Research on sustainability management in the food industry has grown in the last 5 years within the Sustainability Research Institute (SRI) in the School of Earth and Environment (SEE) with promising links across the University. This Fellowship will analyse the sustainability management practices of large food retailers and manufacturers that control the majority of both European consumer choice and global agricultural methods.
SRI is currently in key position to exploit funding and impact opportunities and currently has jointly funded projects between UK research councils and retailers such as Asda and M&S. Over the last few years we have started to expand this work by developing new relations with executives from other food retailers and manufacturers to develop projects in this area. There is relative increased match funding opportunities from the research councils such as Knowledge Transfer Partnerships and grants with a focus on ‘impact’, giving us a unique position to further advance theory and impact on sustainability management in the food industry, in the UK and internationally. You will join top academics to seize funding and impact opportunities with established and fledgling food industry partnerships.
SRI has established research excellence in sustainable agriculture and sustainable business management. You will build and extend on this research expertise focusing on practice in the food retailer and manufacturers and associated impacts up and down supply chains. You will develop a research profile that will contribute to the University’s ambition to excel at REF2020, with a sustained record of internationally excellent (and some world-leading) publications and a strong record of presentations at international conferences. You will be expected to collaborate with colleagues in order to build research proposals targeting funding potential from, for example, Horizon 2020, DEFRA, Food Standards Agency, the Global Food Security Programme, BBSRC and ESRC.
You will also contribute to research-based teaching by: providing major case studies on the food retailing industry and its management of sustainability issues within global supply chains which will be developed into innovative online provision that will be promoted to and used in blended learning by undergraduate and Masters programmes across the University; and developing modules for the Discovery Theme on ‘Creating Sustainable Futures’ that is attractive to students from a wide-range of programmes. These will use blended learning to draw on cutting edge theory and novel data sets from the sector.
With a PhD in a relevant area such as sustainability, business management or food systems you will have clear and compelling vision for personal academic development and the ability and enthusiasm to teach at both Undergraduate and Postgraduate level. You will have demonstrable expertise in one or more of the fields of, sustainability, business management and food systems and the ability to raise research funds from major national and international funding agencies and/or businesses and organisations. You will also have a developing record of high quality, well cited publications in internationally excellent publications and a track record of knowledge exchange with industrial, professional and public sector organisations.
University Grade 8 (£38,511 to £45,954)
For informal enquiries about the role please contact Professor William Young, Co-Director of Sustainability Research Institute, tel: +44 (0)113 343 1640, email: C.W.Young@leeds.ac.uk.
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