Research Scientist (Maternity Cover)

Background

Food Databanks National Capability (FDNC) is supported from the core Strategic Grant from BBSRC and compiles and publishes data on the composition of foods eaten in the UK, which is used to provide the nutritional information for food labelling across the UK and the national Diet and Nutrition Survey for Public Health England. Additionally, these data and knowledge is used to support research into the links between diet and health at the Quadram Institute, as well as across the UK biosciences community, as well as helping to inform policy to promote a healthy lifestyle. We have also been involved and led a succession of UK- and EU-funded projects and consortia around diet and health. We are currently lead partners in a consortium to develop an EU-wide Food and Nutrition Security (FNS; H2020) data cloud that will connect various types of data relevant for the food and health research community, and personalised dietary advices (EIT Food).

The Role

We are looking for a postdoctoral (or masters with appropriate experience) scientist to undertake all aspects relating to the generation of new food composition data for key foods and the publication of data in a variety of formats.

• Assisting in the design of studies, sample and preparation of foods for analysis
• Compiling and evaluating data from different sources, recipe calculations, and their publication
• Contributing to discussions of food data standardisation and FoodCASE with other European data compilers and users
• Contributing to the collation and drafting of scientific reports and publications
• Active dissemination and stakeholder activities related to food composition data, nutrition and health
• Assisting with other research projects related to food composition, nutrient intakes and nutrient metabolism and supporting Nutritional Information Solutions

The Ideal Candidate

This post will be well-suited to a graduate in nutrition, dietetics, food science with a PhD (or masters with appropriate research experience) with an interest in food composition, nutrition and healthy diets. You will have prior experience with generating and/or using food composition data (e.g. nutrient intake assessments, nutrition surveys, research studies) and ideally some laboratory experience related to food analysis and quality assurance. You will have strong interpersonal skills to facilitate interactions on a day-to-day basis with the team and external collaborators, and be highly motivated and organised to work independently, using initiative and applying problem solving skills. You should be able to interact and collaborate with researchers from different disciplines.

Additional Information

Salary on appointment will be within the range £31,625 to £38,575 per annum depending on qualifications and experience. This is a full-time post for a contract of 12 months. Further information and details of how to apply can be found here or contact the Human Resources team on [contact hidden] or [contact hidden] quoting reference 1003909. Interviews will be held on 19 August 2020.

About the Quadram Institute

The Quadram Institute is a new interdisciplinary research institute dedicated to understanding how food and microbes interact to promote health and prevent disease. Its mission is to deliver healthier lives through innovation in gut health, microbiology and food. A partnership between [Employer hidden], the University of East Anglia, the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and BBSRC, it brings together scientists and clinicians in a state-of-the-art building on the Norwich Research Park. This is one of Europe’s largest centres of life sciences and home of the John Innes Centre and The Earlham Institute.

The closing date for applications will be 3 August 2020. [Employer hidden] is a registered charity (No. 1058499) and is an Equal Opportunities Employer.