PhD Students

Read about some of the present graduate students in LiFT below! (in alphabetical order)

Amanda Helstad

PhD Project: Plant-Based Dairy Alternative Residues – Challenges and Opportunities.

In the production of plant-based dairy alternatives, such as soy or oat drink, a residue rich in fiber and protein is generated. The soy residue is also known as okara. Okara from soy and oat has high water content and water activity, as well as available nutrients, which make them susceptible to microbiological spoilage. My objective focuses on how to lengthen the shelf life with different types of processes, such as drying, freezing, pasteurization, fermentation, and extraction of various components (protein and fiber). For each investigated process, the residues’ functionalities and characteristics will be studied before and after treatment, to explore challenges and opportunities for a potential food product. This can in turn contribute to a better circular economy of plant-based dairy alternatives.

Click on image to see full size

Click on image to see full size

Download poster (pdf)

Supervisors

Main supervisor: Karolina Östrbring

Co-supervisors: Dr. Jeanette Purhagen and Marilyn Rayner

Location

Department of Food Technology, Engineering and Nutrition, LTH, Lund University

About Amanda

I grew up outside of Lund with my wonderful parents, older brother, and little sister. I have an MSc in chemical biology engineering from Linköping University. In my master, I studied abroad for one year at Technische Universität Hamburg, where I studied environmental engineering. I have always been interested in sustainability, and to combine that with food (which I love), feels great. I really like the combination of academia and industry in my PhD studies as well as the variation of work tasks. Everything from operating pilot-scale equipment like extruders and decanters to analyzing data by the computer.

Contact

Amanda Helstad, Department of Food Technology Engineering and Nutrition, Lund University, Lund, Sweden


Annalena Kamm

PhD Project: The impact of plant-based proteins on markers of gut, metabolic and mental health

Plant-based proteins were shown to have a lower impact on the climate in comparison to animal proteins which launched a transition from a diet based on animal protein to a plant-based diet. However, detailed scientific knowledge about related health effects is still lacking. Therefore, the project focuses on colonic protein fermentation and its effect on microbiota composition, gut markers and metabolites with the aim to determine influencing factors of protein digestibility, to investigate nutrient interactions regarding fermentation processes in the colon and to understand metabolic mechanisms. The PhD project is part of the PAN Sweden Research Centre and with the newly gained knowledge the long-term goal is to create “sustainable produced products with health benefits for everyone”.

Click on image to see full size

Click on image to see full size

Download poster (pdf)

Supervisors

Main Supervisor: Prof. Robert Jan Brummer (main supervisor); Professor of Gastroenterology and Clinical Nutrition; Director Nutrition-Gut-Brain Interactions Research Centre Örebro; Director Plant-based Proteins for Health and Wellbeing – PAN Sweden; Pro-Vice-Chancellor Knowledge, Food and Health

Assistant Supervisors: Dr. Karin Arkbåge; Project Manager Food Research & Communication, Lantmännen/Stockholm. Dr. Julia König; Senior Lecturer; School of Medical Sciences Örebro University. Dr. Tatiana Marques; Associate Senior Lecturer; School of Medical Sciences Örebro University

Location

School of Medical Sciences, Örebro University

About Annalena

Annalena conducted her Bachelor and Master studies in Nutritional Sciences at Justus-Liebig-University, Giessen/Germany. During her studies, her interest in the human gut microbiota was caught which is why she moved to Sweden in August 2020 to write her Masterthesis at the Nutrition-Gut-Brain Interactions Research Centre at Örebro University – followed by a “research-assistant internship”. Since June 2021, Annalena is a PhD student in Medical Sciences at Örebro University within PAN Sweden.

Contact

Anna-Lena Kamm, annalena.kamm@oru.se


Ansung Kim

PhD Project: Consumer perception and political consumerism about food containing plant-based proteins.

The project is part of the PAN Sweden project, plant-based proteins for health and wellbeing. The aim of PhD project is to identify determinants and drivers of sustainable and healthy food consumption, in particular, of food containing plant-based protein from an individual and group perspective. To do this, the project investigates sensory perception that interacts with psychological, social, and biological determinants in relation to plant-based food. Furthermore, the project studies social networks to elucidate the role of social reinforcement in sustainable food-related behaviour.

Click on image to see full size

Click on image to see full size

Download poster (pdf)

Supervisor

Main supervisor: Åsa Öström

Co-supervisors: Carolin Zorell, Jun Niimi, Mihaela Mihnea, Nicklas Neuman, Stina Engelheart

About Ansung

I am from South Korea. I have a MSc in Human nutrition and food-related behaviour from the University of Helsinki. One of the best things about being a PhD student is to learn and study from a multidisciplinary perspective. I believe my PhD study will help meet consumers’ needs for more sustainable and healthy food consumption and and promote changes in their behaviour.

Contact:

PhD Student Ansung Kim, ansung.kim@oru.se


Cecilia Ahlström

PhD project: Recovery and utilization of rapeseed protein

Rapeseed is the second-largest cultivated oilseed crop in the world and the primary product is vegetable oil, while the protein-rich rapeseed press cake is a by-product. The focus within my PhD project will be on sustainable process engineering for the valorization and utilization of proteins from the rapeseed press cake.

Supervisors

Main supervisor: Assistant Professor Karolina Östbring

Co-supervisors: Professor Marilyn Rayner, Dr. Jeanette Purhagen and Dr. Johan Thuvander

Location

Department of Food Technology, Engineering and Nutrition, Lund University.

About Cecilia

I am originally from Lindesberg and moved to Lund to start my studies at the university in 2013. I now hold a MSc. in chemical engineering with a specialization in process design. I have a huge interest in food and cooking and I’m very happy that I now can combine my passion with my education. If someone would ask me what my favorite process equipment is, it would without a doubt be an extruder, a machine used to create texture in plant-based meat analogs.


