PhD studentship

Vacancy Reference Number

Fast-Tracking Food Safety

Organisation:

University of York

Closing Date

17 Apr 2026

Salary

UK Fees and stipend

Address

University of York

Duration

3 yrs 9 months

PhD title: Fast-Tracking Food Safety: Cutting-Edge Mass Spectrometry for Protecting Food Supplies from Hidden Environmental Contaminants.

Are you passionate about solving complex environmental challenges? Interested in creating non-toxic urban spaces that benefit society and nature alike? This exciting PhD project, part of the NERC-funded ECOSOLUTIONS Doctoral Focal Award, offers the opportunity to help tackle the problem of pollution in rural landscapes and food systems.

About the Project: Chemical pollutants from industry, agriculture and urban runoff readily infiltrate ecosystems where they can accumulate in food sources: fish, shellfish, and plants. Bioaccumulation presents a significant risk to human health, as dietary exposure is a primary pathway whereby bioactive compounds are ingested. While current food safety monitoring frameworks are focused on a restricted set of well-known contaminants, the major challenge remains the unknown contaminants, not included in routine monitoring but may still exert toxicological effects.

Mass Spectrometry (MS), a major analytical measurement technology critical to any well-founded analytical laboratory, is of strategic importance in all aspects of molecular science. When applied in a non-targeted (NT) manner, it is transformative, enabling the detection of thousands of chemical features, capturing both familiar and emerging contaminants.

The proposed research will develop rapid and sustainable NTMS strategies to overcome the bottleneck of sample throughput and investigate contaminants that can accumulate in the food chain.

The student will:

• Develop rapid methods using high resolution mass spectrometry, coupled with advanced separation techniques: ion mobility mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography, and capture comprehensive semi-quantitative chemical fingerprints from complex food matrices.

• Employ sophisticated bioinformatics workflows (artificial intelligence and machine learning) to interpret, classify, and predict risk of unknowns, including possible carcinogens, mutagens, and toxicants.

• Validate the developed framework through a case study on local food samples, establishing a robust basis for next-generation contaminant monitoring.

• Deliver a set of efficient and robust analytical tools covering the pipeline of sampling to accessible data, and build a living database as a resource for future research. Ultimately, this research seeks to strengthen risk assessment frameworks and regulatory standards by providing stakeholders with a more complete picture of chemical exposure.

Further Information

https://www.findaphd.com/phds/project/fast-tracking-food-safety-cutting-edge-mass-spectrometry-for-protecting-food-supplies-from-hidden-environmental-contaminants/?p189425

Contact Details

Dr Jackie Mosely, jackie.mosely@york.ac.uk