PhD Scholarships in Chemical Engineering - University of Queensland

PhD scholarships For scientists and engineers in Chemical Engineering - University of Queensland

School of Chemical Engineering

Industry sponsored PhD scholarships for scientists and engineers in Chemical Engineering

A stipend of between $25,000 and $32,500 pa AUD for three years (tax free) is available for 2 PhD students for projects concerning processing, colloidal/microstru ctural properties and rheology on the gelling and yielding properties of dairy proteins.


Many soft foods are highly complex yielding and gelling soft matter systems that are structured at the nano and micro-scale in the form of either a soft glass or gel. The colloidal nature of this structure strongly influences their physical and sensory properties, including rheology, but the exact relationship between these properties remains elusive. This lack of fundamental insight, combined with the inability to precisely control the structure and rheology during processing, is actually inhibiting food manufacturer' s efforts to create next generation foods that have substantial health benefits whilst delivering a positive consumer experience. We focus on discovering the processing-structur e-rheology relationships relevant to dairy proteins.

Project 1 aims to develop and validate rheological- based approaches and scaling rules to elucidate the influence of processing conditions on the rheology and microstructure of gelling proteins during processing. Depending on the candidate's capabilities and interests, this may also involve utilization of advanced modeling approaches.

Project 2 aims to determine novel relationships between rheological properties of protein gels with their colloidal properties as well as the nature of their self-assembled nano/microstructure s. It is anticipated that such properties will strongly influence the quality of the final product including their behavior during oral processing as well as their sensorial properties.

The projects will be performed in collaboration with an overseas industry partner.

The role: These projects require excellent engineers or scientists with an interest in performing and applying fundamental engineering and/or scientific approaches in order to obtain an advanced, and as yet
unrealized, understanding of industrial processes and products. While the key application area is towards dairy proteins, the skills and capabilities to be developed by the candidates in the fields of soft matter and rheology will be advantageous for a wide variety of industrial and academic areas. The candidates will be part of a multidisciplinary dynamic research group.

The person: Graduates with honors or masters from Chemical Engineering, Chemical and Biological Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Food Engineering, Food science, Chemistry, and Physics with good experimental skills are encouraged to apply. Academically strong practicing engineers and scientists are also encouraged to apply.

Remuneration: Scholarships are available for outstanding PhD candidates. This will enable an excellent student to receive a full-time living allowance of $25,000 - $32,500 per annum for three years, with the
possibility of a six month extension in approved circumstances. International student fees can be waived for excellent international student under certain circumstances.

Other benefits include potential for a 3 month placement with the industrial sponsor, attendance to at least one local and one international scientific conference and participation in a range of UQ leadership and development courses.

Contact: To discuss the role, contact A/Prof Jason Stokes, telephone (07) 3365 4361 or emailjason.stokes@ uq.edu.au . Web address: http://www.uq. edu.au/uqresearc hers/researcher/ stokesjr. html
 

Applications should contain:

1. covering letter
2. up-to-date CV, and
3. academic transcript.

Send applications to:

Finance and HR Officer
School of Chemical Engineering
The University of Queensland
STt Lucia QLD 4072
Australia
or email finance@chemeng. uq.edu.au