PhD Student in Dairy Health Research

Are you ready for a new beginning?

We need your talent, knowledge and dedication to better our world with biology.

Our purpose points the way

In Novonesis, we know that solutions rooted in biology can help solve humanity’s biggest challenges. Since we began more than a century ago, this has been our guide. It’s how we've gotten so far. And it’s how we'll impact the future. Now, more than ever, the world needs change. And with biosolutions, the possibilities for transformation are endless.

We’re here to better our world with biology.

PhD Student in Dairy Health Research

Discover a unique opportunity to pursue your PhD within an innovative Dairy Health business unit, where you will contribute to advancing human health through glycan-based dairy ingredients, collaborate with international experts, and gain valuable hands-on research experience in both industry and academia.

Welcome to Dairy Health

In Dairy Health, you will join a dedicated group focused on developing and communicating health science within fermented dairy and dairy ingredients. Our team works to unlock new nutritional benefits, emphasizing Host-Microbe interactions, and broadening health offerings into shelf-stable products. You will collaborate closely with Dr. Mani Arumugam as your main university supervisor and Dr. Michael Pichler as co-supervisor from Dairy Health team in Novonesis, alongside senior researchers and technical staff at both Novonesis Hørsholm and university sites.

In this role you’ll make an impact by:

Your research will support the growth and defense of dairy-based health ingredients, helping to build scientific knowledge around fermentation, probiotics, and enzymes. You will contribute to expanding human health benefits and nutritional solutions, focusing on the interaction between hosts and microbes. Alongside core scientific work, you will participate in writing publications or patents, support administrative tasks related to laboratory maintenance and project documentation, and complete required PhD courses. You should also be willing to travel or stay abroad for conferences or lab modules at third-party sites.

In addition, some of your key tasks will include: 

• Co-developing prebiotic glycan-based Dairy Health Ingredients and concepts 
• Collaborating with global research teams specializing in microbes and enzymes to produce and characterize new glycans 
• Investigating the potential of glycans for gut microbiota modulation in invitro-intestinal models 
• Applying diverse omics tools to evaluate the mechanism-of-action of prebiotic glycans 
• Coordinating necessary publications or patents with internal and external stakeholders

You will work closely with colleagues at Novonesis and university partners, benefiting from hybrid working arrangements and support from experienced researchers and technical staff across both sites.

To succeed you must hold: 

• A Master’s degree in Bioinformatics, Biochemistry, or Microbiology with a focus on glyco-chemistry or omics 
• Wetlab experience with microbiology or glyco-chemistry (advantageous) 
• A grade of at least 10 (or equivalent for foreign educations) in the thesis/final project of your Master’s degree 
• Achievement of one of the following grade requirements: a combined weighted average of at least 8.2 on the 7-point scale or 9 on the 13-point scale for your Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees, or a weighted average of at least 9.5 on the 7-point scale or 9.4 on the 13-point scale for your two-year Master’s degree alone

Additionally, we expect you to demonstrate working proficiency in English and possess strong presentation skills. You should be comfortable travelling as required for conferences or laboratory modules and able to support the team with administrative and project documentation tasks.

You should demonstrate a collaborative approach, flexibility, pragmatism, and organizational skills. The role requires you to be self-driven and maintain an approachable manner, enabling effective teamwork and communication across diverse settings.

The duration of the employment will be 3 years. Preferred start date: April’26

Deadline: 8th March 2026

Contact Person: Dr. Michael Pichler, Scientist Dairy Health, Novonesis Horsholm

Please refrain from sending resumes by email and any further queries will be addressed during the first round of selection directly with the applicants.

Please include below in your application:

• Academic diplomas (MSc/PhD – in English) and a list of publications
• Grade transcripts and BSc/MSc diploma (in English), including the official description of the grading scale

We will screen in-coming applications and invite for interviews continuously

during the application period, so please apply as soon as possible.

Could our purpose be yours? Then apply today!

At Novonesis we commit to an inclusive recruitment process and equality of opportunity for all our job applicants. We recommend you not to attach a cover letter to your application. Instead, please include a few sentences in your resume/CV about why you are applying. To ensure a fair recruitment process, please refrain from adding a photo in your resume/CV.
 
Novonesis is dedicated to fostering a unique community by embracing and respecting differences. We make all employment decisions based on business needs, ensuring that every individual can thrive, regardless of identity or background such as ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, or veteran status.

Want to learn more?
Learn more about Novonesis, our purpose, and your career opportunities at novonesis.com

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