Lecturer in Microbiological food safety and risk assessment

Organisation/Company

Oniris

Department

Farm Animal Health & Public Health

Research Field

Engineering » Chemical engineering

Researcher Profile

First Stage Researcher (R1)

Country

France

Application Deadline

22 Mar 2024 – 00:00 (Europe/Paris)

Type of Contract

Not Applicable

Job Status

Full-time

Offer Starting Date

1 Sep 2024

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

Not funded by an EU programme

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Offer Description

Oniris is a public higher education and research establishment of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty (MASA) and trains veterinary doctors, engineers, doctors, masters and higher technicians.

Specific context of the position: The position is based on the Veterinary Campus.

Veterinary public health, in its food safety dimension, guarantees the reliability of global trade in goods, representing a major economic issue, and the reduction of the health and socio-economic impacts of food-borne diseases due to biological hazards. Controlling these impacts involves reasoning evaluation, management, control and communication measures on food safety risks. The tryptic “hazard/food/farm animal”, throughout the production chains, and environment-production animals-food-human interactions have to be considered. Veterinarians, doctors and engineers working at the heart of “Food” must become aware of their roles and the synergy of their actions to guarantee food security and national food autonomy. The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted, in addition to the accumulated risk of emerging infectious diseases, the need for a global approach based on the “One Health” concept. Oniris was a pioneer in this field by carrying out in 2012 a structuring Idefi-ANR in the Pays de la Loire region (Master MANIMAL) on the theme of “public health and the health and nutritional safety of food”, involving the Health Centers of the Universities of Nantes and Angers and the ESA of Angers (Angers Agricultural college).

Food safety and risk assessment have been linked for more than 20 years at the international level (WHO, FAO) with the implementation of “risk-based food safety management”. The European food safety agency, EFSA, bases its opinions on risk assessment. By achieving this food safety – risk assessment connection, the EU has generally raised the level of public health protection, which was recognized during the recent audit of the Food Law (Regulation 178/2002, EC 2018). However, food safety remains a major challenge and a priority for research and innovation within the framework of the European Commission’s Food 2030 program. Within Oniris, the Food Hygiene and Quality educational unit provides training in food hygiene and safety for future veterinarians and allows them to acquire skills in food chain safety. UMR-INRAE-Oniris SECALIM is recognized at the national and international level for its innovative research on microbiological risks associated with the consumption of foodstuffs of animal origin, particularly from the poultry and fish sectors, and its work on the quantitative assessment of integrated risks. in a health risk-benefit approach.

Position assignment: Department Farm Animal Health & Public Health  (Head: Pr Raphael Guatteo) – Unit Food Hygiene and Quality (Head: Dr Fanny Renois-Meurens; team of 11 persons) and Research unit UMR 1014 Food Safety and Microbiology (SECALIM) (Head: Pr Marie-France Pilet ; team of 19 persons and 5 PhD students)

MISSIONS

Teaching activity

At the interfaces of animal health and food processing systems, the lecturer will have to design, lead, participate in the educational reflections of the Department, and to develop teaching materials co-designed between several disciplinary fields including veterinary and engineering. He/she will develop innovative educational materials in food safety for both courses, and promoting their opening to an international English-speaking audience. The teaching load will be full and will represent about 192 hours on the basis of TD (tutorial lessons) in the form of Courses, TD, TP (practical work) & Educational Innovation Projects.

– Basic training:

Design and production of courses as part of Oniris’ veterinary and engineering curriculum, including theoretical and practical courses as well as courses relocated to production sites (slaughterhouses, food industry, collective catering), in relation to: hygiene, European food health regulations, identification of biological hazards, characterization of exposure and ultimately food risk, diagnostic approach applied to veterinary public health for the implementation of controls throughout the food chains. Creation and implementation of teaching on the transfer of hazards due to the feeding of farm animals (“feed” safety), participation in practical and supervised teaching in general microbiology in teaching units taught by the training unit infectiology at Oniris.

– Advanced and post-graduate training:

He or she will contribute to the teaching of the final year of veterinary and engineering courses, co-accredited Masters including international courses, specialization (European residency training), additional diploma training, and continuing education activities in the field of food safety.

Research activity

The mission of UMR SECALIM is to produce and disseminate knowledge and scientific methods in the field of microbiological food safety to meet societal demands. Its expertise in food safety and microbiology is widely established among the scientific community, manufacturers and French and European health authorities (DGAL (Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty), EFSA, ANSES (French food safety agency)). Its research activities are organized around two topics: understanding the adaptation strategies of bacteria and risk quantification for the consumer, with the aim of controlling microbial risks during food production and processing. The recruited person will carry out research in food safety and quantitative risk assessment. She will use her skills in identifying and characterizing microbiological hazards and in quantitative assessment of exposure to hazards. These approaches, applied from primary production to the consumer’s kitchen, will allow risk quantification in the context of changes linked to food transitions: integration of new sources of protein in the diet, application of food preservation processes limiting additives, new consumption practices, etc. The objective will be to identify risk reduction levers and evaluate their effects. The lecturer will strengthen the unit’s project in both food safety and quantitative risk assessment, two closely connected aspects for which the unit is recognized. He or she will benefit from the unit’s collaborative network in this area at the national level (ANSES Maison-Alfort, LUBEM Quimper, ADRIA) and international level (UC Dublin, Wageningen University).

Job profile

The candidate must hold a PhD. His-her experience will demonstrate skills in food safety (regulatory context, organizational elements, operational factors), identification and characterization of microbiological hazards, quantitative assessment of exposure to hazards, predictive microbiology, as well as its interest in the finalized research, its autonomy, adaptability and versatility. He or she must demonstrate through his or her activities a taste for teamwork as well as the ability to develop collaborations and relationships with professional partners. A first experience in teaching will be appreciated and significant experience in writing scientific publications, communications in international conferences, mastery of English is expected.

CONTACTS

Head of Teaching  Department: Raphaël GUATTEO : +332.40.68.28.00 [email protected]    Contact Head of Educational unit : Jean-Michel CAPPELIER : +332.40.68.76.82 – [email protected]

Head of UMR SECALIM: Marie-France PILET : +332.40.68.78.11 – [email protected]

Requirements

Research Field

Engineering » Chemical engineering

Education Level

Master Degree or equivalent

Languages

FRENCH

Level

Good

Additional Information
Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

Oniris

Country

France

State/Province

Région Pays de la Loire

City

NANTES

Postal Code

44300

Street

route de Gachet

Geofield

Where to apply

Website

https://www.oniris-nantes.fr/accueil/travailler-a-oniris/

Contact

State/Province

LOIRE-ATLANTIQUE

City

NANTES

Website

https://www.oniris-nantes.fr/

Street

101 ROUTE DE GACHET

Postal Code

44300

STATUS: EXPIRED