Doctoral Candidate DC12 (MSCA FAroGels): Bio-based aerogels for active and safe food packaging

Who can apply

Master's in a relevant field (e.g. food science, chemistry, materials science), completed by recruitment date

Review the original notice to confirm the requirements. Related degrees are not automatically equivalent; the recruiting organisation decides eligibility.

What you’ll do

• Develop polysaccharide aerogels functionalised with polyphenolic tannins recovered from agro-industrial side streams
• Study sol-gel processing and drying by supercritical CO2 and freeze-drying, and characterise structure, thermal, mechanical, swelling, antioxidant and antimicrobial properties
• Study tannin stability and release within the aerogel
• Assess food-contact safety and migration using GC-MS and LC-MS/MS, with dietary exposure modelling and in-silico toxicity assessment
• Test selected aerogels in food packaging for compatibility, active function, food quality and shelf life
• Plan, perform, document and analyse experiments using laboratory, analytical, processing or modelling methods
• Take part in FAroGels network meetings, training schools, workshops and transferable-skills training
• Complete planned secondments of about 7 to 8 months in total at academic and industry partners
• Prepare reports, deliverables, presentations and publications

What the employer asks for

• Master's degree in pharmaceutical sciences, chemistry, materials science, food science and technology, chemical engineering, biochemistry or biotechnology
• Strong lab skills in analytical chemistry and food and materials characterisation
• Apply by direct email to the DC12 supervisor as well as via the FAroGels form
• Must not already hold a doctoral degree (including a defended but not yet awarded thesis)
• MSCA mobility rule: must not have lived or had your main activity in Spain for more than 12 months in the 36 months before recruitment
• Must meet the admission requirements of the PhD awarding institution
• Fluent written and spoken English
• Willing to travel for secondments, network meetings and training

Selection process

• Eligibility check by the FAroGels Project Manager
• Scoring of eligible applications by an interview committee (supervisors and a non-academic partner); 3 to 5 best-ranked shortlisted
• Online interview with shortlisted candidates (January 2027)
• Approval by the FAroGels Supervisory Board, then an offer (outcome expected February 2027)

Documents to keep ready

• Detailed CV including countries of residence, study and work in the last 36 months
• Motivation letter for the specific position
• Copies of bachelor's and master's diplomas and transcripts, or proof the master's will be completed before recruitment
• Two reference letters, each with the referee's contact details
• Proof of English proficiency if the PhD awarding institution requires it
• Separate application for each position you apply to

Pay, benefits and perks

• Full-time 36-month employment contract with social security, enrolled in a doctoral programme
• MSCA living allowance €4,010 a month adjusted by the Spain correction coefficient (95.6%) plus €710 mobility allowance: about €4,543.56 a month total employment cost before tax and social security
• Family allowance €660 a month where applicable
• Academic and industry co-supervision with a Personal Career Development Plan
• Network-wide training, access to advanced facilities and international conferences

About the employer

The University of Santiago de Compostela (USC), Spain recruits and awards the PhD for this post, within its FoodChemPack research group.

How to apply

Apply by email to letricia.barbosa.pereira@usc.es.

23:59 CET; 36-month contract, earliest start March 2027