Scalable Sterilization of Aerogel Carriers for Bioactive Food

UNIVERSIDADE DE SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA; España; On-site; EUR 65,000 - 70,000; Part time

Job summary

UNIVERSIDADE DE SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA invites applications for a PhD student position within the FAroGels MSCA Doctoral Network. The selected candidate will enroll as a PhD student at USC and work on scalable sterilization of aerogel carriers for bioactive food within an international, interdisciplinary team.

The project focuses on sterilization workflows for biopolymer aerogels, including low-temperature and gas-phase routes, with strong emphasis on experimental work, data analysis, and

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in a relevant field (e.g., pharmaceutical sciences, chemistry, materials science).
• Strong laboratory and analytical skills in biomedical technology and/or microbiology.
• Proficiency in English (written and spoken) is required.

Responsibilities

• Carry out laboratory-based research and data analysis.
• Contribute to scientific communication and dissemination of results.
• Collaborate with supervisors, doctoral candidates, and partner organizations.

Skills

Laboratory skills

English proficiency

Education

Master’s degree

Job description

Organisation/Company UNIVERSIDADE DE SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA Department Vicerrectorado de Investigación e Ciencia Aberta Research Field Pharmacological sciences Chemistry Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Positions PhD Positions Application Deadline 9 Dec 2026 - 00:00 (Europe/Madrid) Country Spain Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week 35 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Horizon Europe - MSCA Marie Curie Grant Agreement Number 101312450 Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

This position forms part of the FAroGels research program on food-grade, bio-based, and biodegradable aerogels and their application in sustainable food systems. The selected candidate will be employed by University of Santiago de Compostela (USC) and will be required to enroll as a PhD student at USC, in accordance with the relevant admission and enrolment requirements.

The doctoral project will focus onScalable Sterilization of Aerogel Carriers for Bioactive Food.

• DC10 addresses a major bottleneck for translating FAroGels materials into real food and nutraceutical applications: sterilising or controlling the microbial load of aerogels without damaging their structure or functionality. Conventional methods (autoclaving, dry heat, irradiation) often collapse pores, degrade bioactives or alter surface chemistry.
• The project will focus on design sterilisation workflows tailored to biopolymer aerogels, exploring low-temperature, solvent-assisted, gas-phase and controlled-humidity routes that ensure microbiological safety while preserving morphology, porosity and functional performance.
• The PhD candidate will investigate the sterilisation-structure-function relationships that will support integration of aerogels into safe, industry-ready systems, ensuring structural stability, bioactivity retention and microbiological safety benchmarks under relevant storage conditions. The sterilization protocols will be developed, optimized and validated for food- and nutraceutical-grade aerogels based on the results obtained using different analytical methods, including microbial kill assays, NMR/FTIR analysis, porosity and mechanical stability tests, and bioactive-retention studies.
• The research will contribute to provide the final step needed to bring FAroGels materials (bioactive, sensory systems, packaging solutions) to market by ensuring that they can be sterilised at scale without losing performance and that its implementation within industry-ready workflow guidelines enabling safe integration is feasible.
• The position will involve laboratory-based research, data analysis, scientific communication and close collaboration with other FAroGels Doctoral Candidates, supervisors and partner organizations.
• Educational Background: Master’s degree (or equivalent) in relevant fields, e.g., pharmaceutical sciences, chemistry, materials science, food science and technology, chemical engineering, biochemistry or biotechnology.
• Skills: Strong laboratory and analytical skills in biomedical technology and/or microbiology.
• Languages: Proficiency in English (written and spoken) is required.
• Strong motivation to pursue doctoral research in an international and interdisciplinary environment.
• Ability to work independently while contributing effectively to collaborative research activities.
• Good organization, communication and problem-solving skills.
• Willingness to travel for planned secondments, network meetings and training activities.
• Commitment to responsible research conduct, inclusion, collegiality and professional development.

This position is funded by the FAroGels MSCA Doctoral Network (HORIZON-MSCA-2025-DN-01-01, Grant Agreement No. 101312450). The salary is based on the following monthly MSCA allowances:

• Living allowance:EUR 4,010, adjusted by the country correction coefficient of the country of the recruiting organisation to ensure equal treatment and comparable purchasing power for all researchers.
• Mobility allowance:EUR 710, contributing to mobility-related costs such as relocation and travel.
• Family allowance (if applicable):EUR 660, paid for the months in which the Doctoral Candidate has a family during the project, including where family obligations arise after recruitment. ‘Family’ means persons linked to the researcher by marriage (or a relationship with equivalent status recognised by the legislation of the country where it was formalised) or dependent children actually being maintained by the researcher. The allowance is paid in accordance with the rules of the recruiting organisation, and supporting documents may be requested.

Eligibility criteria

Applicants of any nationality are welcome to apply. At the date of recruitment, applicants must meet the following MSCA Doctoral Network requirements:

• Doctoral candidate status:Applicants must not already hold a doctoral degree. Applicants who have successfully defended their doctoral thesis but have not yet been formally awarded the doctoral degree are not eligible.
• Mobility rule:Applicants must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Spain for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before the recruitment date. Compulsory national service, short stays such as holidays, and time spent as part of a procedure for obtaining refugee status under the Geneva Convention or EU temporary protection are not taken into account. Compliance is verified before the start of employment, on the basis of the candidate’s passport and, where necessary, other documents.
• PhD enrolment:Doctoral Candidates must be enrolled in a doctoral programme leading to the award of a doctoral degree in at least one EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country. For this position, this is the doctoral programme at USC; applicants must therefore meet its admission requirements.
• Visa and residence permit:a visa or residence/work permit is not required at the application stage and is not a selection criterion. Where needed, it will be arranged after selection and before the start of employment, with the support of the recruiting organisation. Candidates from non-EU countries are equally welcome to apply.

FAroGels follows an open, transparent and merit-based recruitment process in line with the European Charter for Researchers:

• Eligibility check by the FAroGels Project Manager.
• Evaluation of the eligible applications by an Interview Committee (primary supervisor, co-supervisor(s) and a representative of a non-academic partner) with a standardised scoring matrix; the three to five best-ranked candidates are shortlisted.
• Online interview with the shortlisted candidates.
• Approvalof the selection by the FAroGels Supervisory Board, after which an offer is made.

All applicants are informed of the outcome and receive feedback on request.

Application Documents

Please submit the following documents:

• A detailed curriculum vitae, including education, research experience, technical skills and relevant achievements.
• A motivation letter explaining your interest in this specific DC position, your relevant background and your suitability for the project.
• Copies of Bachelor’s and Master’s diplomas and academic transcripts, or evidence that the relevant degree will be completed before the recruitment date.
• Contact details for two referees and reference letters, according to the requirements of USC.
• Proof of English-language proficiency, if required by the PhD awarding institution.
• Incomplete applications may not be considered.

Please note:Applicants should ensure that all required documents are submitted before the stated deadline. Please note that a separate PhD admission and/or enrolment procedure may apply at USC.