Associate Professor in ‘Sensory and Consumer Innovation’

Aarhus Universitet; Favrskov Kommune; On-site; DKK 900,000 - 1,200,000; Full time

Job summary

Aarhus University invites applications for an Associate Professor position in Sensory and Consumer Science to begin by December 1st 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter. The role focuses on establishing a strategic profile in Sensory and Consumer Innovation, linking sensory and consumer insights with food quality, innovation and market opportunities.

The successful candidate will contribute to teaching, supervision, external funding and strategic collaborations, strengthen industry

Qualifications

• A relevant PhD in Food Science, Sensory Science, Consumer Science or related field.
• Strong track record in publishing in international peer-reviewed journals.
• Experience with interdisciplinary research and collaboration with industry.

Responsibilities

• Deliver innovative high-quality research in sensory and consumer science and food innovation.
• Develop and lead collaborations within the FQS Science Team and with external partners.
• Translate sensory and consumer insights into product concepts and market opportunities.
• Publish a significant number of high-quality international peer-reviewed papers.
• Supervise MSc and PhD students and contribute to teaching in English.

Job description

Associate Professor in ‘Sensory and Consumer Innovation’

The Department of Food Science, Aarhus University invites applications for an Associate Professor position in Sensory and Consumer Science to begin by December 1st 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter.

The position

This Associate Professor position will establish and strengthen a strategic research profile in Sensory and Consumer Innovation at the Department of Food Science. The position will build on the Department’s internationally recognised expertise in sensory and consumer science while extending its application towards food innovation, product development, consumer-driven design and value creation.

With a particular focus on the development of future foods, products and experiences, the position will investigate how human sensory perception, consumer behaviour and preferences can be translated into innovative solutions for high-quality, healthy and sustainable food and beverage applications, with potential for value creation and market uptake.

The position will contribute to the development of new approaches that connect sensory and consumer insights with food innovation, product development and commercialisation. A key ambition is to strengthen the translation of sensory and consumer capabilities into innovation opportunities in collaboration with industry and other stakeholders, including the development and evaluation of new food products, concepts, experiences and consumer-oriented solutions.

The position will also further develop the Department’s capacity to combine sensory science, consumer science, food quality, innovation and market-oriented research. The successful candidate will contribute to interdisciplinary research across food science, nutrition, health, sustainability and innovation, and strengthen collaboration with industry and other relevant stakeholders.

The position is aligned with the Science Team ‘Food Quality Perception and Society’ (FQS) at the Department of Food Science http://food.au.dk/en/foodresearch/science-teams/food-quality-perception-society/. The Science Team provides access to state-of-the-art sensory and analytical facilities, including a professional trained and tested sensory panel and an ISO-approved sensory laboratory. The team combines human sensory and consumer measurements with advanced instrumental techniques and in-house analytical infrastructure, including e.g. GC-MS, LC-MS and NMR.

A central ambition of the position is to develop sensory and consumer science as an innovation capability, creating new methods, services and approaches that can be applied in collaboration with food companies, technology providers, public organisations and other stakeholders. This includes identifying consumer needs and opportunities, supporting concept and product development, evaluating prototypes and new food experiences, and developing approaches for translating consumer insight into successful innovation and market applications.

The successful candidate is expected to develop an internationally recognised research profile while contributing to teaching, supervision, external funding and strategic collaborations. Particular emphasis will be placed on building partnerships with industry and other stakeholders and translating sensory and consumer knowledge into new products, services and commercial opportunities, thereby strengthening the role of sensory and consumer science as a driver of food innovation, helping to position the Department as a leading partner for consumer-driven food innovation.

The candidate

Qualifications and expectations

The successful candidate must have a strong and internationally recognised research profile in sensory and consumer science, with expertise in applying sensory and consumer insights to food quality, innovation and the development of new food products, concepts and experiences. The candidate should demonstrate the ability to connect fundamental sensory and consumer research with consumer-driven food innovation, product development and value creation, particularly in the context of healthier, more sustainable and high-quality foods.

The candidate must demonstrate outstanding potential for independent research, dissemination and successful acquisition of competitive external funding. The candidate should demonstrate a clear ability to develop novel and independent research initiatives and to establish an internationally visible research programme. Experience with international research collaboration and a strong record of international peer-reviewed publications will be expected.

The successful candidate will be expected to:

• deliver innovative research of the highest international standard in sensory and consumer innovation
• establish and develop a research area within the existing FQS Science Team
• develop new approaches for translating sensory and consumer knowledge into food innovation, product development and value creation
• publish research outcomes through a significant number of high-quality international peer-reviewed publications
• develop and strengthen collaborations with industry and other relevant stakeholders
• contribute to the development of new sensory and consumer methods, capabilities and applications with potential for innovation and market uptake
• contribute to teaching at the Department, including graduate-level teaching in English
• supervise Master's and PhD students
• complete postgraduate teacher training for Assistant Professors at Aarhus University
• attract competitive research funding from national and international external funding bodies; and
• communicate fluently in English, both orally and in writing.

