Post-Doctoral Research Associate on UK Fruit and Veg Resilience Project (Work Package 5)

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 (F&V) system plus several scenarios of future possible states 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 the University of Reading, University of Oxford and Northumbria University, as well as project partners including government agencies, industry bodies and F&V producers.

This PDRA post will work on Work Package (WP) 5 of the project. This WP will examine the impact of supply disruptions caused by different types of shocks on UK prices and consumption of F&V using econometric modelling of F&V consumption, production and trade. The WP will also assess impacts of changing UK F&V consumption on consumer nutrition, health and the environment. You will be working alongside PDRAs in other WP packages working on developing scenarios for F&V system transformation (WP1), financial analysis (WP2), portfolio analysis of F&V provision (WP 3) and modelling of F&V supply chains (WP4) in collaboration with key policy partners and industry contacts.

You will assemble large time series datasets on UK F&V consumption, production and trade from different databases and undertake econometric modelling of the impact of shocks and supply disruptions under different scenarios using partial/general equilibrium models. You will contribute to preparation of policy briefs and research outputs from WP and activities for dissemination of results and key findings.

You will have:

• PhD in a relevant field.
• Strong skills for economic analysis and econometric modelling.
• Good skills in assembly and management of large-scale secondary data sets.
• Good skills in use of relevant econometric software (R/STATA/Python).
• Good skills in conduct of consumer surveys using online survey platforms such as Qualtrics.
• Experience of writing and publishing academic papers and research outputs.

The project supports visa fee and healthcare surcharge for international applicants.

Closing date: 28/03/2025
Interviews will be held: 30/04/2025

Contact Details
Contact Name: C.S. Srinivasan
Contact Job Title: Professor of Agricultural and Development Economics
Contact Email address: c.s.srinivasan@reading.ac.uk

Alternative Contact Name: Kelvin Balcombe
Alternative Contact Job Title: Professor of Applied Econometrics
Alternative Contact Email address: k.g.balcombe@reading.ac.uk

By reference to the applicable SOC code for this role, sponsorship may be 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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