Elise Nordin

PhD project title: Molecular phenotyping of IBS subtypes

Elise is working in the field of precision nutrition. Her main project is Optimal Diets for Metabotypes (OpDiMet). She has conducted a randomized cross-over intervention study with 120 people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) to investigate the relation between diet, microbiota and IBS. The aim is to group individuals into metabotypes, in cluster with similar metabolic regulation based on the physiological response after provocation with easily fermentable oligo-, di-, monosaccharides, and polyols (FODMAPs), gluten vs inert control. The project includes work with clinical data, metabolomics and gut microbiota. The project is funded by FORMAS.

Click on image to see full size

Click on image to see full size

Download poster (pdf)

Supervisors

Carl Brunius, Associate Professor, Department Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology. Rikard Landberg, Professor, Department Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology. Per Hellström, MD, Professor, Uppsala University

Location

PhD student at Division of Food and Nutrition Science, Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology.

About Elise

Elise grew up in the northern part of Sweden, Luleå. She studied nursing and worked as a nurse for 1.5 years. Thereafter her interest in food lead to studies in Food Science and she took a bachelor and a master in the subject at Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden. These studies led to a PhD position in the field of food and health science. Im happy to work with my project because it has the potential to make a difference both for individuals and the society. Being a PhD student is exciting where you get the opportunity to challenge yourself and learn new things. Its stimulating to work in a multicultural environment with expert in different research fields. In my project I have been responsible for all the steps of the project; planning the study, developing food products, conducting the study and meeting all participants, lab work and statistical analysis.

Contact

Elise Nordin, elise.nordin@chalmers.se


Hasitha Priyashantha

PhD Project: Link between raw milk properties and composition to cheese flavours and texture development during maturation

Cheese making properties of the raw milk and maturation of the resulted cheese will be in focus in Hasitha’s PhD project. The development of characteristic properties of the resulting long-ripened cheese (LRC) will be studied, with a clear connection to milk composition and on-farm factors. During his PhD project, he attempts to contribute with knowledge to better understand how the composition and properties of the raw milk affect the flavor, texture and ripening time of LRC. In terms of scientific knowledge, the project is expected to generate novel and fundamental understanding of the associations between on-farm production systems, raw milk composition and properties and the texture and flavours of the final LRC. In fact, he foresees that the project will deliver a novel state-of-the-art technological platform for future projects and collaborations between academia, dairy advisory organization, dairy cooperatives and their farmers. Read more about the project here!

Supervisors

Main Supervisor: Åse Lundha

Co-supervisors: Monika Johanssona, Mårten Hettaa, Annika Höjer, Maud Langton, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden.

Location

Department of Molecular Sciences, SLU.

About Hasitha

Hasitha obtained graduate education from University of Copenhagen, Denmark (MSc. in Food Science) and Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden (MSc. in Animal Science) as an Erasmus Mundus Food of Life double master scholar. He obtained his undergraduate degree from University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka (BSc in Agricultural Technology and Management – first class division) with an Erasmus exchange period in University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Hashita about his graduate studies: “I am glad to be a PhD student at SLU and a member of LiFT graduate school. This provides me a great opportunity to be a part of elite and supportive research community with a challenging research philosophy. I believe the fact, friendly and pleasant work environment for all the employees while recognizing the contribution of each individual with respect and diversity is crucial. Thus, being a LiFT PhD student facilitates me to shape my career goals with a passion.”

Read more about Hasitha here! and on LinkedIn!


Jakob Karlsson

Project description: Interactions between plant-based proteins and dietary fibres; and their effect on fermentation.

The research project is part of the PAN Sweden consortium, focusing on plant-based proteins. The aim of the project is to perform physicochemical characterization of plant-based proteins and dietary fibres to determine possible interactions. Later, investigate how it effects the fermentation of the two macromolecules.

Supervisors

Main supervisor: Anna Ström, Chalmers University of Technology.

Co-supervisors: Patricia Lopez-Sanchez, Chalmers University of Technology. Tatiana Marques, Örebro University. Annika Krona, RISE.

Location

Affiliation: Division of Applied Chemistry, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology.

About Jakob

Jakob holds a MSc in Materials Chemistry and a BSc in Biotechnology from Chalmers University of Technology. The interest in my PhD project stems from the drive to be able to help people and contribute to a sustainable society. Being a PhD allows for the freedom to really dive into a specific subject, which has always been of interest for me. The best part is working in the intersection between food science and materials chemistry, trying to connect the two. There I need a broad knowledge, requiring me to learn new things, from analytical chemistry analysis to in vitro fermentation.


Jaqueline Auer

PhD Project: Comparative characterization of structure and digestibility of plant-based proteins in relation to processing

The project is in collaboration with the highly interdisciplinary research centre of PAN Sweden where the aim is to couple material science with food and medical science in order to clarify the relationship between processing, food microstructure, bioavailability, digestion and fermentation on health. As part of PAN Sweden, I am working on the characterisation of model proteins coming from oat, fava beans, pea and soy. Thereby we want to draw conclusions on how certain characteristics influence the functional properties of the product as well as give an estimation of the bioavailability of micronutrients. Furthermore, we want to investigate how different processes such as fermentation or extrusion influence these characteristics and functional properties. The obtained knowledge should lead to the production of more sustainable food products with improved nutritional value, texture and flavour.

Click on image to see full size

Click on image to see full size

Download poster (pdf)

Supervisors

Main Supervisor: Maud Langton

Co-supervisors: Galia Zamaratskaiaa, Swedish University of Agricultural Science, Ss, Sweden. Marie Alminger, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden. Anders Högberg, Orkla, Sweden.

