Postdoctoral Fellowship: Postdoc in Insect Protein Chemistry & Functional Beverages — Singapore Institute of Technology

Original title: Research Fellow / Engineer (Insect Protein Chemistry & Functional Beverage Development) – DJ6

About the Role

The Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) invites applications for a fixed-term Research Fellow / Engineer position in the Division of Food, Chemical and Biotechnology. The role supports an awarded applied research project on cricket protein (CP)-based functional beverages, with a focus on protein chemistry, emulsion engineering, scalable food processing, and consumer acceptance. The appointee will contribute to SIT’s sustainable food innovation agenda as part of a multidisciplinary team and will have access to established research platforms and pilot-scale facilities.

Posting start date: 08/05/2026

Key Responsibilities

• Characterise insect proteins and their hydrolysates for compositional and techno-functional properties under different processing conditions (enzymatic hydrolysis, heating, drying, homogenisation).
• Investigate the impact of food processing on protein–polysaccharide interactions.
• Profile phenolic compounds and evaluate bio-functional properties such as antioxidant activity.
• Identify optimal processing conditions that minimise bioactive losses for functional beverage applications.
• Design and formulate insect protein-based oil-in-water emulsions for encapsulation and delivery of bioactives.
• Develop and optimise functional beverage prototypes suitable for industry-scale manufacturing; evaluate emulsion stability and estimated shelf life.
• Conduct in vitro bioaccessibility and bioavailability studies for encapsulated nutrients using existing SIT analytical facilities.
• Support the design and execution of consumer surveys assessing Singapore consumers’ acceptance of foods and beverages.
• Perform principal component analysis (PCA) and multivariate statistics to identify relationships between demographic factors and product acceptance; integrate findings as feedback for beverage formulation.
• Prepare scientific manuscripts, technical reports, and progress updates for funding agencies, journals, and stakeholders.
• Present findings at project meetings, industry engagements, and academic conferences.
• Supervise and mentor junior researchers, research assistants, and students attached to the project.
• Communicate with all relevant internal and external stakeholders to meet project deliverables and undertake ad-hoc duties assigned by the supervisor.

Job Requirements

Education and Experience

• PhD in Food Science, Food Technology, Food Chemistry, Chemistry, Nutrition, or a closely related discipline.
• Strong master’s or bachelor’s degree holders with substantial relevant research experience may be considered for the Engineer grade.

Technical Skills

• Hands-on experience in emulsion formulation and stability characterisation, including droplet size analysis and shelf-life assessment.
• Familiarity with food processing technologies such as HTST, UHT pasteurisation, drying, heating, and high-pressure or multi-stage homogenisation in beverage or liquid food systems.
• Working knowledge of biochemical and antioxidant assay methods, HPLC, MS, and their application in food ingredient analysis.
• Experience with in vitro digestion models and bioaccessibility or bioavailability testing is a strong advantage.

Professional Competencies

• Strong scientific writing skills, with the ability to produce publication-quality manuscripts and clear technical reports.
• Proactive, detail-oriented, and capable of managing multiple experimental and reporting workstreams simultaneously.
• Collaborative, with the ability to work independently within a multidisciplinary applied research environment.
• Good communication and interpersonal skills for engagement with students, colleagues, procurement, risk assessment, equipment purchasing and maintenance, industry partners, and funding stakeholders.
• Strong ownership of projects, with sound project management skills.

What We Offer

This position offers the opportunity to work on impact-driven, translational research within a university of applied learning. The appointee will be part of a multidisciplinary research team, access established research platforms and pilot-scale facilities, and gain experience in producing industry-relevant outcomes in sustainable food innovation.

How to Apply

Interested applicants should apply through the Singapore Institute of Technology careers portal. Refer to the original job listing for full application instructions and any additional requirements.

Original vacancy