Context: Beekeeping is an ancient tradition in Europe, important for the environment, sustaining biodiversity by providing essential pollination for a wide range of crops and wild plants. Alongside honey, which is undoubtedly the most widespread bee product, bees also provide us with pollen, propolis and royal jelly from which people can benefit. However, there is limited evidence to support the approval of the health claims related to beekeeping products. The PhD student is expected to identify natural compounds and residues in beekeeping products from both conventional and organic production using targeted and screening methods based on mass spectrometry.
Objectives: Characterise bioactive compounds as markers of organic beekeeping.
Specific objectives include:
- Development of extraction methods for the analysis of bioactive compounds.
- Elucidation of chemical structures of bioactive compounds using mass spectrometry based techniques.
- Characterisation of honeybee products from different geographic areas (Spain, Italy and Slovenia) using IRMS.
Expected Results: The candidate will identify specific markers capable of differentiating organic vs conventional beekeeping (D1.4); MS methods for determining bioactive compounds (M3); A database of bioactive compounds in organic and conventional food products (M4). Planned secondments: S15: AUTH (D. Lambropolou), 3 months M7-10, develop knowledge and skills for the isolation and extraction of bioactive compounds; S16: JSI (N. Ogrinc/E. Heath) 3 months, M13-15, analysis of bioactive compounds and stable isotope analysis; S17: UAL-EURL (A.F. Alba) 3 months, M19-20-22; analysis of bioactive compounds by high resolution-MS (Orbitrap and QTOF); S18: Agilent (J. Escribano), 1 month, M17, training in advanced MS techniques.
ESR Profile and requirements:
- Academic Master recognised by the EU in one of the following disciplines: Analytical Chemistry, Chemistry, Food Sciences, or Pharmacy.
- Outstanding academic study performance.
- Expertise or knowledge of analytical chemistry, particularly in separation sciences and mass spectrometry, statistics and data management.
- Strong interest in basic and applied research.
- You act with attention to quality and creativity.
- Critical thinking, highly motivated and independent.
- Flexible and able to work in a team in an international research environment
How to apply
Application Process:
All applications, in English, must be done using FoodTraNet application form. To access the application form click on this link:
https://www.foodtranet.org/apply.html
The application form requires basic contact information (name, surname, email) and ESR eligibility criteria (date of Master’s award, full-time postgraduate research experience in months, country of residence and duration of residence in that country). Applicants are invited to choose up to three PhD Positions in order of preference. Only the complete applications (completed application form, CV, Covering Letter and Academic Records) will be evaluated. FoodTraNet is committed to Open, transparent, Merit-based Recruitment procedures of Researchers (OTM-R). Please contact [Email Address Removed] if you have any problems submitting your application.
Please carefully read the Call for Applicants guidance document for more information regarding Employment Conditions, ESR Benefits, and Eligibility Rules before you submit your application: https://www.foodtranet.org/images/call_for_applicants_guidance.pdf .
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