Location

Department of Molecular Sciences, SLU

About Jaqueline

I am from Austria and have a background in food technology and nutrition. I have been working as a backer and product developer for many years before I started my studies at the University of Applied Sciences in Upper Austria. During that time, I got interested in how the microstructure of different food products influences their properties. After my graduation, I was therefore focusing on the 3D characterisation of different food products using X-ray computed tomography. Besides my great interest in food microstructures, I see it as our responsibility to use our resources sparingly. The food industry contributes a not-insignificant amount of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. Producing more plant-based foods can be one way to reduce this emission. During my PhD studies, I get the opportunity to combine both my interest and thereby contribute to a more sustainable way of producing food.

Contact

Jaqueline Auer, jaqueline.auer@slu.se


Jingnan Zhang

PhD Project: Creating novel functional protein ingredients by cross-processing marine and agricultural food by-products using pH-shift technology.

This project aims to investigate a completely novel clean-label processing concept, “Cross-processing”, which combines sensitive fish co-products with antioxidant-rich non-fish raw materials during the pH-shift process. The antioxidant-rich raw materials are selected from a food production sustainability perspective, such as agricultural and marine side-streams or seaweeds. The antioxidant-rich raw materials are expected to stabilize the sensitive fish lipids and proteins against oxidation, create new flavors/textures/colors/nutrient profile, and render the value-adding process more scalable and sustainable. To transform the novel protein isolates into attractive textured food products, 3D-printing is used as an innovative formulation tool.

Poster – Maximizing protein yield during pH-shift processing of herring co-products combined with antioxidant-rich materials

Click on image to see full size

Click on image to see full size

Download poster (pdf)

Supervisors

Main supervisor: Ingrid Undeland (Food and Nutrition Science, Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology).

Co-supervisors: Mehdi Abdollahi (Food and Nutrition Science, Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology), Marie Alminger (Food and Nutrition Science, Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology), Anna Ström (Pharmaceutical Technology, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology).

Location

Division of Food and Nutrition Science, Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology.

About Jingnan

Jingnan holds an MSc in Food Technology -European Master in Food Studies from Wageningen University, and a BEng in Food Science and Engineering from China Agricultural University. Her research revolves around inducing antioxidant-rich food side streams during the protein recovery from sensitive fish filleting co-products by using the pH-shift method, with special interests in the oxidative stability, nutrient profile, texture, color, flavor and gel-forming property of the recovered protein ingredients. This clean-label processing concept allows more complete use of the food resources we have at hand and will stimulate industrial symbiosis. Read more about Jingnan here and on Linkedin!

Contact

PhD student Jingnan Zhang, jingnan.zhang@chalmers.se


João Trigo

PhD project: Recovery, functionality, and digestibility of seaweed proteins and analysis of food process waters to be used as media for seaweed cultivation.

I’m working on making seaweed proteins a more attractive food protein alternative. To achieve that, I’m mainly focusing on optimizing protein recovery from brown and green seaweed using scalable and food-grade protocols.

Poster Effect of pH shift processing on in vitro digestibility and Caco 2 cell bioavailability of sea lettuce proteins

Click on image to see full size

Click on image to see full size

Download poster (pdf)

Supervisors

Ingrid Undeland, Chalmers University of Technology; Mehdi Abdollahi, Chalmers University of Technology; Göran Nylund, University of Gothenburg.

About João

In 2019, my passion for food and marine sciences made me move from Portugal to Sweden to start my PhD education. I enjoy every bit of my work, from supervising students to plan experiments and communicate my research. It feels great waking up every morning and knowing my work aims to provide low environmental impact solutions for a greener future!

Contact

PhD Student João Trigo, trigo@chalmers.se


Johanna Östlund

PhD project: Fermentation of Swedish faba beans and oats for foods with improved texture, flavour, and nutritional properties.

The overall aim of the PhD project is to enhance nutritional and organoleptic qualities of milk analogues based on crops cultivated in Sweden, for increased consumer acceptability. My project will specifically demonstrate how pre-treatment and fermentation of faba beans and oats can be optimized for food purposes, through assessment of structural- rheological and molecular properties. A workflow streamlined for generating a yoghurt-like prototype with a high-quality sensory profile will be set up.

Supervisors

Main supervisor: Maud Langton

Assistant supervisors: Galia Zamaratskaia, SLU. Hanna Eriksson Rönisch, SLU. Su-Lin Hedén, SLU. Volkmar Passoth, SLU. Sophia Wassén, RISE. Karin Wendin, HKR.

Location

Department of Molecular Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Uppsala.

About Johanna

My academic background is the Food agronomy program at SLU, which for me also included a master in Food science. I did part of my master’s at Wageningen University where I studied molecular nutrition. After graduation I worked a couple of years at RISE in Ultuna, mainly managing projects aiming at developing Swedish food value chains throughout the entire value chain from farm to fork. For example Swedish hop production from cultivation of hops to final beer; and developing food products from Swedish faba beans. The latter interested me so much that I wanted to dig deeper into what is behind the functional properties of faba beans. Now as a PhD, I highly appreciate being able to design experiments based on my interests and also include oat.


John Axelsson

PhD Project: Valorization of whole/gutted small herring and sprat into protein-enriched ingredients.

The project aims at developing novel process techniques to valorize currently underutilized small pelagic fish species such as herring and sprat. Despite the fact that these species are recognized as the most climate smart and energy dense animal protein sources we have, 63% of the herring and >90% of the sprat caught by Swedish fishing vessels are today exported for fish meal production or as mink feed, which is a significant loss of food raw materials for human consumption. However, a crucial aspect to consider when converting these raw materials to food is to find suitable process techniques which can recover their muscle or muscle proteins while at the same time maintaining functionality, nutritional value, sensorial quality and storage stability; the latter particularly with respect to lipid oxidation. For raw materials from the Bothnian Sea, removal of contaminants as dioxins and dioxin-like PCB´s is also crucial. New applications of this valuable food source can economically aid the Swedish fishing and seafood industries reduce the amount of imported seafood; lower environmental impacts from transportation and increase the consumption of locally produced healthy seafood.

