Master’s Student in Nutrition Sciences and Agri-Food Systems

Please note that:

• We will begin reviewing applications immediately upon receipt, and will continue to do so on a rolling basis until the position is closed;
• The student must be regularly enrolled at a university or higher education institution, and the internship must be a mandatory component of their program of study;
• The compensation for this internship is 832€ gross/month + lunch vouchers.
• Fully on-site internship (no remote work permitted).

Background

Within the Department of Precision Health, Dr. Torsten Bohn, Head of the Nutrition & Health Research Group (NUTRIHEALTH),in collaboration with his team, is seeking support for the Luxfoods project, which will pave the way for an EFSA guide on the nutritional assessment of food consumption patterns in Luxembourg (LU).

We are looking for a Master's student to collaborate with our team on the development and adaptation of local, Luxembourgish food databases, as well as on the processing and classification of food data. Within this role, you will participate in the scientific and technical support of nutrition research. You will contribute to the preparation and processing of dietary data for research, monitoring, and reporting on eating habits and health in Luxembourg.

In the framework of this work, the Master's student will benefit from the expertise of Dr. Torsten Bohn and Alejandra Loyola Leyva in nutrition and health, of Dr. Farhad Vahid in nutritional epidemiology.

Key Accountabilities

• Scrutinize LU eating habits and update lists of food products and recipes, based on online market surveys, focus groups and expert consultations;
• Assuring that Luxembourgish food items and recipes are retained in such food lists and food databases;
• Work together with Belgium partner (Sciensano) dietician on the development of the food lists and food databases, including supplements, in LU;
• Adapt methods of quantifying foods based on photos, standard units and household measurements;
• Linking consumed foods to their nutritional composition using food composition tables (e.g. Ciqual, Bundeslebensmittelschlüssel, Nubel and/or Nevo), or branded databases;
• Calculate the nutritional composition of recipes and compound foods;
• Classify foods according to different systems, such as NOVA, FoodEx2 and others;
• Apply methodologies to identify added sugars, protein sources (plant/animal) and other nutritional characteristics of foods;
• Support analyses and enhance the value of the data from the food consumption survey;
• Testing food survey instruments, including barcode scanning, performing quality checks and processing feedback; documenting activities carried out in scientific protocols.
• Work in a multi-disciplinary team.

Key Skills, Experience & Qualifications

• Qualifications: Enrolled in a Master’s (Year 2) programme in Dietetics, Nutrition, or a related field of nutritional sciences.
• Professional Experience: proven experience in or a strong affinity with food research, food databases or food surveys (e.g. through an internship, project work or professional experience).
• Generic skills: systematic, precise and structured in work with attention to detail and quality, able to work in a team and strong in communication, critical thinking and solution-oriented.

Technical skills:

• In-depth knowledge of the food market, the nutritional composition of food, and quantification methods.
• Able to work with food composition tables.
• Ability to develop recipes.
• Proficiency to work with digital tools and food databases; ability to critically evaluate the technical and content aspects of an online research tool.
• Proficiency in Word and Excel.
• Statistical knowledge and handling skills (SPSS, R…) is an asset.

Language skills:

• Excellent knowledge of English AND French.
• Knowledge of German and Portuguese are assets.

Gender Equality

The LIH is an equal opportunities employer. We are fully committed to removing any discriminatory barrier related to gender, and not only, in recruitment and career progression of our staff.

The LIH is attentive to gender representation among its leadership staff and aims to eliminate obstacles to recruitment and promotion of female leaders and their career development.

In Short

• Internship duration : 6 months
• Work hours : 40h/week
• Location : 1AB, rue Thomas Edison L-1445 Strassen (Luxembourg)
• Start date : ASAP