DC9 Open Position: Exploration of olive and bilberry bioactives bioavalability aspects through advanced in silico techniques
General information
BioTransform is a multidisciplinary doctoral network aiming to investigate the role of health promoting constituents found in food products (food bioactives – FB), focusing on their metabolism. Even though the role of the gut microbiome is nowadays considered imperative in health homeostasis and disease prevention, the available information regarding gut microbiome-driven FB biotransformations after food intake remains scarce and highly unexplored even regarding common food products. Thus, the goal of BioTransform is to combine state-of-the-art methods, technologies and approaches in a complementary and integrated way to reveal the role of metabolism in the digestive tract, and the impact of FB and their metabolites (biotransformation products) on health and disease. To this end, human pilot studies, in vitro and in silico metabolism simulation methods, gut microbiome sequencing, metabolite profiling and metabolomics will be employed. The BioTransform objectives will be accomplished through 11 complementary doctoral projects from 9 education and research entities, additionally including the participation of 6 associated partners from the private sector and one from academia.
BioTransform will recruit 11 enthusiastic, talented and driven doctoral candidates (DCs) who are highly motivated to become interdisciplinary and competent researchers and professionals in the area of health and food science. All recruited fellows will be enrolled in a PhD degree programme and will be employed full-time in this interdisciplinary and intersectoral network.
Application will open 1/2/2026
What BioTransform will offer
- A thorough scientific education in the frame of a doctoral training programme.
- A strong involvement in a cutting edge European research project with high international visibility.
- DCs will participate in complementary international secondments to other organisations involved in the BioTransform network, and in specific international courses, workshops, conferences and outreach activities.
- A prestigious three-year MSCA Fellowship.
- A competitive salary based on the MSCA allowances in line with the MSCA WP 2023-2025, including mobility and family allowance.
- Depending on the host organisation, and following a positive evaluation, additional funding for a maximum of 12 months may be provided to complete a four-year doctoral degree.
- The expected start date is 1/3/26, 1/5/26 or 1/7/26 according to the specific job descriptions.
- Each DC will be supervised by an interdisciplinary and intersectoral Supervisory Team.
Eligibility criteria
- Supported researchers: Applicants must be doctoral candidates, i.e. not already in possession of a doctoral degree at the date of the recruitment. Researchers who have successfully defended their PhD thesis but not yet received their degree are not considered eligible.
- Mobility rule: Researchers must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, study, etc.) in the country of the recruiting beneficiary for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before their recruitment date.
- Local requirements: PhD applicants must fulfil the local requirements of the recruiting institutions listed in the specific job descriptions.
General Selection Criteria
- You must hold a Master’s degree (or equivalent, see specific job descriptions for more information if applicable) in a relevant field for the corresponding vacancy or you will have obtained it by the date of recruitment.
- You can demonstrate excellent study results.
- You have a relevant scientific background, with the necessary academic skills.
- You have strong English language skills, both verbally and in writing.
- You have the motivation to successfully obtain a doctoral degree through an individual research project.
- You act with attention to quality, integrity, creativity and cooperation.
- You are highly motivated to share your research findings at international research events through engaging poster and oral presentations, as well as publish high-quality papers in international (peer-reviewed) journals.
- You are willing to participate in international meetings, trainings and secondments, as international mobility is a key concept for MSCA Doctoral Networks fellows.
- Additional institutional selection criteria may apply. If applicable, these can be found in the specific job descriptions.
Application Procedure
- You can apply for different positions simultaneously.
- All applications must be submitted through the online job application platform on the BioTransform website https://biotransform-msca.eu/. Relevant deadlines are mentioned in the specific job descriptions. Click on the ‘Submit your application’ button, complete the online application form and be sure to include a motivation letter, a recent CV (including a transcript of study results), and the contact information of two reference contact persons.
- In some cases it is required to also submit your application through the hosting institute’s website. This will be clearly mentioned in the specific job description if applicable. In these cases you must therefore submit your application twice, at two different websites, for it to be valid.
- The candidates will be pre-selected by the recruiting host institution based on their local HR processes. Interviews with the pre-selected candidates will be held by web conferencing or in person.
- BioTransform will ensure fair and transparent selection of the DCs in line with the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers and best practices applicable to the fellows (e.g. ethics, professionalism, use of results) and host institutions (e.g. non-discrimination, working conditions). The network will aim for a gender-balanced and diverse group of DCs.