Supervisors

Main supervisor: Professor Ingrid Undeland (Chalmers).

Assistant supervisors: Dr. Mehdi Abdollahi (Chalmers). Assoc. Professor Friederike Ziegler (RISE). Martin Kuhlin (CEO of Sweden Pelagic)

Location

Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, Division Food and Nutrition Science at Chalmers, Göteborg

About John

I am from Göteborg (Sweden). My scientific background is in Biotechnology, in which I attained my MSc degree from Chalmers in 2018, where my MSc thesis was about protein extraction from seaweed. Before going back to academia, I worked three years at a company which sells laboratory equipment, chemicals and consumables. I love being back in the challenging world of science and being part of a project that potentially can put more local, traditional and nutritional food back on our plates.


Klara Nilsson

Presentation

Klara is a third year PhD at the Swedish University of Agricultural Science (SLU). Her project is about the side-stream products from faba bean protein isolation. Faba beans are already part of the Swedish protein shift and to further reduce their climatic impact, the utility of the whole bean is vital. The ultimate goal of the project is to use the side-stream fractions in the development of new (plant-based) food products. When Klara is not researching she is involved in education at the university as course leader in the course “Basic course Food Science” and also lectures in “Food Technology” .

Poster – Faba Bean Fractions for 3D Printing of Protein-, Starch- and Fibre-Rich Foods

Click on image to see full size

Click on image to see full size

Download poster (pdf)

Supervisors

Main supervisors: Maud Langton (SLU)

Co-supervisors: Corine (SLU), Mikael Hedenqvist (KTH) & Rosana Moriana (RISE)

Industry Mentor: Stefan Albertson (Kavli)

About Klara

With an international background and a passion for food, wine and science, Klara wants to combine her interests, working in international collaborations for developing sustainable food models and systems. She has a BSc (First Class Honors) in Nutrition and Food Science from the University of Nottingham, England. Academic year 2012-2013 Klara was an Erasmus student at ISARA-Lyon, France, where she did full-time studies in “Agroalimentaire”. She obtained her MSc in “Food innovation and health” from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. In 2018 she completed the sommelier education at Vinkällan, Stockholm, Sweden.

Contact

Klara Nilsson, klara.nilsson@slu.se


Laura Pirkola

PhD Project: Fermented fibre-rich rye and oat foods and gut-brain axis

The food we eat affects the brain via the gut microbiota and gut-brain-axis, the connection between our gut and the brain. Rye and oats are rich in dietary fibre and polyphenols, components known to affect gut microbiota. This PhD project investigates how fermented grains and dietary fibre affect microbiota and cognition and how to apply this to personalised dietary advices and consumer communication. This is done through the characterisation of fibre and polyphenol components in certain rye and oat products, an in vitro fermentation study, a clinical trial with focus on cognition and a consumer study. The project is one of the LivsID industrial doctoral projects and it is made in collaboration with Fazer.

Poster – Faecal microbiota composition affects the in vitrofermentation of rye, oat and wheat bread

Click on image to see full size

Click on image to see full size

Download poster (pdf)

Supervisors

Main supervisor: Roger Andersson, Department of Molecular sciences, SLU. Johan Dicksved, Department of Animal Nutrition and Management, SLU. Rebecca Wall, School of Medical Sciences, Örebro University. Ingela Marklinder, Department of Food, Nutrition and Dietetics, Uppsala University. Ulrika Gunnerud, Fazer Bageri Sverige AB.

Location

Department of Molecular Sciences, SLU.

About Laura

Industrial PhD at SLU student and holds a MSc in Food (Human Nutrition) from University of Helsinki. My favourite thing in being a PhD is to learn and find new things in the subject I’m interested in. In addition, I like working with the academia and industry at the same time and I feel that the PhD project is relevant for both parties.

Contact

Industrial PhD student Laura Pirkola, laura.pirkola@slu.se


Louise Selga

PhD Project: Wheat flour quality for baking applications

Wheat can be used in a range of applications, where bread wheat demands the highest quality. This project investigates how the chemical composition of wheat flour affects baking quality by applying multivariate statistics. The project is done in collaboration with Lantmännen with an aim to improve quality and quality control.

Supervisors

Main supervisor: Roger Andersson, Department of Molecular sciences, SLU. Annica Andersson, Department of Molecular sciences, SLU. Eva Johansson, Department of Plant breeding, SLU.

Industrial supervisor: Annelie Moldin, Lantmännen.

About Louise

I hold a MSc in Engineering and Biotechnology from LTH, Lund University. This project is great for combining my interests in structural chemistry and statistical modelling. Discussing my results with Lantmännen is a great motivator.


Ludwig Lundberg

PhD project: Exploring and increasing the bioactivity of probiotics through alterations in the production parameters.

Limosilactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 is among the most scientifically well-documented probiotic strains in the world. Clinical trials have shown that the strain is able to ameliorate infantile colic among other disorders. How probiotic strains such as DSM 17938 are produced impacts the bioactivity to great extent, and in this project these bioactive compounds and how the bacteria is best produced in order to maintain high biological activity is studied. The project studies secreted bioactive compounds such as probiotic membrane vesicles released by the bacteria in models for host-interactions but also interactions between probiotic strains and how, for instance, cocultivation affects their bioactive properties. The project is one of the LivsID industrial doctoral projects and it is made in collaboration with BioGaia.

Poster – Multifunctional membrane vesicles produced by L. reuteri DSM 17938 and their potential link to relief of infantile colic

Click on image to see full size

Click on image to see full size

Download poster (pdf)

Supervisors

Main supervisor: Stefan Roos, Department of Molecular Sciences, SLU. Sebastian Håkansson, BioGaia AB. Caroline Linninge, BioGaia AB. Hans Jonsson, Department of Molecular Sciences, SLU.

