meetings, and assist in communicating research findings. Additionally, the Assistant Researcher will be involved in training and supervising young researchers.Profile:Doctoral degree in Biotechnology, Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, or related areas.Minimum of 5 years of relevant working experience in the fields of microbiology and biochemistry or related areas.Expertise in advanced microbiology, molecular biology techniques, genomics, and metabolomics.Consolidated proficient knowledge in cell culture, with a focus on intestinal organoid technology.Strong interpersonal skills demonstrating the ability to lead and gain the cooperation of others in a team endeavour.Experience in integrating research projects, including supervision of young researchers.Excellent communication skills, with the ability to convey complex scientific concepts to both scientific and non-scientific audiences.