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Professor/Associate Professor of Food Safety Systems

Employer
UNIVERSITY OF GREENWICH
Location
Medway, United Kingdom
Salary
£59,828 to £71,406
Closing date
2 Oct 2019

Food and Markets

Location:      Medway campus
Salary:      £59,828 to £71,406
Contract Type:      Permanent
Closing Date:      Wednesday 02 October 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 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 Professor in Food Safety Systems. An appointment may be made at the Associate Professor 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%. There will also be opportunities to supervise postgraduate MPhil/PhD students.

Sustainable improvements in human nutrition require efficient and equitable food systems, which enable access to safe and nutritious food for all. Food security not only requires that people have continued access to sufficient quantities of food, but also extends to issues of nutrient content, food safety and quality. The health burden of foodborne disease is comparable to that of malaria, HIV/AIDS or tuberculosis, with disproportionately affects low- and middle-income countries. This position is a key role within the NRI’s integrated food systems approach to improving nutrition, with a particular focus on vulnerable populations, including infants and young children, adolescent girls and women of reproductive age.

The post holder will have a proven track record in food safety and food policy as it relates to equitable, healthy and sustainable food systems at global, national and local levels. Knowledge of and experience of research and capacity-building with actors in food value chains to address complex food safety challenges (e.g. aflatoxin contamination, food borne pathogens) will be important. This position will require an ability to address social, behavioural and economic drivers of change, both to devise context-appropriate strategies to improve food safety in resource-poor settings and to influence high-level policy.

As an authority and lead figure in the international academic community, the successful candidate is expected to provide strategic leadership across the university in achieving a complex set of outcomes for research funders, academics, students and employers. The candidate should have a proven record of attracting external research and other grants and the ability to add value to the NRI’s Food and Nutrition Security Initiative (FaNSI).

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 Director of NRI (Professor Andrew Westby (a.westby@gre.ac.uk) or the Head of Department (Dr Andy Frost (A.I.Frost@gre.ac.uk)).

Further information will be provided with respect to this appointment.

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

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