• Part Time or Full Time (0.6 - 1 FTE) opportunity
• 12-month, fixed term contract (potential to extend)
• Hybrid working arrangements available, with a combination of office and virtual work
• Respected global research organisation
• Make an impact on global health outcomes

about us

The George Institute (‘TGI’) is 700+ people around the world, all focused on improving the health of millions of people worldwide. As a medical research institute affiliated with leading universities and with projects in approximately 50 countries, we are challenging the status quo in healthcare to:

• Find better treatments for the world’s biggest health problems
• Transform primary health care to support better health for more people
• Harness the power of communities, governments and markets to improve health

Our innovative commercial enterprises help maximise our impact. Please visit 'what we do' to read more about how we are addressing the world's biggest health problems.

The Institute has a strong track record in research addressing food and nutrition issues. The Food Policy team does both quantitative and qualitative research and holds large databases describing the changing composition of foods and household food purchasing patterns in Australia and other countries around the world.

The group also works closely with policy makers and commercial organisations to develop and evaluate programs that will led to real changes to the food environment. Throughout, the goal is to generate high-quality evidence regarding the prevention of diet-related ill health and to see this translated into policies and practices. The team is supported by a large technical team and a statistics groups within the Institute. The group also works closely with Communications and with Government Relations at the Institute to maximise the impact of their findings.

the role

The Food Policy team has recently been awarded a $2.5M NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence grant, and a major new work stream supported by the funding is to advance food and beverage nutrient profiling algorithms. The Research Fellow will help to lead this exciting new program of work and be responsible for conducting novel research by assessing the performance of existing and modified nutrient profiling scoring algorithms.

A primary goal is to use large population-based studies to assess the strength of associations of existing and modified nutrient profiling scoring algorithms defined ‘healthy diets’ with major health outcomes including obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. In addition, there will be opportunities to develop other related projects and to become involved with other ongoing initiatives. The work will be highly quantitative, but outputs will be both scientific and policy-orientated.

Duties and Key Responsibilities

• Provide a consistent level of contribution to the research activities of the program
• Work with the Program Head or Program Director in developing new study proposals
• Take the lead and assist with the preparation of grant applications
• Take the lead and assist with manuscript preparation
• Maintain existing collaborations and establish others
• Provide support and co-supervision of post-graduate students
• Ensure that research being conducted is congruent with world best practice
• Remain abreast of developments in the related to the program that are relevant to the study and the Institute, providing a source of information to colleagues within the Institute
• Actively develop and promote the desired culture of The George Institute by ensuring all interactions, documentation and communication are conducted in a manner which supports the stated mission

Skills, Knowledge and Experience

Essential

• Relevant health/medical qualification, including a PhD
• Experienced and proficient researcher
• Demonstrated experience in the development and coordination of health research projects and/or clinical trials
• Experience in writing both research papers and grant applications
• Strong problem solving, analytical skills and strategic thinking
• Experience in data interpretation, analysis and/or statistical skills
• Strong experience using SAS, R, or STATA statistical packages
• Experience in nutrition/cardiovascular epidemiology and analyses of dietary intake data (e.g., NHANEs)
• Willingness and ability to supervise PhD students
• Excellent time management and organisational skills
• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to work well and flexibly i.e., autonomously, in small teams and with a wide range of varying stakeholders
• Strong focus on quality of work
• Proficient in the use of the internet and the Microsoft Office suite of products, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook
• Ability to be flexible and adaptable in the face of changing organisational priorities and ambiguous environments
• Availability and willingness to travel

This is a great opportunity for you to work on exciting projects and make an impact on global health outcomes. To learn more about the role, please view the position description attached below.

For any role related enquires, please contact Jason Wu (Program Head, Nutrition Science) at [email protected] using the subject line: Research Fellow - Food Policy enquiry via EthicalJobs.

Please click Apply Now!

The closing date for applications is midnight, Monday 28th February 2022. We do, however, reserve the right to close this vacancy early if a suitable candidate is found.