MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship on Agro-food valorization by biorefinery processes

Position Overview

Federico Battista, Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering for the environment and the bio-processes invites scholars to present expressions of interest in applying jointly with Laboratory of chemical Engineering of the Department of Biotechnology of the University of Verona (Italy) for a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowships (MSCA-PF-2026) on biorefinery for the production or extraction of biofuels and high added value compounds from agricultural and food wastes.

Research Focus

The topics of my research line include the valorization of the agro-food byproducts, residues and wastes for:

• resource recovery from waste,
• biorefinery processes,
• the improvement of upstream processes to prepare the biomass for the main biorefinery unit operations;
• the optimization of downstream processes for the extraction and purification of high added value compounds,
• the production of bioenergy (biogas, biohydrogen biodiesel),
• bio-based fertilizers,
• Focus on VFA conversion into Single Cell Proteins and Single Cell Oils

Host Group

We are looking for applicants for a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship to be presented with our Centre / Department as main host institution.

The approach of the research group covers the entire development pipeline, from laboratory-scale research (TRL 3–4) to demonstration and pre-industrial stages (TRL 6–8), in collaboration with engineering and construction companies. We actively promote innovation by working closely with industry, providing scientific and technical expertise to support technology scale-up and implementation.

This approach enables us to generate transferable knowledge, develop scalable technologies, and address key environmental and industrial challenges.

Selected candidates will be offered both academic and administrative support from the Centre / Department and the University of Verona Grant Office with regards to the proposal preparation.

Eligibility Criteria

• To have a PhD at the call deadline (September 9, 2026)
• To have up to 8 years research experience after PhD
• To be citizens of an EU State or of an Associated Country or long-term resident in Europe (only for Global Fellowship)
• Not to have resided or carried their main activity in Italy for more than 12 in the 36 months before call deadline (September 9, 2026) – for European Fellowship
• Not to have resided or carried their main activity in the country of the Host Institution in the third country for more than 12 in the 36 months before call deadline (September 9, 2026) – for a Global Fellowship.

Key Requirements

Besides, candidates should be fluent in English, should have excellent teamwork attitude, organizational skills and ability to work in a multidisciplinary environment.