Post-Doctoral Research Associate on UK Fruit and Veg Resilience Project (Work Package 3)

Join our interdisciplinary team helping to ensure the resilience of fruit and vegetable supply to the UK population.

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 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 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. You will be based in the School of Agriculture, Policy and Development at the University of Reading.

You will lead the design and testing of hypothetical portfolios of UK fruit and vegetable production, with the aim of identifying portfolios that are resilient to a range of future shocks including extreme weather events, labour shortages and geo-political shocks. These portfolios, developed at a range of spatial scales with input from the wider project team, will explore different compositions and configurations of domestic crops and growing systems (e.g. field crops, protected crops, orchards) and international imports. You will use public, stakeholder datasets, and expert assessment to develop and use models that estimate how the provision of food and nutritional content from these portfolios would change in response to shocks, alongside trade-offs made and the likelihood that portfolios would be adopted.

You will have :

• PhD in a relevant field or equivalent attainment.
• Strong skills in data handling and statistical analysis.
• Knowledge of food system resilience.
• Motivation to engage in systems approaches to understand complex risks.

Closing date: 28th March 2025
Interviews will be held: 28th April 2025

Contact Details
Contact Name: Jake Bishop
Contact Job Title: Lecturer in Crop Science and Production
Contact Email address: j.bishop@reading.ac.uk

Alternative Contact Name: Luke Bell
Alternative Contact Job Title: Lecturer in Temperate Horticulture
Alternative Contact Email address: luke.bell@reading.ac.uk

The project will support visa fee and healthcare surcharge for international applicants. By reference to the applicable SOC code for this role, sponsorship maybe possible under the Skilled Worker Route.  Applicants wishing to consider the SWR must ensure that they are able to meet the points requirement before applying. Successful candidates not already holding a Skilled Worker visa issued before 4th April 2024 will need to have a relevant PhD qualification or qualify as a new entrant before being able to be sponsored. There is further information about visas on the UK Visas and Immigration Website. 

The University is committed to having a diverse and inclusive workforce, supports the gender equality Athena SWAN Charter and the Race Equality Charter, and champions LGBT+ equality. We are a Disability Confident Employer (Level 2). Applications for job-share, part-time and flexible working arrangements are welcomed and will be considered in line with business needs.

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