Dr E Duggan
No more applications being accepted
Funded PhD Project (Students Worldwide)
About the Project
Post summary
Applications are invited for a PhD scholarship in the area of Food Science.
The last decades have seen a significant increase in life expectancy as a result of improved diet and heathcare. However as people age, several conditions may develop that limit ingestion/digestion of nutrients, causing poor health. For example, in the mouth weakened teeth/gums and muscle dysphagia can make chewing unpleasant and/or unsuccessful. Recent studies also show that in Ireland many individuals over the age of 65 are deficient in Vitamin D.
This project aims to develop the fundamental research to underpin the development of foods to improve the nutritional status of the over 65s. The focus of the PhD will be to develop foam-based food matrices that are easy to chew and digest and promote nutrient bioavailability. The foam matrices will be stabilised by protein / polysaccharide microgel particles which can be used for the encapsulation of vitamin D. The project will involve characterisation of microgel particles and stabilised foam matrices, evaluation of vitamin D delivery and in vitro digestion studies of the developed foams.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential
• Applicants should hold or expect to attain, as a minimum, an Honours degree, or equivalent, in Food Science, Food Technology or a related discipline.
Knowledge & experience
Essential
• Knowledge of protein / polysaccharide chemistry
• Some knowledge of food analytical characterisation techniques
Desirable
• Knowledge of encapsulation technologies, in vitro digestion studies
Skills & competencies
Essential
• Applicants whose first language is not English must submit evidence of competency in English, please see WIT’s English Language Requirements for details.
• Good scientific, problem-solving and communication skills.
• Good IT skills
Further information
For any informal queries, please contact Elaine Duggan at email: [Email Address Removed] or telephone: +00353 (0) 51 302623.
For queries relating to the application and admission process please contact the Postgraduate Admissions Office via email [Email Address Removed] or telephone +353 (0)51 302883.
Website: www.wit.ie
Funding Notes
Application procedure
Download the Research Postgraduate Application Form and return completed applications to [Email Address Removed], quoting ‘WD_2017_34’ in the email subject line. Please note that paper submissions will not be accepted.
The Institute may decide to interview only those applicants who appear from the information available, to be the most suitable, in terms of experience, qualifications and other requirements of the post.
WATERFORD INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES EMPLOYER