PhD Special Call: PhD position in consumer and marketing research on alternative plant-based food ingredients to replace egg

Would you like to develop impact-oriented research that makes a difference for climate, health and animal-welfare? Are you ready to explore the evolving market trends driving the demand for plant-based alternatives? Do you want to investigate consumer behaviour and marketing strategies shaping sustainable business opportunities in collaboration with industry partners? Do you enjoy working independently and with large degrees of freedom to develop your own research while also being part of a supportive and knowledgeable team?

Then join our team for an exciting research project funded by Innovation Fund Denmark.
Aarhus BSS Graduate School, Aarhus University invites applicants for a PhD Scholarship in connection with the research project 'Consumer and marketing research on alternative plant-based food ingredients to replace eggs' at the PhD Programme Management. 
 
The position is available from September 1, 2024 or as soon as possible thereafter.
 

The overall research project

There is a growing market trend towards plant-based alternatives to animal-based products and ingredients, amongst others driven by climate, animal welfare, and health concerns. The PIER project aims to develop high-quality, climate-friendly, and affordable plant-based functional ingredients as egg replacers that are appealing to specific segments as well as mainstream consumers in terms of taste, product functionality, and societal benefits.


The research group

The project is funded by Innovation Fund Denmark. It is coordinated by Marianne Hammershøj at the Department of Food, AU, and a collaboration between AU-FOOD, the MAPP Centre at Department of Management, AU, and the companies Palsgaard and Nexus. At the MAPP Centre, the project team consists of professor Jessica Aschemann-Witzel, associate professor Susanne Pedersen, and associate professor Lina Jacobsen.
 

Job description

At the MAPP Centre we will be working with the following research questions:  

• Which are social media associations and sentiments regarding plant-based ingredients among case studies of micro- as well as macro-influencers in the field of food - both in Denmark and selected export countries?
• What are different marketing strategy scenarios according to a systematic review of consumer segmentation studies in the field of ‘plant-based’ ingredients?
• Which communicational framing effectively communicates plant-based alternatives to selected target groups (applying experiments in the VR supermarket lab).

The PhD project is to be carried out as part of the research project. The PhD student´s role in the research questions listed above will depend on the chosen candidate and his / her PhD project related to the topic of the overall project.

During the project you will complete a PhD education as described in the rules and regulations for the PhD programme
 

Your qualifications

We are looking for a candidate who:

• Has a relevant Master degree with knowledge on theories and methods in areas such as consumer behaviour, marketing management strategy, retailing and/or psychology.
• Has experience with qualitative and quantitative consumer research and is passionate about conducting innovative, high-quality consumer and marketing research with societal impact.
• Is fluent in English and additional languages. Danish language is a plus but not a requirement.
• Experience with social media data and/or virtual reality as well as industry experience is a plus.

 

Further information

For further information about the position, please contact Jessica Aschemann-Witzel, Tel.:  +45 9350 8332, Email: [email protected], or Susanne Pedersen, Tel.:  +45 2993 3928, Email: [email protected]
 
If you need help uploading your application or have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR supporter Maria Grauert Bodin Tel.: +45 8715 3445, Email: [email protected]. 
 

Who we are

The position is linked to the MAPP Centre, which is a world-class research Centre working on relevant, interdisciplinary and high-quality research on citizen-consumer perspectives in the agricultural and food system and on commercial and social marketing of foods and related services. We study value generation and societal impact, in particular with regard to health and sustainability, as well as the implications of insight into consumer behaviour for both industry and public policy.

For more information about the MAPP Centre, please visit http://mapp.au.dk/.

The Department of Management is one of the six departments at Aarhus BSS, one of the five faculties at Aarhus University. Aarhus BSS unites the business and social science-related research fields and brings them closer together to reflect the close relationship between society and the business community. As part of a Top 100 university, Aarhus BSS, and specifically the Department of Management, has achieved the distinguished AASCB, AMBA and Equis accreditations - the latter specifically applying to the school’s core business activities.

The department’s research and teaching environment is highly international and culturally diverse with a mix of Danish and international academic staff members and PhD students. We employ more than 160 academic staff including researchers, PhD students, and research associates and cover a broad range of disciplines within management. We aim to conduct high-quality research, and we give high priority to publishing our research in leading academic journals and presenting it at recognised conferences. In addition, we have a dynamic exchange of international researchers, who stay at the department for a shorter or longer period.

For more information about the Department of Management, please visit: http://mgmt.au.dk/.
 

Place of work

Department of Management
Fuglsangs Allé 4
8210 Aarhus V
Denmark
 


Formal requirements

You can read more about how to apply in the application guide and find the rules and regulations of the PhD education here.

The following criteria are decisive in the assessment of the candidates:

• the applicant’s academic qualifications (assessed on the basis of the qualifying degree)
• the quality and relevance of the project proposal
• the applicant’s level of academic aptitude and assessed ability to complete the project within the framework of the PhD programme

You can read more about the assessment procedure and committees appointed by the dean here. Please note that for applications to the programme for Psychology and Behavioural Science, the criteria for assessment are specified here.

Applicants are very much encouraged to supply documentation as to how they rank compared to their class (both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees). This may for example be in the form of a letter from your University stating either how you rank as an individual student compared to other students the year you graduated ("ranks as no. 6 out of 111" or "ranks as among the best 8 percent") or if that is not possible, general information from your University as to how grades were distributed in the year of your graduation, will be appreciated.

Please note that Aarhus BSS Graduate School reserves the right to evaluate the applications on the basis of the documentation received before deadline, and you will not necessarily be asked for further documentation. Furthermore, Aarhus BSS Graduate School reserves the right to reject application that do not comply with the limitations as stated in the application guide (see link above).
Aarhus University’s ambition is to be an attractive and inspiring workplace for all and to foster a culture in which each individual has opportunities to thrive, achieve and develop. We view equality and diversity as assets, and we welcome all applicants.


Aarhus University

Aarhus University is an academically diverse and research-intensive university with a strong commitment to high-quality research and education and the development of society nationally and globally. The university offers an inspiring research and teaching environment to its 38,000 students (FTEs) and 8,300 employees, and has an annual revenues of EUR 935 million. Learn more at www.international.au.dk/