Postdoc in sustainable and healthy family nutrition

Postdoc in sustainable and healthy family nutrition at the department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports (NEXS), Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen

The research group Lifecourse Nutrition and Health at Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen (UCPH), invites candidates for a postdoctoral position connected to the project GreenFamily - Towards sustainable, plant-rich and healthy diets for the new generation.

It is a 3-year position with expected start date on September 1st, 2026.  

About GreenFamily
GreenFamily is an interdisciplinary collaboration between Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, Department of Psychology, Department of Food Science and the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration, funded by The Plant-based Food Grant. The project will use behavioral psychology, dietetics, sensorics and food pedagogics to develop tools to promote sustainable behavior change in Danish families and examine how a plant-rich diet, following the food-based dietary guidelines (FBDG), affects their nutritional status, health, risk of lifestyle diseases and microbiota. The findings will support the development of practical guidance and tools that can help Danish families follow the FBDG, and will contribute to a national public health campaign targeted Danish families.

A key component of GreenFamily is a cluster-randomized cross-over trial among Danish families with 5-11-year-old children. The aim of the trial, and focus of the position, is to investigate how a diet following the FBDG versus the average Danish diet affects dietary intake and nutritional status, growth, body composition, cardiometabolic risk markers and gut microbiota in children and adults. The focus is on ensuring nutrient adequacy and supporting healthy development and disease prevention, as families shift toward more plant‑rich eating.  

Your role
You will lead the scientific work related to nutrition and health, write the study protocol, finalize the trial design and play a key role in trial planning and execution, including recruitment, dietary guidance, data collection and cleaning, statistical analysis, and dissemination of the results. You will be part of a dedicated and interdisciplinary team including two other postdocs (in psychology and food science), a PhD student, a project coordinator, a dietician and other technical staff, with sparring from the principal investigators.

It is a fixed-term academic position primarily focused on research, but additional duties such as teaching, supervision, project coordination, administration, and funding applications are expected.

Your main responsibilities
 

Your tasks will include:

• Finalizing the study design, developing study protocols and  diets, , and leading the recruitment of study families
• Planning, supervising and conducting data collection (dietary records, anthropometry, body composition, blood and fecal samples) with help from your team
• Performing calculation, data cleaning and statistical modelling of dietary data, nutritional status, growth, body composition, and early risk factors for lifestyle‑related diseases etc.
• Publishing scientific papers and presenting findings at meetings and international conferences
• Teaching and supervising students, including helping with course coordination

Profile
We are looking for an ambitious, curious, and quality-oriented scientist with the following competencies and qualifications:

Essential experience and skills:

• PhD in nutrition, public health, human metabolism or a related field
• Experience with human studies with biomedical measurements
• Experienced in advanced statistical data analysis (e.g., linear mixed models)
• Collaborative, enthusiastic and able to work in interdisciplinary teams
• Excellent proficiency in written and spoken English
• Experience with and flair for scientific publication and dissemination

The following will be perceived as advantageous:

• Experience with randomized trials in children
• Nutritional expertise and experience with dietary data, nutritional biomarkers and microbiome data
• Experience using REDCAP and R, or comparable software
• Excellent proficiency in written and spoken Danish
• Experience with academic teaching and student supervision

Place of employment
The place of employment is Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports (NEXS), University of Copenhagen (https://nexs.ku.dk/english/). We offer creative and stimulating working conditions in a dynamic research environment.

You will be part of the research group Lifecourse Nutrition and Health, an interdisciplinary and inclusive group in the section Nutrition and Health. We investigate the effects of diet and nutrition on health, development and disease prevention in specific life stages, including pregnancy, infancy, and childhood.

Read more about the research group here: Lifecourse Nutrition and Health – University of Copenhagen.

Terms of employment
The average weekly working hours are 37 hours per week.

The position is a fixed-term 3-year position from September 1st 2026 or after agreement.

Salary, pension and other conditions of employment are set in accordance with the Agreement between the Ministry of Taxation and AC (Danish Confederation of Professional Associations).

The position is covered by the Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities 2020.

Questions
For further information please contact Principal Investigator, Research Group Leader and Associate Professor Camilla Trab Damsgaard, ctd@nexs.ku.dk

Foreign applicants may find this link useful: www.ism.ku.dk (International Staff Mobility).

Application procedure
Your online application must be submitted in English by clicking ‘Apply now’ below. Furthermore, your application must include the following documents/attachments – all in PDF format:

1. Motivated letter of application (max. one page).
2. CV incl. education, work/research experience, other academic achievements, language skills, and other skills relevant for the position.
3. A certified/signed copy of a) PhD certificate and b) Master of Science certificate. If the PhD is not completed, a written statement from the supervisor will do.
4. Full list of publications.

Deadline for applications: 18 May 2026, 23.59pm CET [BM1] [CD2] 
We reserve the right not to consider material received after the deadline, and not to consider applications that do not live up to the abovementioned requirements.

The further process
After the expiry of the deadline for applications, the authorized recruitment manager selects applicants for assessment on the advice of the hiring committee. All applicants are then immediately notified whether their application has been passed for assessment by an unbiased assessor. Once the assessment work has been completed each applicant has the opportunity to comment on the part of the assessment that relates to the applicant him/herself.

You can read about the recruitment process at https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/

The applicant will be assessed according to the Ministerial Order no. 242 of 13 March 2012 on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Universities.

The University of Copenhagen wish to reflect the diversity of society and encourage all qualified candidates to apply regardless of personal background.