4-year Group Leader (Assistant Professor) Position in Colloidal Chemistry Related to new ESS Lighthouse Full-time

Assistant Professor Position in Colloidal Chemistry

The Department of Chemistry at Aarhus University invites applications for a 4-year Assistant Professor (non-tenured) position in the field of colloidal chemistry with focus on neutron and X-ray scattering of colloidal systems with applications in food-related and pharma chemistry. The position is part of a strategic initiative to strengthen neutron and scattering based interdisciplinary research across chemistry, biophysics, and food science, and is part of the collaborative framework of the ESS Lighthouse: Colloids and Interfaces in Food and Pharma (CaIFF).

The Department of Chemistry at Aarhus University is a leading European chemistry department with a broad research portfolio. It is undergoing a restructuring and will have a permanent staff of 43 full, associate and assistant professors, a support staff of ~40 technical and administrative staff, ~150 PhD-students and ~100 postdocs and around 350 students. In addition to excellence in research, teaching and supervision, the Department of Chemistry values equal opportunities, a collegial atmosphere, and a student-friendly mindset of future colleagues.

The position is available from September 1, 2026, or as soon as possible thereafter. The ESS Lighthouse: Colloids and Interfaces in Food and Pharma (CaIFF) The position is part of the ESS Lighthouse CaIFF, a recently established research center focusing on colloidal out-of-equilibrium multicomponent systems, their investigation by neutron-based methodologies, and their application in food and pharma.

The successful candidate will join a dynamic research environment and will have access to in-house small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and light scattering (LS) infrastructure at Department of Chemistry, as well as all other research infrastructure at the Department of Chemistry. The position involves cross-disciplinary research at the interface of soft matter physical chemistry, food colloids, and/or pharmacological science with opportunities for joint projects, shared supervision, and acquiring access to large-scale neutron facilities.

The candidate is expected to participate in driving the Lighthouse's research on non-equilibrium multicomponent colloidal systems preferably relevant to food or pharma systems. The work is expected to involve the application and development of neutron scattering and methodologies. This should be integrated with advanced data analysis, simulations, and/or mathematical modeling. The work involves close interactions with other employees in CaIFF and the principal investigators to foster methodological innovation and interdisciplinary synergy.

The position offers a unique opportunity to contribute to a vibrant, collaborative research environment focused on translating fundamental insights into practical applications in food or pharma science.