Research Fellow / Engineer – Food Processing

About the role

The Singapore Institute of Technology seeks a Research Fellow/Engineer to lead applied food processing projects with strong industry relevance, focusing on product development, process optimisation and project management.

Key responsibilities

• Lead and manage research projects on mushroom, mycelium and plant‑based protein ingredients, improving nutrition, flavour, digestibility and functional performance.
• Design and execute thermal (UHT, ohmic heating) and non‑thermal (ultrasound, high‑pressure homogenisation, microwave, pulsed electric fields) processing strategies, including solvent‑shifting and green technologies such as deep eutectic solvents.
• Oversee scale‑up from bench‑top to pilot‑plant, handling fractionation, centrifugation, clarification, recovery, drying and overall process design.
• Support AI‑enabled data analysis, collaborating on artificial neural networks and Gaussian Process modelling for optimisation.
• Consolidate experimental, techno‑economic and sustainability data into technical evidence packages for reporting and regulatory decision‑making.
• Coordinate timelines, budgets, procurement and compliance with grant and institutional requirements.
• Prepare scientific manuscripts, technical reports and deliverables for funding agencies and stakeholders.
• Supervise and mentor junior researchers, engineers, students and visiting scholars.

Required profile

• PhD in Food Science, Food Technology, Chemical Engineering or a closely related discipline (strong Master’s holders with relevant experience may be considered).
• Extensive knowledge of protein functionality, structure‑function relationships and food biopolymer systems, especially plant‑ and fungal‑derived proteins.
• Demonstrated experience with food processing technologies, pilot‑scale processing and techno‑economic evaluation.
• Ability to translate complex experimental outcomes into industry‑relevant insights and prototypes.
• Strong scientific writing, communication and stakeholder management skills.

Required skills

• Thermal processing techniques (UHT, ohmic heating).
• Non‑thermal technologies: ultrasound, high‑pressure homogenisation, microwave, pulsed electric fields.
• Solvent‑shifting approaches (pH and salt shifting) and deep eutectic solvents.
• Pilot‑scale process design and scale‑up assessment.
• Process optimisation tools such as response surface methodology (RSM).
• AI‑enabled data analysis, including artificial neural networks and Gaussian Process modelling.