Advertiser's description (via Columbia University):
Columbia’s Climate School at Columbia University in New York City is looking for a highly qualified candidate with a strong interest in food systems and climate for a full-time, 2-year funded post-doctoral fellow position in the Food for Humanity Initiative.
The Postdoctoral Research Scientist will be expected to undertake a program of original research under the supervision of Professor Jessica Fanzo, the Director of the Food for Humanity Initiative and in collaboration with the Columbia Climate School faculty.
The successful candidate will join an ongoing research program in investigating how to foster a transformation towards more sustainable food systems. Topics of interest may include food systems science and data, transformative processes, amplification/scaling processes, and leverage points for food system change. Professor Fanzo’s research team focuses on sustainable food systems and their impacts on healthy and equitable diets in resource-constrained contexts, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and South and East Asia. They concentrate their efforts on four major areas that intricately link how food systems shape human and planetary health. They aim to:
· Analyze the impact of climate change on food systems and sustainable diets;
· Understand multi-sectoral approaches and linkages between agriculture, diets, and health; and
· Investigate the ethics, political economy, and governance of food system policy and programming in resource-constrained settings and contexts.
· Develop metrics, indicators, and frameworks to articulate the performance of food system dynamics and drivers of change.
We encourage candidates to lead on research in these areas that fosters a food systems transformation in the context of climate change and determine what type of research design may enable such exploration. Core activities may include the collection of quantitative and qualitative data (e.g., surveys, farm assessments, interviews, workshops), analyzing data, and publishing results.
Qualifications
· PhD in relevant natural or social sciences fields such as food systems, climate change, agroecology, agricultural sciences, nutrition, geography, or related fields
· Interest to collaborate in a multi-disciplinary research team
· A proven track record demonstrating research skills
· Experience in conducting field work with farm and/or food system actors
· Experience in collecting and analyzing food, social and/or environmental data
· Ability to work independently and as part of a team
· Strong scientific writing and communication skills and a track record of academic publications
· Experience in statistics and quantitative methods and applications
· Strong academic credentials, excellent writing and editing abilities, interpersonal and teamwork skills, and a collaborative spirit
· Direct experience in project management and execution; including task management and collaborative engagement with partners distributed across the globe, as well as the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously
· A commitment to promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion within the workplace and a track record of community engagement and service
· Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, self-motivation, and aptitude for working with diverse partners and policy stakeholders on rapidly evolving processes
The search will remain open for at least 30 days after the ad appears and will continue until the position is filled. The target deadline to apply is October 15, 2024.