Location

Department of Molecular Sciences, SLU

About Ludwig

Industrial PhD student at SLU and holds a MSc in Experimental and Medical Biosciences from the University of Linköping. I enjoy being an industrial PhD-student as it allows for close interactions with the academia and the industry. Working with innovation and relating our research to potential intellectual property is one of the best parts of being an industrial PhD student at BioGaia.

Contact

Ludvig Lundberg, ludwig.lundberg@slu.se


Mar Vall-llosera Juanola

PhD Project: Stabilisation of Ulva sp. biomass and its effects on nutritional properties, microstructure, tech functionality and development of volatile compounds.

Mar´s project aims to To design tailor-made methods for stabilising Ulva sp. and determine how these affect the suitability of Ulva sp. as a food ingredient in terms of chemical composition, microstructure, techno functionality & nutritional properties. The PhD project is part of (wp3) of a bigger project, BLUEGREEN. Also, she is part of the BLUEFOOD centre, both founded by Formas.

Poster – Stabilizing Ulva sp. biomass for its future application in food products

Click on image to see full size

Click on image to see full size

Download poster (pdf)

Supervisors

Main supervisor: Ingrid Undeland, Professor, Division of Food and Nutrition Science, Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology.

Co-supervisors: Henrik Pavia, Professor, Department of Marine Science, Gothenburg University.

Location

Division of Food and Nutrition Science, Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology.

About Mar

Mar holds a Master´s in Food Innovation and Health from Copenhagen University. For her is a great feeling to work on a project that contributes to utilising more sustainably the food sources, specify marine bioresources.

Contact

Read more about Mar here and on LinkedIn,

marv@chalmers.se


Marina Armeni

Poster – Development and validation of a quantitative method for measuring multiple food intake biomarkers

Click on image to see full size

Click on image to see full size

Download poster (pdf)

Contact

PhD student Marina Armeni, armeni@chalmers.se


Markos Managos

PhD Project: Lifetime net GHG emissions and contribution to the food system from dairy cows fed best practice diets

This project aims to investigate lifetime emissions of GHG from high-producing dairy cows fed diets based on feeds that are associated with low negative environmental impact. From the outputs and inputs of the production, the net food production, the carbon flows and the environmental impact will be calculated. The project is part of the SustAininal research Centre.

Poster – Lifetime net GHG emissions and contribution to the food system from dairy cows fed best practice diets

Click on image to see full size

Click on image to see full size

Download poster (pdf)

Supervisors

Main supervisor: Sigrid Agenäs, Professor at the Department of Animal Nutrition and Management; Management, Ruminants, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.

Assistant supervisors: Mikaela Lindberg. Senior lecturer at the Department of Animal Nutrition and Management; Nutrition and Management, Ruminants, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. Ulf Sonesson, Research and Business Manager at RISE Research Institutes of Sweden. Cecilia Lindahl, New Product Development Manager of Lantmännen.

Location

Department of Animal Nutrition and Management, SLU

About Markos

I am from Chios, an island located in the northern Aegean region of Greece. I am a licensed veterinarian and I acquired my Veterinary Medicine degree from Aristotle’s University of Thessaloniki (Greece). I completed the Animal Science master program at SLU and currently, I am a PhD student in the Department of Animal Nutrition and Management. Sustainability assessment is a complex issue that requires a multidisciplinary approach that will include aspects such as greenhouse gas emission, net food output and competitiveness. I like that as a SustAinimal PhD student I have the opportunity to learn more on these topics. I am happy to be part of a project that aims to investigate the role of livestock and to contribute to the development of a sustainable food system.

Contact

Read more about Markos here! and on LinkedIn!

Markos Managos, markos.managos@slu.se


Mathilde Brunel

PhD Project: The effect of meat consumption in humans by analysing metabolic responses in plasma samples.

Studies about the effect of meat consumption on human health are numerous and contradictory. Some nutrients which are known deleterious for health when ingested in large quantities such as saturated fats are found in meat. However, meat is also an important source of essential amino acids and nutrients such as vitamin D, B6, B12, iron, zinc and more. The project is to investigate different types of meat and to find health markers in plasma samples.

Poster – Replacement of vegetable oils with the oleaginous yeast Rhodotorula toruloides biomass in the diet of Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus), effects on fish growth performance

Click on image to see full size

Click on image to see full size

Download poster (pdf)

Supervisors

Main supervisor: Jana Pickova

Co-supervisors: Ali Moazzami, Elisabeth Müllner, Sabine Sampels, Galia Zamaratskaia.

Location

Department of Molecular Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Uppsala.

About Mathilde

I am from the northern part of France (Beauvais). I have an engineering degree in Food & Health from UniLaSalle Beauvais. I visited Sweden for the first time in 2014 to improve my English skills. I liked Uppsala a lot and decided to find a PhD there after graduating in France. Being a PhD student allows creativity and time to reflect on a specific project. It also teaches you to juggle between different activities (teaching, courses and lab). The best thing about working with this PhD project is the broad knowledge required as it combines biology by analyzing food composition and health effects of specific types of food with chemistry by analyzing samples with analytical chemistry techniques such as NMR and LC-MS.

Contact

Mathilde Brunel, mathilde.brunel@slu.se


Mathias Johansson

PhD project: Legume based Gels – Microstructure and Texture.

Challenges with climate change generate a demand for innovative locally-produced plant-based protein-rich foods. To be successful in the development of such foods require knowledge on how to design their structure and properties. This PhD project focus on the design of protein-rich foods with tailored properties via protein gelation, a common process used in food production to give texture to foods. Texture and microstructure of gels with different composition and processing condition are studied to understand the mechanism governing formation of gels. The main raw-material used in the study is Faba beans, but also other plant-proteins will be investigated.

