Postdoc in Computational food data integration and predictive quality modelling

Department of Food Science, University of Copenhagen, is recognized for excellence in food research, food science education, and industry collaboration. It covers all disciplines of food science from raw materials to processing and consumption, and is organized in four sections, one of which is the section for “Food Microbiology, Gut Health and Fermentation”, where the position is placed.

The postdoc’s duties will focus oncomputational food data integration, predictive modelling and food quality, as well as teaching. The work is embedded in a 24-month interdisciplinary research programme commencing 1 November 2026 within the Horizon Europe MICROORC project and the RECIPE research consortium, involving academic and industrial partners across Europe. Food systems generate rich but fragmented data such as microbial counts, temperature histories, composition tables, sustainability indicators, sensory descriptions, and recipes. The overall aim of the position is to turn such heterogeneous data into quantitative, decision-ready models. The work comprises two connected activities: (i) probabilistic modelling of microbial spoilage for shelf-life prediction, extending an established Bayesian modelling framework to new products and dynamic storage conditions and integrating it into the MICROORC decision-support architecture; and (ii) development of data infrastructure and models linking recipes with nutritional, sustainability, flavor, and cost information for recipe-level decision support within the RECIPE consortium, in collaboration with Wageningen University & Research.

As several project deliverables fall early in the appointment, the successful candidate is expected to contribute to the ongoing work from the start of the employment. The employment is for 24 months.

Your job

Your key tasks as a postdoc at SCIENCE are to:

• Manage and carry through your research project
• Contribute to data infrastructure, technical reporting, and deliverables in the associated EU and consortium projects
• Write scientific articles and disseminate research results at international conferences
• Contribute to co-supervision of MSc and BSc students
• Participate in collaboration with academic and industry partners in Denmark and abroad

Qualifications

We are looking for a candidate who has:

• A PhD in computer science, bioinformatics, food science, or a related field
• Documented experience with Bayesian statistical modelling and deep learning applied to biological or food systems
• Documented experience with natural language processing of domain-specific text and transformer-based models
• Documented experience working with structured food data resources, such as food databases, ontologies, or knowledge graphs
• A strong track record of first-author publications in international peer-reviewed journals and conferences
• Excellent skills in written and spoken English

The following qualifications are considered an advantage:

• Experience contributing to externally funded collaborative research projects (e.g., Horizon Europe), including technical reporting
• Familiarity with predictive microbiology or kinetic modelling of food quality
• Familiarity with chemometrics and multivariate data analysis
• Experience with sensory or flavor data

Candidates are assessed on the combined match with the full profile above, as the position requires working across all project activities without an extended onboarding period.

Further information on the Department is linked at https://www.science.ku.dk/english/about-the-faculty/organisation/. Inquiries about the position can be made to Professor Morten Arendt Rasmussen, mortenr@food.ku.dk.

The University wishes our staff to reflect the diversity of society and thus welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background.

Terms of employment

The position is covered by the Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff.

Terms of appointment and payment accord to the agreement between the Ministry of Finance and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations on Academics in the State.

Negotiation for salary supplement is possible.

The application, in English, must be submitted electronically by clicking APPLY NOW below.

Please include

• Curriculum vitae
• Diplomas (Master and PhD degree or equivalent)
• Research plan – description of current and future research plans
• Complete publication list
• Separate reprints of 3 particularly relevant papers

The deadline for applications is 14 September 2026, 23:59 GMT +2.

After the expiry of the deadline for applications, the authorized recruitment manager selects applicants for assessment on the advice of the Interview Committee.

You can read about the recruitment process at https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/.

Interviews will be held on 21 and 24 September 2026.

Københavns Universitet giver sine knap 10.000 medarbejdere muligheder for at udnytte deres talent fuldt ud i et ambitiøst, uformelt miljø. Vi sikrer traditionsrige og moderne rammer om uddannelser og fri forskning på højt internationalt niveau. Vi søger svar og løsninger på fælles problemer og gør ny viden tilgængelig og nyttig for andre.

Kontakt

Morten Arendt Vils Rasmussen E-mail: jqb363@ku.dk

Info

Ansøgningsfrist: 14-09-2026 Ansættelsesdato: 01-11-2026 Arbejdstid: Fuldtid Afdeling/Sted: FOOD