Washington State University
Just Landed
New Today
Postdoctoral Research Associate in Extrusion Processing, Protein Chemistry, and Ingredient Functionality Washington State University in United States
Degree Level
Postdoc
Field of study
Food Science
Funding
Full-time temporary postdoctoral appointment with annual salary of $62,232 to $70,000 commensurate with experience and qualifications. Renewal depends on need and/or additional funding. Benefits include paid leave and medical, dental, life, disability, and retirement benefits.
Deadline
Oct 25, 2026
Country
United States
University
Washington State University
How do I apply for this?
Sign in for free to reveal details, requirements, and source links.
Apply for this position
Keywords
Suggested positions
About this position
Washington State University is recruiting a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the School of Food Science at the Pullman campus, United States. The project focuses on extrusion processing, protein chemistry, and ingredient functionality in cereal, pulse, and plant protein-based food systems.
The successful candidate will join the Ganjyal Food Processing Laboratory and lead applied and fundamental research on twin-screw and single-screw extrusion. The work connects process engineering with protein and starch transformations, rheology, product structure, and quality, with opportunities to work at pilot scale and collaborate with food industry partners and commodity groups.
Research interests include food rheology, protein structure and functionality, ingredient chemistry, texturization, and microstructural analysis. Preferred experience includes high-moisture meat analogs or texturized vegetable proteins, pulse/cereal/pseudocereal ingredients, and analytical tools such as SDS-PAGE, FTIR, DSC, RVA, texture analysis, SEM, or X-ray scattering.
This is a full-time, temporary postdoctoral position with an annual salary of $62,232 to $70,000, commensurate with experience and qualifications. Renewal depends on the need for extension and/or additional funding. WSU also provides a benefits package including paid leave, holidays, and medical, dental, life, disability, and retirement coverage.
Eligibility highlights: Ph.D. in Food Science, Food Engineering, Biological Systems Engineering, Cereal Science, or a closely related field; demonstrated hands-on extrusion experience; expertise in food rheology and protein chemistry; first-author publications; strong writing and presentation skills; ability to work independently and in teams.
Application deadline: October 25, 2026, by 11:59 pm. Apply online via the WSU Workday portal and upload a CV/resume with publications plus a cover letter.
Funding details
Full-time temporary postdoctoral appointment with annual salary of $62,232 to $70,000 commensurate with experience and qualifications. Renewal depends on need and/or additional funding. Benefits include paid leave and medical, dental, life, disability, and retirement benefits.
What's required
Ph.D. in Food Science, Food Engineering, Biological Systems Engineering, Cereal Science, or a closely related discipline. Required hands-on operating experience with both twin-screw and single-screw extruders, strong understanding of extrusion engineering and chemistry, expertise in food rheology, protein chemistry, and ingredient chemistry/functionality (proteins, starches, fibers), evidence of first-author peer-reviewed publications, and strong scientific writing and oral presentation skills. Must be able to work independently and collaboratively in an interdisciplinary team. Preferred: protein texturization experience (including high moisture meat analogs or texturized vegetable proteins), experience with pulse/cereal/pseudocereal ingredients, analytical methods such as SDS-PAGE, FTIR, DSC, RVA, texture analysis, SEM or X-ray scattering, DOE and statistical analysis using R/Python/SAS/JMP, grant/report writing, student mentoring, and industry outreach.
How to apply
Apply online through the WSU Workday job portal. Upload a CV or resume with publications and a cover letter. Reference contact information will be requested later in the process.
More information can be found here
Ask ApplyKite AI
How do I apply for this?
Sign in for free to reveal details, requirements, and source links.