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Doctoral Candidate DC3 (MSCA FAroGels): magnetic resonance characterisation of food-grade aerogels
Nottingham Trent University is recruiting a 3-year PhD candidate in the Marie Sklodowska-Curie FAroGels doctoral network on food-grade aerogels for sustainable food systems. The candidate will build magnetic-resonance tools (MRI and a benchtop TD-NMR device) to measure the internal structure, hydration and behaviour of food aerogels for better processing and quality control.
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Experience
- Experience not specified
- Salary / stipend
- MSCA: living allowance EUR 5,682.17/month (UK coefficient) + mobility EUR 710/month + fami
- Apply by
- 09 Dec 2026
- Job type
- Full-time
- Function
- Research
- Openings
- 1
Contact for this vacancy
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Master's degree (or equivalent) in physics, electromechanical engineering, food engineering or a similar field
Review the original notice to confirm the requirements. Related degrees are not automatically equivalent; the recruiting organisation decides eligibility.
What you’ll do
- Research magnetic resonance analysis of food-grade aerogels for quality assurance and formulation support
- Use the MRI scanner to study diffusion, porosity, hydration patterns and structural variation across aerogel formulations
- Design and build a compact benchtop TD-NMR device tailored to aerogels, combining simulation and practical construction, and verify it against MRI
- Quantify pore-scale water mobility, hydration state and structural stability using CPMG sequences and inverse Laplace transform analysis
- Work towards industrial-scale integration of the time-domain NMR system
- Plan, run, document and analyse experiments
- Take part in network meetings, training schools and planned secondments (TUHH, USC, Perfat Technologies, Superex)
- Prepare reports, deliverables, presentations and publications
What the employer asks for
- Master's degree (or equivalent) in physics, electromechanical engineering, food engineering or similar
- Essential: strong laboratory and analytical skills in magnetic resonance (imaging or TD-NMR)
- Desirable: experience developing magnetic resonance hardware, devices or software
- IELTS 6.5 overall with at least 6.0 in each component, and a first or upper-second class degree equivalent
- MSCA mobility rule: not resided or mainly worked/studied in the UK for more than 12 months in the 36 months before recruitment
- Must not already hold a doctoral degree
- Willingness to travel for secondments and network training
Selection process
- Eligibility check by the FAroGels project manager
- Scoring of eligible applications by an interview committee (supervisors and a non-academic partner)
- Interviews of the best-ranked candidates (January 2027)
- Selection outcome (February 2027)
Documents to keep ready
- Detailed CV
- Motivation letter for this DC position
- Bachelor's and Master's diplomas and transcripts (or evidence of completion before recruitment)
- Contact details of two referees and reference letters
- IELTS certificate (6.5 overall, 6.0 in all components)
Pay, benefits and perks
- 36-month full-time employment contract
- MSCA living, mobility and family allowances
- Social security coverage
- Personal Career Development Plan
- Structured doctoral training and transferable-skills programme
- Planned secondments at partner organisations in Germany, Spain, Finland and Turkiye
About the employer
Nottingham Trent University is a UK public university; FAroGels is a Horizon Europe MSCA doctoral network developing food-grade, bio-based aerogels for food processing, quality, nutrition and packaging.
How to apply
Apply by email to rob.morris@ntu.ac.uk.
Application deadline 9 Dec 2026, 23:59 CET; interviews January 2027, outcome February 2027, start April 2027
Skills for this role
What employers ask for in Research (JRF / SRF / PhD / Postdoc) roles. named in this notice
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
- Time-domain NMR (TD-NMR)
- MR hardware and device development
- Aerogel and food structure characterisation
- PhD
- Publications
- Junior Research Fellow
- JRF
- Senior Research Fellow
- SRF
- Postdoctoral
- Research Associate
- Food Technology research
- GATE XL
- ICAR NET
- ASRB
Prepare for the interview
Questions commonly asked for Research (JRF / SRF / PhD / Postdoc) roles. Practise answers with an example and a number.
- Summarise your dissertation or main research project in two minutes for a non-specialist panel.
- Why this group or lab, and how does your experience fit the project described in the call?
- How did you design your experiments and choose the statistical analysis?
- Which analytical techniques have you used hands-on, and what were their limitations?
- What would be the first three months of work on this project if you were selected?
- Tell us about a result that did not work and what you did next.
Before you apply
- Read the original notice end to endDates, eligibility and the application route are decided by the employer, not by FSD.
- Tailor your resume to this vacancyMatch the keywords in the requirements. Resume Studio shows what is missing.
- Prepare a short research statementOne page on your project experience and why this group or call fits.
- Line up refereesMost calls ask for two or three referees; tell them in advance.
- Check the funding termsFellowship amount, duration, HRA and eligibility (NET / GATE) differ between calls.
Source & editorial check
Apply through the FAroGels application portal. Supervisors: Prof. Rob Morris (rob.morris@ntu.ac.uk) and Dr Edward Breeds (NTU), industrial supervisor Dr Nazende Gunday-Tureli (MyBiotech GmbH). MSCA mobility rule applies. 36-month fixed-term contract.
Original posting: Date not stated
Checked 2026-11-06 · Updated 2026-11-06
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