Livelihoods & Institutions

Location:      Medway campus
Salary:      £39,610 to £58,089
Contract Type:      Permanent
Closing Date:      Wednesday 25 September 2019
Interview Date:      To be confirmed

Do you have what it takes to make an impact on global food and nutrition security? We are looking for exceptional candidates to help drive forward our work to improve the lives of poor people.

The Natural Resources Institute (NRI – https://www.nri.org/) of the University of Greenwich carries out specialised research, teaching, training and consultancy with a focus on food, agriculture, environment and sustainable livelihoods.

NRI is currently expanding its interdisciplinary research excellence to address food and nutrition security, especially in Africa. This expansion is funded by UKRI’s Research England under the ‘Expanding Excellence in England’ scheme. Elements of this new investment include new staff, PhD studentships, infrastructure and partnerships (see www.nri.org/FanSI). Investment will be across four specific areas:

• Climate Change, Agriculture and Natural Resources
• Sustainable Agricultural Intensification
• Food Loss and Waste
• Food Systems for Improved Nutrition

NRI’s work is globally respected and has won many awards including a recent Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Further and Higher Education. The Institute is located at the University’s vibrant Medway Campus in Chatham Maritime, Kent.

NRI is looking to appoint an Associate Professor in Climate Vulnerability and State Fragility. An appointment may be made at the Senior Fellow (Senior Lecturer) level for a suitably qualified candidate. The focus on the role will be on high quality research, with a possible contribution to teaching activities of up to 10-15%.There will also be opportunities to supervise postgraduate MPhil/PhD students.

This particular role is intended to enhance NRI’s capacity to research the combined and interacting impacts of climate change/vulnerability and state fragility on food and nutrition security, with a focus on sub-Saharan Africa. State fragility can result from political instability, including but not limited to the presence of armed conflict, and/or the failure of the state to provide an enabling environment for a functioning economy, especially in rural areas. Successful candidates may have a PhD in e.g. political science, conflict studies, development studies, geography, social anthropology, social policy, international relations or economics. Research interests may cover a variety of fields, for example: quantitative or qualitative analyses of potential causal effects of climate change on state fragility; the effects of state fragility or poor governance on the vulnerability to climate change of rural populations; the effectiveness of development, social protection or humanitarian interventions for populations subject to protracted crises involving both climatic factors and conflict.

The successful candidate will provide strategic leadership at Department and Faculty level in achieving a complex set of outcomes for academics, students and employers. Income generation is critical as an enabler, as well as the ability to add value to NRI’s Food and Nutrition Security Initiative.

An appointment may be made at the Senior Fellow (AC3) level where a suitable candidate has relevant skills, experience and profile.

The post holder is expected to have, and maintain strong stakeholder relationships at regional, national and international levels, across his/her research disciplines and a strong record of publication at the highest level. It is anticipated that work will focus on sub-Saharan Africa. Previous experience in this region would be an advantage. International travel is an expectation of this role.

For informal enquiries, please contact the Programme Leader (Professor John Morton (J.F.Morton@gre.ac.uk) or Head of Department (Professor Vegard Iversen (Vegard.Iversen@greenwich.ac.uk )).