Food and Markets

Location:      Medway campus
Salary:      £33,199 to £48,676
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 a Senior Fellow in Food Innovation. An appointment may be made at the Fellow (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 20%.There will also likely to be opportunities to supervise postgraduate MPhil/PhD students.

The Food and Nutrition Security Initiative (FaNSI) at NRI is contributing to the global view of food systems by increasing its understanding of the interactions between food security and nutrition in the context of low and medium-income countries. Food systems is considered from a holistic perspective and may include, for example, aspects of productivity, inclusion, upgrading of value chains, reducing food loss and waste, increasing institutional efficiency (including policy and regulatory frameworks), developing and growing micro and small food enterprises, building resilience among rural populations, measuring trade-offs between factors and improving health and welfare.

Working within a multi-disciplinary team, the successful candidate will undertake research in food innovation that provides new knowledge and can guide future research and policy that aims to tackle the underlying causes of food and nutrition security. The successful candidate will ideally have a background in food processing and some industrial experience, and it is expected be comfortable bringing to bear food innovation skills to a wide set of challenges across disciplines.

An appointment may be made at the Fellow (AC2) 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 Ben Bennett (Ben.Bennett@gre.ac.uk) or Head of Department (Dr Andy Frost (A.I.Frost@greenwich.ac.uk).

We aim to be an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all sections of the community.