Gnosis by Lesaffre sponsors PhD student training in vitamin K2 research and production

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Gnosis by Lesaffre (Marcq-en-Baroeul, France), a supplier of vitamin K2 ingredients, is sponsoring a four-year academic program that will give one PhD student the chance to study vitamin K2 research and production. The program, called the Vitamin K2 Industrial PhD Program, will take place at Maastricht University in the Netherlands.

According to a Gnosis press release, this program goes beyond a traditional academic program by providing the student with more hands-on industrial experience with vitamin K2. “This program is different from the standard ‘academic’ PhD, which mostly focuses on academic skills and less on industrial skills. This latter is now recognized as an important asset for young scientists as it increases chances on the job market,” said Leon Schurgers, the professor at Maastricht University who will oversee the PhD student’s training, in a press release. Schurgers is a full professor of biochemistry of vascular calcification, vice chair of biochemistry at the Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), and chair of the Gnosis by Lesaffre Vitamin K2 Scientific Advisory Committee.

He added: “This program allows the candidate to explore research in a pragmatic and applicable way, working in proximity with those offering expertise in research as well as industry.”

The program has already chosen its student recipient: Rudolf Bittner. Bittner will study under the supervision of Schurgers as well as Olav Gåserød, PhD, a product development and research and development manager at Gnosis by Lesaffre, who will supervise Bittner on plant and production training.

“Industry-funded PhDs provide the student with an opportunity to pursue their research in a more vocational environment to develop relevant transferrable skills, allowing for a more seamless transition to the student’s first professional post-doctorate position,” said Gåserød.