Job description
DC9: Exploration of olive and bilberry bioactives bioavalability aspects through advanced in silico techniques
Host institution: Department of Life Sciences, University of Bath (UBath), United Kingdom
Supervisor: Prof. Nikoletta Fotaki
Co-Supervisors: Prof. Nikolaos Tentolouris, Medical School, Laiko General Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA), Greece (Academic); Dr. Olaf Kelber, Steigerwald Arzneimittelwerk, Darmstadt, Germany (Industrial)
Project description
BioTransform is a multidisciplinary doctoral network aiming to investigate the role of health-promoting constituents found in food products (food bioactives – FB), focusing on their metabolism. FB coexist with nutrients, but they are biologically active compounds present in our diet and characterised by great structural variability and biological properties. Despite the imperative role of gut microbiota in health maintenance and disease prevention, the available information regarding FB metabolism remains scarce, and the biotransformation occurring in the human organism is highly unexplored. Thus, the goal of BioTransform is to combine state-of-the-art methods, technologies, and approaches in a complementary and integrated way to reveal the impact of FB and their metabolites (biotransformation products) on health and disease. To this end, human pilot studies, in vitro and in silico metabolism simulation methods, gut microbiota sequencing, metabolite profiling, and metabolomics will be employed. Metabolites will be biologically profiled through biochemical and cell-based assays. In BioTransform, the metabolism of olive and bilberry FB (secoiridoids, phenols, and polyphenols), which are European flagship food products with proven activity in metabolism-related pathologies, will be systematically investigated.
Your tasks
(1) High throughput pharmacokinetic (PK) screening of selected bioactives with advanced in silico methods; (2) Prediction of physicochemical properties and ADMET of bilberry and olive bioactives and their metabolites with advanced in silico methods; (3) Development of physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models to mimic the in vivo PK profiles.
Host laboratory
The University of Bath (UBath), ranked 8th best university in the UK in the Guardian University Guide 2024 and 5th in the Complete University Guide 2024, is one of the UK’s leading research-intensive universities. This was augmented by an excellent performance in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework exercise, which assesses the quality of research in UK Higher Education Institutions, with 92% of research deemed world-leading/internationally excellent. UBath was awarded the label “Human Resources Excellence in Research” in 2011. The University’s current research funding portfolio is now valued at approximately £156 million. Extremely successful for a university of its age, it ranked 148 out of approximately 1,500 in the QS World University Rankings 2023. The Department of Life Sciences has a long-standing and internationally recognised reputation for high-quality research in the pharmaceutical and pharmacological sciences. The research expertise includes translational biopharmaceutics, and the development of in vitro and in silico screening tools for predicting compound ADMET properties. Through cutting-edge and multidisciplinary research and the use of biotechnological and Big Data approaches, these and many other topics enable new opportunities for broader collaboration and define a new vision of life sciences.
Secondments: This project is carried out in strong collaboration with the following groups, and visits to their laboratories (2 months each) are expected during the project. A willingness to travel and spend time abroad is therefore essential:
- Medical School, Laiko General Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA), Greece
- Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Riga Stradins University (RSU), Latvia
Steigerwald Arzneimittelwerk, Darmstadt, Germany
Specific eligibility conditions and selection criteria
- Master’s degree (or equivalent giving access to PhD enrolment) in Pharmacy or other Health Science, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Engineering, Biomedical Sciences, Clinical Pharmacology or a related field awarded by the start date.
- Applicants whose first language is not English must meet the minimum language requirements equivalent to an IELTS score of 6.5 (with no less than 6.0 in each component (academic version)). See the University of Bath Postgraduate English Language Entry Requirements for full details: https://www.bath.ac.uk/corporate-information/postgraduate-research-degrees-english-language-requirements-for-international-students/
- Desirable: Past experience of (i) statistics and modelling; (ii) pharmacokinetics and biopharmaceutics; (iii) Evidence of excellent writing skills
Enquiries
For general information about the BioTransform Doctoral Network visit the project website (https://biotransform-msca.eu/). For additional information on this project please contact Prof. Nikoletta Fotaki (n.fotaki@bath.ac.uk)
Required documents
- Motivation letter (limit of 2,500 characters) explaining why you wish to be considered for the fellowship and which qualities and experience you will bring to the role. Also mention from which date onwards you are available.
- A recent CV, including a transcript of study results.
- A final degree certificate in English. If, at the time of application, candidates should not be yet in possession of a degree certificate, they should submit it before final enrolment.
- Contact information of two reference contact persons.
A limited number of applicants will be invited for an interview.