MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit

You will contribute to/make a leading contribution to a project, 'Maximising potential of plant-based convenience foods in real-life sustainable diets', working with Dr Esther K. Papies and a collaborative multidisciplinary research team (Professor Macdiarmid, Aberdeen; Professor Pete Smith, Aberdeen; Dr Michael Clark, Oxford; Professor Ele Belfiore, Aberdeen). The successful candidate will also be expected to contribute to the formulation and submission of research publications and research proposals as well as help manage and direct this complex and challenging project as opportunities allow.

The project will explore the use of plant-based convenience foods, such as ready meals, to achieve realistic environmentally sustainable and healthy diets. Current diets in the UK are unhealthy and contributing to environmental damage, and recommendations are to move towards plant-based diets and reduce meat consumption (‘sustainable diets’), but changing diets is notoriously difficult. Proposed sustainable diets are often idealistic and do not consider the true cost (monetary and time), accessibility, convenience, and appeal of diets in the realities of modern living. This project will explore the use of plant-based convenience foods (e.g., ready meal) in sustainable diets, which if nutritionally adequate, healthy and appealing, with a low carbon footprint, could provide an opportunity to accelerate the transition to realistic sustainable diets. The project will take a holistic approach to understanding acceptable sustainable diets and producing policy options and actionable climate change mitigation solutions with health co-benefits. The project focuses on diets and lifestyles of young women as they are more likely to adopt plant-based diets using convenience foods and are a group at higher risk of micronutrient deficiencies, such as iron.

The postholder will join a research data collection team supporting researchers based at the MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Unit’s Population Health Research Facility (PHRF). This team specialises in supporting the delivery of population and community-based research projects. The postholder will undertake data collection in Scottish secondary schools as part of the Equally Safe at School (ESAS) Trial. This is a national evaluation of a whole-school approach to tackling sexual harassment and gender-based violence. The postholder may also support other projects in PHRF.

The role involves travel to secondary schools across Scotland to help administer an online survey to all students in years 2, 4, and 6. Tasks include preparing fieldwork materials, supporting teachers with survey logistics, explaining the purpose of the survey, and answering student queries, monitoring classrooms to ensure ‘exam conditions’ for completion, and fieldwork administration. Administration in schools can be complex and logistically difficult and initiative and good judgment is required. The questionnaire questions are also sensitive. You may be asked to support data collection in other settings and projects, as time allows. Training will be provided.

Data collection for the Equally Safe at School project will take place in school term-time between mid October and end of March, each year for three years. You must be available and willing to work at least 3 days per week during that time and be prepared to travel. A clean driving licence is preferred. Travel expenses would are reimbursed.