Overview
Organisation/Company University of Graz Department Institue of Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Field Pharmacological sciences » Pharmacy Chemistry » Analytical chemistry Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Positions PhD Positions Country Austria Application Deadline 30 Nov 2025 - 23:59 (Europe/Brussels) Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week 40 Offer Starting Date 1 Oct 2025 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Horizon Europe - MSCA Marie Curie Grant Agreement Number 101225248 Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No
What BioTransform offers
* 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 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.
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.
Additional information
BioTransformwill 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.
Project specifics
DC6:Exploration of metabolism pathways and bioactives’ metabolites from bilberries by using UPLC-HRMS approaches
Host institution: Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Pharmacognosy, University of Graz, Austria
Co-Supervisors: Dr. Gints Smits,Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Pharmacology, Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis (LIOS), Riga, Latvia (Academic); Mrs. Anna Ramata-Stunda,Alternative Plants, Riga, Latvia (Industrial)
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 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.
Host laboratory
University of Graz (UGraz) founded in 1585 is Austria's second oldest university and one of the largest in the country. The university is organized into six faculties and is strengthening its specialist research areas with five Fields of Excellence, one being “Biohealth”. Within the cooperative research initiative BioTechMed-Graz, UGraz is collaborating with Graz University of Technology and Medical University of Graz. At the Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences - PharmNagy, Priv.-Doz. Dr. Eva Maria Pferschy-Wenzig and Prof. Dr. Rudolf Bauer have long standing experience in UHPLC /HRMS-MS metabolomics, on the interaction of natural products with human gut microbiome, as well as on bioactive plant constituents.
Secondments This project is carried out in strong collaboration with the institutions listed below. 2-month visits to their laboratories are scheduled during the project. A willingness to travel and spend time abroad is therefore essential:
* Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Pharmacology, Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis (LIOS), Riga, Latvia
* Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Imperial College London (ICL), United Kingdom
To apply, please submit a 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. Include a recent CV with transcript and a certificate for English B1 (if not yet available at application, submit before enrolment). Provide contact information of two reference persons. A limited number of applicants will be invited for an interview. The application window will be open from 1/10/2025 until 30/11/2026.
* You must hold a Master’s degree (or equivalent) in a relevant field for the corresponding vacancy or you will have obtained it by the date of recruitment.
* 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 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.
Specific requirements
* Master’s degree in pharmacy, analytical chemistry or related field.
* Experience in chromatography, mass spectrometry, metabolomics and statistical data analysis is highly desirable
* English language skills (B1; degree certificate is required for enrolment in the Pharmacy doctoral program at UGraz)
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