Poster – Effect of starch and fibre on faba bean protein gel characteristics

Click on image to see full size

Click on image to see full size

Download poster (pdf)

Supervisors

Main supervisor: Maud Langton, Department of Molecular Sciences, SLU.

Co-supervisors: Corine Sandström, Department of Molecular Sciences, SLU. Anna Ström, Department of Applied Chemistry, Chalmers.

Location

Department of Molecular Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences

About Mathias

Mathias Johansson grew up a few miles outside Gothenburg, Sweden. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering with Engineering Physics and a master degree in Biotechnology, both from Chalmers University of Technology. He has a great interest in plant-based foods in general and the use of plant proteins to create texture in particular. With his PhD studies, he wants to be a part in the transition towards a more plant-based and sustainable diet for the general population by facilitating the development of new and tasty plant-based foods.

Contact

PhD student Mattias Johansson, mathias.johansson@slu.se


 

Mia Stråvik

PhD project: Dietary intake during pregnancy, lactation and early-life in relation to nutritional status and allergy development in the offspring.

The research project is a part of the national birth cohort Nutritional impact on Immunological maturation during Childhood in relation to the Environment (NICE) study. The aim of Mia’s PhD-studies is to investigate if diet during pregnancy, lactation and in early life is related to nutritional status and allergy development in the child.

Poster – Diet during pregnancy and lactation in relation to offspring allergy

Click on image to see full size

Click on image to see full size

Download poster (pdf)

Supervisors

Main supervisor: Ann-Sofie Sandberg, Professor, Division of Food and Nutrition Science, Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology.

Co-supervisor: Malin Barman, Researcher, Division of Food and Nutrition Science, Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology

Location

Division of Food and Nutrition Science, Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology

About Mia

It’s a great feeling knowing you work everyday towards making a difference in people’s life. Allergy is affecting families all around the world and still there is no preventive strategies. As a PhD-student I have the opportunity to contribute to improving these family’s quality of life, by digging deeper into the role of diet and nutritional status on allergy risk. Background: Mia’s background is within Dietetics and she holds a Master’s in Clinical Nutrition from University of Gothenburg, Sweden. Read more about her research here

Contact

PhD student Mia Stråvik, mia.stravik@chalmers.se


Mohammad Mukul Hossain

PhD Project: Health effects of oats and oat bio-actives in humans.

The project is part of the ScanOats project and I am working with oat diet for disease prevention. Presently, I am carrying out humans’ trial in order to evaluate the physiologically relevant effects of new oat-based, health-promoting foods.

Supervisors

Main supervisor: Anne Nilsson, Lund University

Assistant supervisors: Juscelino Tovar, Lund University; Lieselotte Cloetens, Lund University

Location

Department of Food Technology, Engineering and Nutrition, LTH, Lund University

About Mohammed Mukul

I am from Bangladesh and have a solid educational background within food science and engineering. I did a bachelor’s in food engineering at Bangladesh Agricultural University followed by master’s in Food Technology and Nutrition at Lund University, Sweden. Previously I worked with metabolic effects of amino acids on blood glucose and insulin regulation. The work was a part of AFC’s (Anti Diabetes Food Centre, LU) project and lately based on that project a new health promoting drinks Good Idea® was launched in USA. Currently, I am doing PhD in Food and Formulation Engineering specialized in experimental Nutrition at The Department of Food Technology, Engineering and Nutrition at Lund University. One of my huge research interests is to work with plant-based food products and its bio-active components. Furthermore, I am also interested to investigate health benefits of plant-based food products on lifestyle-related diseases such as metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. ScanOats project is multi-disciplinary research approach which is really interesting for me. Find a project description here: http://www.scanoats.se/

Contact

Find Mukul on LinkedIn


Mursalin Sajib

PhD Project: Valorization of fish processing by-products to silages

The aim of Mursalin’s PhD project is to valorize fish processing by-products to silages. Ensilaging, the technique to produce silage, of fish processing by-products provides a viable option to preserve by-products and at the same time produce nutritive products which can be used both for animal and human consumption. This PhD project is a part (WP-2) of the bigger project ENSILAGE, funded by Formas and local industrial partners.

Supervisors

Main supervisor: Ingrid Undeland, Professor, Division of Food and Nutrition Science, Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology

Assistant supervisors: Eva Albers, Docent, Division of Industrial Biotechnology, Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology; and Markus Langeland, Researcher, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.

Location

Division of Food and Nutrition Science, Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology.

About Mursalin

Mursalin holds a Master’s in Food Technology and Nutrition from LTH, Lund University. He thinks that contributing towards sustainable development, via valorization of underutilized biomass (e.g. fish processing by-products) to valued product(s), is the best thing about working with this PhD project.

Contact

Read more about Mursalin here and on LinkedIn!


Robin Meijer

PhD Project: Innovation management in the transition towards a sustainable food system.

The food system is in dire need of renewal to meet our sustainable development goals, and to tackle many of the externalities produced by various stakeholders engaged in agriculture, food processing and retail – the chain from production to consumption of food. Innovation is often highlighted as a means towards solving these issues. But stakeholders in the typical farm to table value chain struggle with different challenges and barriers to innovation. Our project aims to understand the fundamental mechanisms behind these challenges, and to develop and test potential solutions, i.e., new business and collaboration models.

Poster – Innovation Management in Food System Transitions

Click on image to see full size

Click on image to see full size

Download poster (pdf)

Supervisors

Main supervisor: Maria Elmquist

Co-supervisors: Joakim Netz, Charlotte Eklund-Jonsson, Jennie Cederholm Björklund, Maria Gustavsson

Location

Department of Technology, Management and Economics, Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg.

