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 November 2025 or later. You can submit your application via the link under 'how to apply'.

Title:
APPSENSE – The relationship between human appetite and food pleasure

Research area and project description:
The homeostatic system has for years been a major focus within the field of human eating behaviour. Research has revealed important pathways involved in the signalling of calorie need and surplus, and linked these to sensations of hunger and satiety, and human intake behaviour. However, though homeostatic drivers of eating are important contributors to human eating behaviour, from a current ecological perspective, people eat not only to obtain sufficient calories, but also to experience pleasure. Thus, considering also the role of hedonia in relation to eating behaviour, is pivotal for a holistic understanding of human food choices and intake quantities.

The PhD project takes its basis in the pivotal role of hedonia, understood as the ability to feel pleasure, for human appetite and food choices. As appetitive state can vary from one individual to another, also hedonic state can vary between individuals affecting eating behaviour and the subjective experience of the meal.

The project will investigate the relation between general appetitive state (i.e. low vs normal vs high appetite) and ability to perceive pleasure (i.e. state of hedonia), as well as the relationship to the experience of pleasurable- and satiating sensations over the course of a meal.  

Activities in the PhD project are expected to include research studies on human subjects with pre-assumed high variation in general appetitive states. These segments can for example include populations of different age and/or usage of appetite regulating pharmaceuticals. Both quantitative data, to be collected via surveys and questionnaires during meal studies, as well as qualitative data, collected via interviews, are expected to be analysed as part of the PhD project, to clarify the relationship between appetite and hedonia.

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 in food science, sensory science, consumer science, nutritional science or equivalent.

Competencies in sensory and consumer analyses, food science, food and health research, cross-cultural research, and knowledge about food research in cross disciplinary contexts would be an advantage.

Candidates must demonstrate evidence of creativity, independent learning, and a willingness to embrace an interdisciplinary approach to problem-solving.

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

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.

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

• Derek V. Byrne, derekv.byrne@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 September at 23:59 CEST

Preferred starting date is 01 November 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.