Graduate Opportunities

Graduate Research Assistantship (M.Sc. Student)

Description:

The MSU SoP Almenar lab (https://www.canr.msu.edu/almenar/index ) is looking to hire a highly motivated Graduate Research Assistant to work on a project focused on assessing the effectiveness of a novel antimicrobial treatment in extending the shelf life and enhancing the safety of packaged food including two different food categories: produce and meats. Activities include but are not limited to literature review, food processing, sanitation, packaging, microbial studies, sensory evaluation, physico-chemical characterization, collection of quantitative data, analysis of data(including statistical analysis), interpretation of results, documentation of progress in written form, and dissemination of results via publications in peer-reviewed journals.

Minimum requirement:

  • Sc. degree in Food Science, Packaging, or a related discipline.
  • Good oral and written communication skills in English.
  • Cooperative attitude while working with a diverse group including students, faculty, and staff.
  • Ability to work independently.
  • Strong work ethic.
  • Strong motivation and interest in research.
  • Self-initiative.

Preferred Qualification:

  • Experience in writing papers or reports.
  • Experience and/or knowledge in food physico-chemical, microbial, and sensory evaluations.
  • Ability to design experiments to test relevant research hypothesis.
  • Analytical skills to identify problems and create solutions independently with minimal instruction or supervision.
  • Good organizational skills.

Job duration: 2 semesters (Fall 2020 and Spring 2021). The assistantship includes stipend, tuition, and health insurance. Additional funds are available for research supplies. Possible funding for year 2 will be discussed during the interview process.

Job type: Full time

Institution: Michigan State University

Department: Packaging

Location: 448 Wilson Rd., East Lansing, MI, USA

Interested applicants should send a letter of interest, a CV, academic transcripts, GRE, and TOEFL (if applicable), and two letters of references to Dr. Almenar (ealmenar@msu.edu) with “Application for Graduate Research Assistant position” in the subject line before February 1st. Hiring will proceed on a rolling basis, so early application is encouraged.

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