Research Assistant in Novel Food Production (FM12461)

Job title Research Assistant in Novel Food Production

Department Chemical Engineering

Salary Starting from £30,505, rising to £36,924

Grade Grade 6

Contract Type Full Time, Fixed Term

Placed on Wednesday 12 February 2025

Closing date Wednesday 05 March 2025

Interview date To be confirmed

Reference FM12461

Applicant Visa Guidance Skilled Worker visa: guidance for applicants (bath.ac.uk)

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We're looking for a hard-working researcher to help support the production of novel foods from grass funded directly from Green Britain Group (Ecotricity) as part of the BBSRC funded consortia: Pasture to Plate.

Our vision is to maximise the food potential of UK pasture by using targeted chemical processing and novel biotechnology to convert grass into nutritious edible fractions for healthier and more affordable alternative foods, making UK agriculture more resilient and sustainable.

In this project you will work with phenomenal team of researchers offering analytical support to extract and assess the nutritious components of the grass, and to support in the assessment of fermentation broths produced from a yeast grown on the grass derived sugars.

You will join a dynamic team of scientists, engineers, food technologists and industrialists in developing a real workable solution to producing human food from grass and other waste materials.

You will be supported by researchers working on the conversion of the grass feedstock, on the fermentation of the material, the lifecycle and economic assessment, nutritional profiling and developing novel foods from the fractions that are produced to ensure the maximum impact of your work.

While this role is for an initial 6 months with an expected end date of 30th September 2025, we would envision a successful candidate being a part of the journey for the longer term, subject to further funding.

Applicants must hold an undergraduate degree in food science, food engineering, analytical chemistry, chemistry, chemical engineering, or relevant subject area.

Successful applicants will also possess:

You'll benefit from working in a dynamic multidisciplinary team based in the Department of Chemical Engineering. We are a top 10 department nationally, specialising in cutting edge sustainable technology development, including the development and optimisation of novel foods through cellular agriculture.

You will also work closely with Green Britain Group (Ecotricity), which was founded by Dale Vince OBE and is at the leading edge of projects designed to improve the sustainability of Energy, Transport and Food across the UK.

As a member of Research Staff you will be encouraged to take up a minimum of 10 days professional development pro rata per year.

For an informal discussion please contact either Professor Chris Chuck at [email protected] or Dr Hannah Leese, Reader, at [email protected].

What we can offer you:

We consider ourselves to be a university where difference is celebrated, respected and encouraged. We have an excellent international reputation with staff from over 60 different nations and have made a positive commitment towards gender equality and intersectionality receiving a Silver Athena SWAN award. We truly believe that diversity of experience, perspectives, and backgrounds will lead to a better environment for our employees and students, so we encourage applications from all genders, backgrounds, and communities, particularly from under-represented groups, and value the positive impact that will have on the university. We are committed to maintaining a safe and secure environment for our students, staff, and community by reinforcing our Safer Recruitment commitment.

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We are constantly seeking to reduce the unconscious bias that enters any assessment process, with the goal of creating an inclusive and equal assessment process. To support this, personal details such as your name, may be removed from application forms at the initial shortlisting stage.