About Robin

I grew up in the outskirts of Malmö, southern Sweden, where I also initiated my academic journey at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Alnarp. After about five years of studies revolving around food production and sustainability – and Masters’ degree in Agroecology, I moved to Gothenburg and started looking for interesting PhD positions in 2021. With a passion for innovation and entrepreneurship I feel very fortunate to have found a project that aims to study just that – with a focus on food and sustainability. My research project is nested within the Center for Food Innovation for Sustainable System Transition – FINEST, a four-year project funded by FORMAS, involving stakeholders from most corners of the food system – all contributing with their unique perspectives on how the food system could transition towards sustainability. By joining LiFT, I hope to broaden my perspectives even further, especially by connecting with new scholars within the field of food.

Contact

Robin Meijer, robin.meijer@chalmers.se


Sebastian Åberg

PhD Project: Metabolic effects of whole grains and dietary fibre with focus on appetite and weight-loss.

If dietary response could be predicted and responders screened for, dietary guidelines could be tailored and more effective in the prevention of cardiometabolic disease than the current “one fit all approach”. In my PhD-project I’m conducting dietary trials with hypocaloric, high-fibre cereal diets to evaluate the impact of determinants such as glycaemic profile, gut microbiome and inflammation on appetite and weight-loss response to find new strategies for personalized diets.

Poster – Evaluation of appetite measure visual analogue scales in home-setting: VASA-home

Click on image to see full size

Click on image to see full size

Download poster (pdf)

Supervisors

Main supervisor: Prof. Rikard Landberg, Division of Food and Nutrition Science, Chalmers. Marie Palmnäs-Bédard, Postdoc, Division Food and Nutrition Science, Chalmers. Kia Nøhr Iversen, Postdoc, Division: Food and Nutrition Science, Chalmers.

Location

Division of Food and Nutrition Science, Chalmers University of Technology.

About Sebastian

I did my Master’s in Human Nutrition at Stockholm University and Karolinska Institute with a one-year thesis project in Dunedin, New Zealand examining the role of whole grain processing on glycaemic control in type 2 diabetes. Besides my interest and main focus in public health, metabolic syndrome and personalized dietary strategies for obesity and diabetes type 2, I have an interest in sports nutrition and dietary strategies for enhanced performance.

Contact

PhD Student Sebastian Åberg, abergse@chalmers.se


 

Siri Norlander

Enzymatic processing of oat carbohydrates for healthy novel products

I am developing bioprocessing methods, using enzymes, to increase the prebiotic content of oat carbohydrates. The main focus will be analysis of resistant starch and hemicellulose from oat.
The project is a part of ScanOats, an industrial research centre dedicated to Swedish oat. The ScanOats concept is “to link the entire chain from breeding and agriculture to product development and beneficial health effects”.

Poster – Novel Arabinoxylanase for Processing of Oat Carbohydrates into Prebiotics

Click on image to see full size

Click on image to see full size

Download poster (pdf)

Supervisors

Main supervisor: Carl Grey

Co-supervisor: Patrick Adlercreutz

Location

Division of Biotechnology, Lund University.

About Siri

I am from Falun in Dalarna (Sweden). I have a MSc in molecular biotechnology engineering from Uppsala University. I really enjoy being part of this huge network of experts in different research fields. I think it is amazing to be close to the center of new discoveries and inventions, since I wanted to become an ‘inventor’ when I was a child. The best part of my project specifically is that I get to work with a crop I love and eat every day, and create new technologies for a healthier future.

Contact

Siri Norlander, siri.norlander@biotek.lu.se


Shishanthi Jayarathna

PhD Project: New starch for Novel applications

Starch is well known for its unique properties for various food and non-food applications. In the current study, the possibility of utilizing different types of starches on novel applications will be studied. Different types of starches developed by novel biotechnological approaches will be chemically characterized and the influence of starch molecular structure on the functionalities will be studied. Thereby, the knowledge can be utilized in plant breeding aspects to develop plants with tailor-made starches.

Supervisors

Main supervisor: Roger Andersson, Department of Molecular Sciences, SLU.

Co-supervisor: Mariette Andersson, Department Plant Breeding, SLU.

Location

Affiliation- Department of Molecular Sciences, SLU, Uppsala.

About Shishanthi

I am from Sri Lanka, and I first came to Sweden as an Erasmus+ exchange student from the University of Peradeniya (Sri Lanka) to perform my M.Sc. thesis study in SLU, Uppsala. The time I spent as an exchange master student was fantastic, which motivated me to seek opportunities to continue my PhD studies at the same University. I am enjoying my time as a PhD student in almost every aspect and the potential applicability of the research project in its own small way for a green future makes it more exciting.


Solja Pietiäinen

PhD Project: Fractionation of wheat bran for functional ingredients

Arabinoxylan (AX) is an abundant hemicellulose in wheat bran and an important component in baked products. However, AX is embedded in a complex cell wall matrix and hard to extract efficiently from bran without compromising its properties. This PhD project aims to fractionate wheat bran to generate AX with improved yield and optimal properties for bakery applications to increase the nutritional and technological quality of bread. Fractionation conditions are expected to control the properties of AX, which will in turn affect AX functionality in bread. This industrial PhD project is done in collaboration with Lantmännen, and funded by SSF and Lantmännen stiftelse.

Supervisors

Maud Langton, Department of Molecular sciences, SLU. Annelie Moldin, Lantmännen. Anna Ström, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chalmers. Christian Malmberg, Lantmännen.

Location

Department of Molecular Sciences, SLU.

About Solja

I am originally from Finland and got my MSc at Helsinki University but decided to move to Sweden for this PhD project, because it has so much potential to create positive change. Wheat bran is a huge industrial side stream and if we are able to utilize it as a functional food ingredient, it will help to increase the sustainability of cereal production and the nutritional quality of our diets. As an industrial PhD student, I really enjoy working in the interface between academia and industry where the theory and applicability go hand-in-hand.


