PhD scholarship in development of local coffee alternatives – BRIGHT

About the role

The Fermentation Cultures group at DTU BRIGHT invites applications for a PhD scholarship in the development of local coffee alternatives. This project aims to create a caffeine‑free coffee alternative from local waste streams, using knowledge from traditional coffee fermentation to add fruity and sour flavour complexity. The work will involve screening substrate combinations, developing a prototype guided by genome‑scale metabolic models from the University of Cambridge (Prof. Kiran Patil), and evaluating the prototype through microbial composition analysis, food safety assessment, metabolomics, sensory analysis, and scalability testing.

Project background

The Fermentation Cultures group studies fermented foods as living biocultural systems, combining microbiology, mycology, ecology, evolution, and genomics. By investigating the origins and evolution of food microorganisms and their interactions within fermented food ecosystems, the group addresses fundamental questions in ecology and evolution while developing novel starter cultures, fermentation processes, and food innovations for a sustainable food system. BRIGHT – the Novo Nordisk Foundation Biotechnology Research Institute for the Green Transition – is a major DTU initiative accelerating biosolutions for sustainable materials, microbial foods, and net‑zero agriculture.

Responsibilities

As a PhD candidate you will lead the scientific progress of the project. Your responsibilities include:

• Developing deep scientific understanding of the field and reviewing relevant literature
• Conducting playful experimentation with culinary product development
• Designing and executing experiments in metagenomics, metabolomics, and sensory analysis of ferments
• Performing bioinformatic analysis, data integration, and statistical analysis
• Visualising results and communicating findings to diverse scientific audiences
• Publishing research in international journals and presenting at conferences
• Collaborating closely with researchers across disciplines and contributing to an open, collaborative research culture

Qualifications

We are looking for a highly motivated candidate with a strong interest in sustainable food systems, food fermentation, and microbial ecology. The ideal candidate has:

• Experience in microbiology and microbial food innovation
• Some experience in food fermentation and product development
• Some experience in generating and analysing metagenomic and metabolomic data

In addition, you should:

• Demonstrate high motivation, curiosity, and scientific integrity
• Work independently and take ownership of your research
• Take a proactive approach to identifying opportunities and solving problems
• Learn quickly and adapt to new methods and challenges
• Have strong communication skills (scientific writing and oral presentations in English)
• Enjoy collaborative, interdisciplinary team work and be comfortable with different types of knowledge
• Be patient, charitable, curious, playful, and culturally open
• Be organised, structured, and committed to reproducible research practices

You must have a two‑year master’s degree (120 ECTS) or equivalent. Enrolment is subject to academic approval.

What we offer

• A rewarding and challenging position in an international environment at a leading technical university
• Academic excellence in a culture of collegial respect, academic freedom, and responsibility
• Salary and terms based on the collective agreement with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations; allowance is agreed with the relevant union
• Employment period of 3 years, with a preferred start date of 1 January 2027
• Option to join a monthly free seminar on PhD relocation to Denmark and startup “Zoom” seminar for practical matters

Further information

For more details, please contact group leader and senior researcher Leonie Johanna Jahn at [email protected]. Read more about BRIGHT at www.bright.dtu.dk (no link; refer to website). For information about working in Denmark and at DTU, see DTU – Moving to Denmark.

Application procedure

Your complete online application must be submitted no later than 27 August 2026 (23:59 Danish time). Applications must be in English and combined into one PDF file containing:

• A letter motivating the application (cover letter)
• Curriculum vitae
• Grade transcripts and BSc/MSc diploma (in English) including official description of the grading scale
• One letter of reference with referee’s email and phone number

You may apply before obtaining your master’s degree but cannot begin before receiving it. Applications received after the deadline will not be considered. All interested candidates irrespective of age, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, race, colour, religion, neurodiversity, national origin, or ethnic background are encouraged to apply. As DTU works with research in critical technology, open‑source background checks may be conducted on qualified candidates.

Original vacancy