Applicants are invited for a PhD fellowship/scholarship at Graduate School of Technical Sciences, Aarhus University, Denmark, within the Food Science programme. The position is available from 01 September 2025 or later. You can submit your application via the link under 'how to apply'.

Title:
Early-Life Programming via the HMO–Microbiota–Bile Acid–Epigenetic Axis

Research area and project description:
The qualified applicant will be part of a research team working with molecular biology, microbiology, nutrition and health.

Human milk plays a crucial role in infant programming by providing the ideal balance of nutrients needed for early brain development and growth. It contains unique bioactive compounds that help shape the infant’s immune system and gut microbiota, laying the foundation for lifelong health. The hormones and growth factors present in human milk support the proper development of organs and metabolic regulation, reducing the risk of chronic conditions such as obesity and type 2 diabetes in later life. Overall, human milk is a vital element in programming the infant’s long-term health and development.

The current PhD project will explore how early-life exposure to human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) and probiotic supplementation shapes infant gut microbiota, microbial metabolism, immune system maturation, and epigenetic programming using existing mother-infant cohorts in Denmark and China.

Project description: For technical reasons, you must upload a project description. Please simply copy the project description above and upload it as a PDF in the application.

Qualifications and specific competences:
Applicants to the PhD position must have a relevant Master’s degree (e.g., Food Science, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Molecular medicine) as well as:

• NMR spectroscopy and LC-MS experience
• Bioinformatics experience
• Good English verbal and written skills

Please be aware, that the PhD project involves funding from Sino Danish Center/SDC, and it is therefore required that:

• the PhD student must spend time in a Chinese research environment. The specific period depends on the funding model.
• PhD students funded by the Danish SDC office are expected to contribute to the educational activities on the SDC Master's programmes in Beijing during their stay in China.

See the SDC’s website on the specific requirements: https://sdc.university/research/phd/. Please note that it is not possible to get exemption from these conditions.

Place of employment and place of work:
The place of employment is Aarhus University, and the place of work is Department of Food Science, Agro Food Park 48, 8200 Aarhus N., Denmark.

Contacts:
Applicants seeking further information regarding the PhD position are invited to contact:

• Ulrik Kræmer Sundekilde, uksundekilde@food.au.dk (main supervisor)

For information about application requirements and mandatory attachments, please see our application guide. If answers cannot be found there, please contact:

• admission.gradschool.tech@au.dk

How to apply:
Please follow this link to submit your application.

Application deadline is 10 July 2025 at 23:59 CEST

Preferred starting date is 01 September 2025

Please note:

• Only documents received prior to the application deadline will be evaluated. Thus, documents sent after deadline will not be taken into account.
• The programme committee may request further information or invite the applicant to attend an interview.
• Shortlisting will be used, which means that the evaluation committee only will evaluate the most relevant applications.

Aarhus University’s ambition is to be an attractive and inspiring workplace for all and to foster a culture in which each individual has opportunities to thrive, achieve and develop. We view equality and diversity as assets, and we welcome all applicants. All interested candidates are encouraged to apply, regardless of their personal background. Salary and terms of employment are in accordance with applicable collective agreement.