Therese Hjorth

PhD Project: Metabolic effects of high-fiber diets and low GI-diets among individuals with elevated cardiometabolic risk.

In my PhD project I am investigating the metabolic effects of high-fiber diets and low GI-diets among individuals with elevated cardiometabolic risk evaluating the potential use of foods rich in specific dietary fiber or GI-characteristics for prevention of obesity and pre-diabetes. I am also investigating the effect of beta-glucans in adults with pre-diabetes, in a big European multicenter clinical trial.

Poster – Differential Glycemic Effects of Low- versus High-Glycemic Index Mediterranean-Style Eating Patterns in Adults at Risk for Type 2 Diabetes: The MEDGI-Carb Randomized Controlled Trial

Click on image to see full size

Click on image to see full size

Download poster (pdf)

Supervisors

Supervisor: Rikard Landberg

Co-supervisor: Marie Palmnäs. Göran Bergström

Location

Chalmers University of Technology, department of biology and biological engineering.

About Therese

I am a registered dietitian with a master’s in clinical nutrition. I really love science and research, especially working in a clinical trial when it is really “hands on” and meeting with participants. It is also interesting to see if we can prevent type 2 diabetes using foods that are easily available for most people since type 2 diabetes affects a lot of people all over the world.

Contact

Therese Hjort, therese.hjorth@chalmers.se


Yingxiao Yan

PhD Project title: Impact of combined Exposures on Metabolic Health (ICE)

Effective preventive actions for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) require understanding what environmental factors affect the risk of having NCDs and the underlying biochemical pathophysiological mechanisms. Although studies have linked independent environmental exposures to specific NCDs and investigated explicit interactions between exposures, such studies usually have not systematically taken unknown interactions between multiple exposures into consideration. Moreover, the casual mechanisms between combined exposures and health outcomes are mostly unknown since methodologies for evaluating the effect of multiple exposures on metabolic pathways are lacking. Combing machine learning and epidemiological modeling, the aim of my project is to evaluate how combined environmental exposures (diet, microbiota, and pollutants) regulate metabolic pathways (metabolomics/metabolites) and how that regulation, in turn, relates to risk factors for NCDs (BMI, blood lipids, glucose, blood pressure, etc) and NCDs.

Supervisors

Main: Carl Brunius, Assoc Professor, Division of Food and Nutrition Science, Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology.

Assistant: Anton Ribbenstedt, PhD, Division of Food and Nutrition Science, Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology. Agneta Åkesson, Professor, nutritional and environmental epidemiology, Karolinska Institute. Ingegerd Johansson, Professor, nutritional epidemiology, Umeå University.

Location

Affiliation: Division of Food and Nutrition Science, Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology.

About Yan

Yingxiao Yan holds a Master’s in Public Health from Lund University, Sweden, and a BSc in Chemistry, Nanjing University, China. Yan has a focus on developing data analysis algorithms and applying them in big datasets. He has a wide interest in biostatistics, epidemiology, and machine learning. “My passion is not on exploring how specific exposures, such as diet, pollutants, influence our health, but I want to see the big pictures of associations behind multiple exposures, metabolomics, and our health.”

Contact

Read more about Yan here on LinkedIn!

Zehui Dong

PhD Project: Lipase investigation for specific tailoring of the structural triglycerides in plant-based oil and fat industry.

My project aims at producing and analyze the structure of candidate lipases which has the potential to be used in the plant-based oil and fat industry, with the purpose of specifically tailoring triglyceride to meet different purpose in the downstream food application. The goal is optimizing and evaluating the function of important determinants under industrial condition.

Supervisors

Main supervisor: Eva Nordberg_Karlsson. Professor of Division of Biotechnology, Lund University, Sweden

Co-supervisor: Javier A Linares-Pasten. Associate Professor of Division of Biotechnology, Lund University, Sweden. Kim Olofsson, Science Manager in AAK AB

About Zehui

I am an industrial PhD in Division of Biotechnology LTH Lund University and AAK AB. Before moving to Sweden, I spent two years in Denmark doing my Master study at University of Copenhagen. I am from China and I also finish my bachelor study there, at Tianjin University. I have been always curious about the scientific phenomenon and actively find solutions when problem shows up, which probably the reason that pushed me become a PhD student. On the other hand, I like to work closely to the application, which made this project as a great opportunity for me.

Xue Zhao

PhD Project: Novel potato starch – New structure descriptors may reveal properties for new applications

Starch is a cheap raw material and is widely used for food and in industry. Starch consists of the two polymers amylose and amylopectin and the properties of starch are influenced both by the ratio of these two molecules and by the structure of amylopectin. The aim of my project is to get detailed knowledge of amylopectin structure. It is important in order to understand the biosynthesis of starch as well as the relationship between structure and properties and in the prolonged view to genetically customize starch with specific properties. The project is funded by SLU, Mistra Biotech and TC4F.

Supervisors

Roger Andersson, Department of Molecular Sciences, SLU. Mariette Andersson, Department of Plant Breeding, SLU

Location

Department of Molecular Sciences, SLU

About Xhu

I grew up in a village located in the northeast of China and I did my Bachelor at Northwest Agricultural and Forestry University in China. After that I came to Sweden and got my MSc at SLU before the PhD study. Being a PhD-student I feel that I have embarked on a journey of constant challenges, I feel lucky to work with highly qualified people from whom I learn a lot. If I can understand the details in the biosynthesis of starch and the relationships between structure and properties we may tailor starch at the genetic level for various food. We could also customize starch with desired functional properties for non-food applications, without need for further physical or chemical modification of the starch. This would be a sustainable, economic friendly and green alternative approach, since physical and chemical modification of starch is time, money, and energy consuming as well as chemical and labor intensive. I am happy to work with my project because potato is such a popular food and my work might have an impact on environment and people’s wellbeing.