Future Food Fellows 2020
We are excited to present the new Future Food Fellows for 2020. Four talented postdoctoral researchers working on impactful projects were selected.
The Future Food Fellowship is a postdoctoral fellowship program for exceptionally qualified young researchers who propose projects targeting future food issues, such as nutrition, production, packaging, and digital health. The fellowship provides personal research funds for three years, enabling fellows to work on their projects and collaborate with Swiss industry partners.
Thsi year, four talented postdoctoral researchers were selected from Austria, Belgium, France, and Turkey. The fellows come from different disciplines, and all will work towards a sustainable future of food. Two fellows will work at ETH Zurich and two at EPFL.
We introduce the fellows, with a description of the projects and their motivation to join the initiative. Please visit the external page Future Food Initative homepage for more information about the fellows.
Dr. Georg Aichinger uses bioinformatics to enlighten differences between population groups of microorganisms responsible for the gastrointestinal conversion and pharmacokinetics of beneficial food constituents.
“I was motivated by the outlook to work at one of Europe’s most renowned research institutions together with a multidisciplinary team on a self-defined project, the possibility to apply state-of-the art computational methods within an intriguing research field, and the close proximity of my conducted academic research to industrial relevance.”
Start: January 2021
Host professor: Prof. Shana Sturla, Laboratory of Toxicology, ETH Zurich
Dr. Eva Galle explores whether lactylation of the muscle’s DNA can guide muscle biology and how we can improve and strengthen this process through the consumption of lactate-rich foods.
“The fellowship will allow me to explore the for-me-unknown world of the food industry, where science is transformed into products. I plan to reach out regularly to the industry, specifically, for the development of lactate-enriched foods. I envisage to be closely involved in this process, so I can learn from it and get a feeling about the philosophy and the way of working in the private sector. I therefore think that this grant, besides the prestige and the great overlap in aspirations for the future that come with it, can give me the chosen opportunity to discover and compare both worlds which will enable me to make a well-informed decision about my future career.”
Start: October 2020
Host professor: Prof. Ferdinand von Meyenn, Laboratory of Nutrition and Metabolic Epigenetics, ETH Zurich
Dr. Hanna Lesme aims to explore the interactions between plant proteins and salivary proteins to reduce the astringent perception of plant-based beverages with high protein content.
“Having the opportunity to build a research project with research laboratories of excellence together with food industry leaders appeared to me to be a unique opportunity after my PhD in food sciences. This fellowship will allow me to explore new scientific fields while being involved in the translation of the results into more sustainable food products. I believe that it will be a springboard for my future career as a researcher in food sciences.”
Start: December 2020
Host professor: Prof. Bruno Correia and Prof. Francesco Stellacci, Laboratory of Protein Design and Immuno-engineering and Laboratory of Supramolecular Nanomaterials and Interfaces, EPFL
Dr. Deniz Turan Kunter aims at developing novel bio-based and biodegradable high-barrier coatings for paper-based packaging approaches to help solving the plastic waste problem.
“My goal is to make an important research contribution to the question of sustainable materials. The Future Food Initiative is a fantastic opportunity for me to acquire my own funding to do so.”
Start: May 2021
Host professor: Prof. Holger Frauenrath and Prof. Veronique Michaud, Laboratory of Macromolecular and Organic Materials and Laboratory for Processing of Advanced Composites, EPFL
The Future Food Fellowship
ETH Zurich and EPFL have launched Future Food – A Swiss Research Initiative (“Future Food Initiative”) in 2018 together with Swiss food industry leaders Bühler, Givaudan, and Nestlé as the first partners on board, with the possibility for additional partners to join in the near future. The goal of the initiative is to expand research and education in the area of food and nutrition sciences. The fellowship program within the initiative aims at bringing together competences from academic and industrial research in this field.