Temporary position OT-28369
Post-doctorate in valorization of plant by-products into food ingredients
84000 AVIGNON
INRAE presentation
The French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food, and Environment (INRAE) is a major player in research and innovation. It is a community of 12,000 people with 272 research, experimental research, and support units located in 18 regional centres throughout France. Internationally, INRAE is among the top research organisations in the agricultural and food sciences, plant and animal sciences, as well as in ecology and environmental science. It is the world’s leading research organisation specialising in agriculture, food and the environment. INRAE’s goal is to be a key player in the transitions necessary to address major global challenges. Faced with a growing world population, climate change, resource scarcity, and declining biodiversity, the Institute has a major role to play in building solutions and supporting the necessary acceleration of agricultural, food and environmental transitions.
Work environment, missions and activities
Open Postodoctorate Position / Effect of thermomechanical treatments promoting hornification, on the structure and functions of apple pomace
In the perspective of developing functional food ingredients from whole, non-fractionated apple pomace, this PhD project aims to structure apple pomace using thermo-mechanical treatments to promote hornification in order to control the interactions between cell wall polysaccharides and phenolic compounds.
The research will be structured around two main objectives:
🔹 Objective 1: To understand the relationship between processing conditions, molecular interactions, and structure of processed apple pomace.
🔹 Objective 2: To investigate how structural modifications affect the physicochemical, biochemical, nutritional, and sensory properties of processed apple pomace.
This project will take place primarily at the Safety and Quality of Plant Products Research Unit (SQPOV, UMR 408 INRAE/Avignon Université) in collaboration with the Laboratory of Agro-Industrial Chemistry in Toulouse (LCA, UMR 1010 INRAE/Toulouse INP-ENSIACET). The SQPOV research unit is classified as a Restricted Access Zone (ZRR). Final admission is contingent upon obtaining approval from the relevant authorities for access to the ZRR. All persons recruited and hosted at INRAE, a public research institution, are subject to its internal regulations and code of ethics.
Act no. 2016-483 dated 20 April 2016 pertaining to the code of conduct and public service employees’ rights and obligations recalls the core principles that apply to every individual employed by a public institution. All those who work at INRAE must carry out their duties with dignity, impartiality, integrity and probity, observe the obligation of neutrality, uphold the principle of secularism, and refrain from expressing their religious opinions during the performance of their duties. All employees contributing to INRAE’s work must treat equally all those they may interact with as part of their professional duties and respect their freedom of conscience and their dignity.
Training and skills
- PhD in food science, chemistry of plant biomolecules, biotechnology or related disciplines.
- Strong skills in physical chemistry of plant components and their structure-nutritional function relationships.
- Ideally, experience with study of polysaccharide-polyphenol interactions in food matrices and through in vitro digestion.
- Proven ability to communicate research results in peer-reviewed publications.
- Motivation to supervise PhD students and interns.
- Proficiency in spoken and written English (min. B2) required, knowledge of French appreciated.
INRAE's life quality
By joining our teams, you benefit from (depending on the type of contract and its duration):
- up to 30 days of annual leave + 15 days "Reduction of Working Time" (for a full time);
- parenting support: CESU childcare, leisure services;
- skills development systems: training, career advise;
- social support: advice and listening, social assistance and loans;
- holiday and leisure services: holiday vouchers, accommodation at preferential rates;
- sports and cultural activities;
- collective catering.
How to apply
Application
Send the following by email to Nicolas Bordenave (nicolas.bordenave@inrae.fr):
- A complete CV listing your scientific publications (articles, conferences, etc.)
- 2-3 publications representative of your work
- Accompany each publication with a paragraph of no more than 20 lines explaining your choice of publication
Selection process:
- A pre-selection will be conducted based on application materials.
- Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed in February-March 2026 and the results will be announced in March 2026.
- Feel free to share this opportunity and reach out to Nicolas Bordenave (nicolas.bordenave@inrae.fr) for further information!
All persons employed by or hosted at INRAE, a public research establishment, are subject to the Civil Service Code, particularly with regard to the obligation of neutrality and respect for the principle of secularism. In carrying out their functions, whether or not they are in contact with the public, they must not express their religious, philosophical or political convictions through their behaviour or by what they wear. > Find out more: fonction publique.gouv.fr website (in French)