Ulrik Kræmer Sundekilde

This postdoctoral position is based at the Department of Food Science, Aarhus University, and sits within the university’s broader investment in cellular food. The project is centered on cultivated meat, a research area aimed at producing meat-equivalent nutrients with lower environmental impact, and on developing a product that is scalable, nutritious, and appealing. The work focuses on the technical and analytical challenges needed to support cultivated meat as it moves toward market readiness. The successful candidate will work on scaling-related activities, flavor, and nutritional value, including culture media recycling for cells grown in 2D and 3D systems. The project combines cellular analysis, molecular biology, and nutritional assessment, with methods including Cytation 5 and Cytation 10 imaging/analysis, real-time PCR, NMR-based analysis of metabolic and flavor precursors, and Infogest and transwell assays for nutritional evaluation. The position is embedded in an interdisciplinary research environment at AU FOOD, where the Department of Food Science covers food chemistry and technology, food quality, food metabolomics and proteomics, sensory science, biofunctional food, systems biology, and plant production. The department offers access to advanced instrumentation, controlled-environment plant cultivation facilities, and fully equipped cell culture laboratories. The postdoc will join an international and multicultural workplace with English as the main working language. The advertised role is part of a larger portfolio of research projects with synergies at the department, led from the group at the Department of Food Science. The environment emphasizes teamwork, openness, inclusion, and engagement in the department’s research culture. The role also sits within Aarhus University’s Faculty of Technical Sciences and its broader research infrastructure. The appointment is described as a 2-year postdoc position, with the first year secured and continuation into the second year dependent on additional project funding being obtained before the end of 2026.