2-year Postdoctoral in Consumer Science and Environmental Food Labelling

The Department of Food Science at Aarhus University invites applications for a 2-year postdoctoral position in consumer science with a focus on quantitative research, large-scale online surveys, and data analysis. This position is part of an interdisciplinary research project funded by EIT Food, aimed at advancing the design and effectiveness of environmental food labels to support more sustainable consumer food choices.

The Position

We are seeking a motivated and skilled postdoctoral researcher with a background in consumer behavior research, particularly in the area of food and sustainability. The project explores how consumers perceive, interpret, and respond to environmental food labels and how these labels can influence purchasing decisions and dietary habits, using research inputs to improve the design and impact of these labels in conscious consumers’ choices.

In addition to assessing the impact of environmental food labels on consumer choices, the research will also focus on co-developing and testing label designs with consumers, using both quantitative and experimental approaches. The successful candidate will be responsible for reviewing relevant research, designing and conducting large-scale online surveys, analyzing data, and generating insights that contribute to evidence-based label development.

The position, part of the Science Team of Food Quality Perception and Society, sits at the intersection of food science, sustainability, and consumer research, and aligns with the Department’s broader mission to support sustainable food systems through science-based innovation.

Key responsibilities:

• Designing and conducting large-scale online consumer surveys
• Analyzing and interpreting quantitative consumer data
• Ensuring compliance with GDPR, data security protocols, and ethical standards, including preparation of ethics applications and contribution to data management plans
• Working within an interdisciplinary project team
• Using research insights to co-develop and improve the design and communication elements of environmental label prototypes
• Evaluating consumer understanding, preferences, and usability of different label formats
• Publishing in high-impact peer-reviewed journals and contributing to project deliverables
• Engaging with academic, industry, and policy stakeholders to disseminate findings

Qualifications

We are looking for candidates who offer:

• A PhD in consumer science, food science with a behavioral or market orientation, marketing, psychology, economics, or a related discipline
• Proven experience in quantitative research, survey methodology, data management and statistical analysis
• Familiarity with consumer behaviour related to food, sustainability, and labelling
• A track record of peer-reviewed publications
• Excellent communication skills in English, both written and spoken
• Experience in interdisciplinary and/or industry-collaborative projects is a plus

What We Offer

• A vibrant, international, and interdisciplinary research environment at one of Europe’s leading food science departments
• Access to state-of-the-art infrastructure and collaboration with experts in food structure, technology, and sustainability
• Opportunities for career development and international networking
• A strong support system for academic publishing and grant development

The Department of Food Science

The Department of Food Science is part of the Faculty of Technology, Aarhus University and includes research across the food value chain within the areas of Plant Production Systems, Biofunctional Food, Systems Biology, Food Chemistry and Technology, Food Quality, and Sensory and Consumer Science. The Department currently employs approx. 60 full time research staff and 80 PhD students and Postdocs, with an additional approx. 60 Master and Bachelor thesis-based students and visiting researchers, who together contribute to an international research environment where English is the preferred language in the laboratory, at meetings and at seminars.

We offer a challenging and independent job opportunity in an ambitious and inspiring research and education environment with an informal atmosphere. We are looking for a dynamic employee who is able to work independently and maintain an overview during periods of high workload. We expect that you are efficient at planning your time and organizing major tasks. You enjoy interaction with both scientific staff, students and technical-administrative staff and you have a flair for establishing collaborative relationships. The Department works in teams and therefore self-leadership, clear and open communication, success in mentoring, supervising and teaching are important qualities needed to be successful in the Department. In addition, the Department has a strong culture that is based on openness, equality, consultation and inclusion, and contributing to the Department strategy and working environment is viewed as important.

The Department is responsible for a Master’s programme in Molecular Nutrition and Food Technology, taught at AU, Denmark, and a Master’s programme in Food and Health at the Sino-Danish Center in Beijing, China. In addition, Department staff contribute to several other key interdisciplinary educations, including Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes in Agrobiology, and a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering in Food Technology, Aarhus University. Staff also teach on a number of other educations offered at other Universities in Denmark and China.

The Department also conducts research-based advice of the Danish Government in the areas of plant production and food quality.

Please refer to http://food.au.dk/ for further information about The Department of Food Science and to https://tech.au.dk/en/and http://www.au.dk/en/ for information on Faculty of Technical Sciences and Aarhus University, respectively.

Place of Work and area of Employment

The place of work is Department of Food Science, Aarhus University, Agro Food Park 48, 8200 Aarhus N, Denmark.
For further information contact Head of Department Anne Louise Dannesboe Nielsen, email: [email protected]

Living in Aarhus / Denmark

Please visit the International Centre website (http://www.au.dk/en/internationalcentre/) for information about arriving, working and living in Denmark.

Application procedure

Shortlisting is used. This means that after the deadline for applications – and with the assistance from the assessment committee chairman, and the appointment committee if necessary, – the head of department selects the candidates to be evaluated. All applicants will be notified whether or not their applications have been sent to an expert assessment committee for evaluation. The selected applicants will be informed about the composition of the committee, and each applicant is given the opportunity to comment on the part of the assessment that concerns him/her self. Once the recruitment process is completed a final letter of rejection is sent to the deselected applicants.

Letter of reference

If you want a referee to upload a letter of reference on your behalf, please state the referee’s contact information when you submit your application. We strongly recommend that you make an agreement with the person in question before you enter the referee’s contact information, and that you ensure that the referee has enough time to write the letter of reference before the application deadline.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to ensure that letters of reference received after the application deadline will be taken into consideration.

If you wish to add a referee after you have submitted your application, you must send this person’s details (name, job title, place of work, and email address) as well as the name of the position you have applied for to: [email protected]

Formalities and salary range

Technical Sciences refers to the Ministerial Order on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Danish Universities under the Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation.

The application must be in English and include a curriculum vitae, degree certificate, a complete list of publications, a statement of future research plans and information about research activities, teaching portfolio and verified information on previous teaching experience (if any). Guidelines for applicants can be found here.

Appointment shall be in accordance with the collective labour agreement between the Danish Ministry of Taxation and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. Further information on qualification requirements and job content may be found in the Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Danish Universities.

Salary depends on seniority as agreed between the Danish Ministry of Taxation and the Confederation of Professional Associations.

Aarhus University’s ambition is to be an attractive and inspiring workplace for all and to foster a culture in which each individual has opportunities to thrive, achieve and develop. We view equality and diversity as assets, and we welcome all applicants.

Research activities will be evaluated in relation to actual research time. Thus, we encourage applicants to specify periods of leave without research activities, in order to be able to subtract these periods from the span of the scientific career during the evaluation of scientific productivity.

Aarhus University offers a broad variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including relocation service and career counselling to expat partners.

Aarhus University also offers a Junior Researcher Development Programme targeted at career development for postdocs at AU.

The application must be submitted via Aarhus University’s recruitment system, which can be accessed under the job advertisement on Aarhus University's website.