Qualifications

• a relevant PhD and a minimum of 2-3 years of postdoctoral research experience in Food Science, Sensory Science, Consumer Science, Food Innovation or an equivalent field
• strong competencies in sensory and consumer analysis, including the application of sensory and consumer methods to food quality, product development and innovation
• experience in consumer-driven food innovation, including understanding consumer needs, preferences and behaviour and translating consumer insights into new food products, concepts or experiences
• experience with univariate and multivariate statistical analysis of sensory and consumer data, including the ability to integrate sensory and consumer data with instrumental and other multidisciplinary datasets
• experience in developing or applying innovative sensory and consumer methodologies will be an advantage
• experience of working with industry and other external stakeholders, particularly in relation to food innovation, product development, knowledge exchange or value creation, will be an advantage
• experience with cross-cultural consumer research and/or different food cultures and contexts will be an advantage
• a proven publication record in international peer-reviewed journals, with a significant number of high-quality publications appropriate to career stage
• experience in teaching and supervision at MSc and PhD level; and
• demonstrated potential to develop an independent research programme and attract competitive external research funding.
• experience in international research collaboration and networking

The Department of Food Science

The Department of Food Science is part of the Faculty of Science and Technology, Aarhus University and includes research within the areas Sensory and Consumer Science, Biofunctional Food, Systems Biology, Food Chemistry and Technology, Food Quality, Food Metabolomics and Plant Production. The Department currently employs 60 full time scientific staff, approx. 50 PhD students and Postdocs, plus approx. 30 visiting students and staff who together contribute to an international research environment where English is the preferred language in the laboratory, at meetings and at seminars.

The Department works in teams and therefore self-leadership, clear and open communication, success in mentoring, supervising and teaching are important qualities needed to be successful in the Department. In addition the Department has a strong culture that is based on openness, equality, consultation, inclusion and contributing to the Department strategy and working environment are viewed as important.

The Department is responsible for a Master's programme in Molecular Nutrition and Food Technology, taught at Aarhus University, Denmark, and a coming Master's programme in International Food Quality and Health at the Sino-Danish Center in Beijing, China. In addition, Department staff contribute to several other key interdisciplinary educations, including Bachelor's and Master's programmes in Agrobiology, and a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering in Food Technology at Aarhus University. Staff also teach on a number of other educations offered at other Universities in Denmark and China.

Please refer to http://food.au.dk/en/ for further information about The Department of Food Science and tohttps://tech.au.dk/en/ and http://www.au.dk/en/ for information on Technical Sciences and Aarhus University, respectively.

Employment and place of work

The employer is Aarhus University. The place of employment is Aarhus University and the place of work is at the Food Quality Perception and Society Science Team at Department of Food Science (http://food.au.dk/en/ ), Agro Food Park 48, 8200 Aarhus, Denmark.

The Department of Food Science offers:

• a well-developed research infrastructure, laboratories and access to shared equipment
• an exciting interdisciplinary environment with many national, international and industrial collaborators
• a research climate encouraging lively, open and critical discussion within and across different fields of research
• a work environment with close working relationships, networking and social activities
• a workplace characterised by professionalism, equality and a healthy work-life balance.

Aarhus University offers talented scientists from around the world attractive career perspectives via the Technical Sciences Tenure Track Programme. Highly qualified candidates are appointed as Assistant Professors for a period of six years with the prospect of performance- based advancement to a tenured Associate Professorship.
The aim of the Technical Sciences Tenure Track Programme is to:

• attract outstanding talented individuals that are competitive at an international level
• to promote the early development of independent research success early in the career of scientists
• to create transparency in the academic career path

As part of the tenure track position, the candidate is offered:

• access to research infrastructure
• capability development, including postgraduate teacher training
• support to develop scientific networks and to secure interdisciplinary research at the highest level

As part of the Aarhus University Tenure Track Programme, the University carries out a mid-way evaluation to review the progress of the tenure track candidate after three years, according to the same criteria used in the final tenure review. The final tenure review is conducted after five and a half years. If the review is positive, the candidate will be offered a tenured position as Associate Professor at Aarhus University.

Shortlisting is used. This means that after the deadline for applications – and with the assistance from the assessment committee chairman, and the assessment committee if necessary, – the head of department selects the candidates to be evaluated. The selection is made on the basis of an assessment of who of the candidates are most relevant considering the requirements of the advertisement. All applicants will be notified within 6 weeks whether or not their applications have been sent to an expert assessment committee for evaluation. The selected applicants will be informed about the composition of the committee and will receive his/her assessment.

Technical Sciences refers to the Ministerial Order on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Danish Universities under the Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation.

Appointment shall be in accordance with the collective labour agreement between the Danish Ministry of Taxationand the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. Further information on qualification requirements and job content may be found in the Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Danish Universities .

Salary and terms as agreed between the Danish Ministry of Taxation and the Confederation of Professional Unions at basic salary steps 4-8.

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.

Research activities will be evaluated in relation to actual research time. Thus, we encourage applicants to specify periods of leave without research activities, in order to be able to subtract these periods from the span of the scientific career during the evaluation of scientific productivity.

Aarhus University offers a broad variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including relocation service and career counselling to expat partners. Read more here . Please find more information about entering and working in Denmarkhere .

The application must be submitted via Aarhus University’s recruitment system, which can be accessed under the job advertisement on Aarhus University's website.