Advertiser's description (via the University of Reading):
We seek a Post-Doctoral Research Associate to join our food system resilience project, led by the University of Reading, joining a large interdisciplinary team with an excellent track record in food system research.
The project aims to: 1) assess resilience of both the current UK fruit and vegetable (F&V) system plus several scenarios of future possible states (e.g. greater domestic production versus imports, more vertical farming versus field-based etc.), 2) analyse the resilience of transformation pathways both in terms of systemic risks they are exposed to and the transition risks generated, 3) identify potential resilience-building interventions.
You will form a member of a close-knit project team consisting of four other PDRAs and several PhD students, academic leads from the University of Reading, University of Oxford and Northumbria University, as well as project partners including government agencies (e.g. Defra, Food Standards Agency), industry bodies and F&V producers.
Several more PDRA posts will be advertised over the coming year working specifically on food system financial analysis (Work Package2), portfolio analysis of F&V provision (WP3), mathematical modelling of supply chains (WP4) and econometric modelling of dietary and health impacts (WP5). This first PDRA post will work on the overarching WP1, which will codevelop scenarios for potential F&V system transformation (plausible ideal scenarios to 2050) with key policy partners and industry contacts.
You will help design and facilitate workshops to map systemic risks to UK F&V value chains, including interactions between environmental factors such extreme weather, pest and pollinator dynamics, socio-economic shocks (e.g., civil unrest, market volatility, food price spikes, and labour shortages) and geo-political shocks (e.g., conflict, trade wars). You will work to collate evidence statements that enable conversion of these scenarios into specific shock values relevant for the modelling in subsequent work packages, and help assess broad interventions to increase resilience and screen these with policy partners in terms of their potential to provide wins in terms of enhancing both short and long-term resilience.
You will have:
- a PhD in a relevant field or equivalent attainment
- experience liaising with varied stakeholders
- academic literature synthesis and writing skills
- knowledge of food system resilience
- a motivation to engage in systems approaches to understand complex risks
The project will support visa fee and healthcare surcharge for international applicants.
Closing date: 18th November 2024
Interviews will be held: 3rd December 2024
