Senior Research Scientist

Applications are invited for a highly motivated Research Scientist to join the Food and Nutrition National Bioscience Research Infrastructure (F&N- NBRI) at Quadram Institute Bioscience (QIB) to lead research activities around food composition data in nutrition, and coordinate analysis capabilities in dietary assessment research relevant for QIB and the wider research community.

Background:

The Food and Nutrition National Bioscience Research Infrastructure (FN-NBRI) is the leading national provider of new and continuously updated data, knowledge and tools relating to food composition, intake and food systems for use by different end-users including academia, industry, healthcare, government, and consumers. We compile and publish data on the composition of foods eaten in the UK (McCance and Widdowson’s ‘The Composition of Foods’), which is used to provide the nutritional information for food labelling across the UK and the National Diet and Nutrition Survey for the Department of Health and Social Care. FN-NBRI enables delivery of nutritional policy and high-quality science in support of current and emerging national needs in nutrition (food composition and intake), health (e.g., obesity, healthy ageing) and sustainability (environment, food security). We work closely with QIB and external scientists to support higher-resolution nutrition data, new dietary tools, and integration of food & microbiome data to underpin high-quality research in plant-based diets, personalised nutrition & health, and in food safety of transforming UK food systems.

The role:

The post holder will be responsible for activities including:

1. working with the FN-NBRI team and external stakeholders on new food composition data acquisition, ensuring the highest quality is maintained,
2. developing data analysis capabilities from dietary assessment tool outputs for the wider research community,
3. leading and supporting on FN-NBRI research grant proposals,
4. coordinating food data standardisation activities, and
5. developing training activities related to FN-NBRI core resources and capabilities.

The ideal candidate:

This post will be well-suited to a PhD graduate in nutrition with a strong interest in food composition, food data harmonisation, and dietary assessment. You will lead nutrition research that utilises FN-NBRI resources and be able to develop ideas into grant proposals ensuring FN-NBRI addresses and responds to the current and emerging needs of our users. You will have prior experience in undertaking qualitative and/or quantitative nutrition research, particularly investigating sustainable plant-based diets and health and instruments for dietary assessment. Finally, you will have strong interpersonal skills to facilitate interactions on a day-to-day basis with the team and external collaborators (researchers, academia, industry, healthcare), and be highly motivated and organised to work independently, using initiative and applying problem-solving skills.

The post-holder will have the opportunity to develop their knowledge and skills further through excellent training and development support provided by NBI (both professional and personal development) as well as benefit from our QIB mentoring programme.

Additional information:

Salary on appointment will be within the range £44,500 to £49,300 per annum depending on qualifications and experience. This is a full-time post offered on an indefinite basis.

For further information and details of how to apply, please visit our website https://jobs.quadram.ac.uk or contact the Human Resources team on 01603 450814 or nbi.recruitment@nbi.ac.uk quoting reference 1004820. This role meets the criteria for a visa application, and we encourage all qualified candidates to apply. Please contact the Human Resources Team if you have any questions regarding your application or visa options.

We are committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sectors of society. The Institute supports equality of opportunity within the workplace and expects all employees to share and display these values. To support our commitment, we have a range of family, faith and diversity friendly working arrangements to help all staff achieve excellence in their area of work.

As a Disability Confident employer, we guarantee to offer an interview to all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for this vacancy.

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 Quadram Institute Bioscience, 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. (https://quadram.ac.uk/).

The closing date for applications will be 28 January 2025.

The Quadram Institute Bioscience is a registered charity (No. 1058499) and is an Equal Opportunities Employer.