SEFARI Gateway is delighted to provide support for a new Fellowship with the Scottish Government’s Rural and Environment Science Analytical Services (RESAS) seeking to develop estimates of the nutritional density of agricultural products produced in Scotland.
The Fellowship
The main aim of the Fellowship is to develop estimates of the nutritional density of agricultural products (such as milk, beef, spring barley and oil seed rape (OSR)). In so doing, this Fellowship will support the Scottish Government in: Developing improved evaluation of agricultural production in Scotland
It is expected that this project will contribute evidence to support informed decision-making in relation to agricultural and land use change policy, as central components of a more resilient and inclusive Scottish rural economy.
The exact focus of the work programme will be agreed upon between the successful Fellow, SEFARI Gateway and RESAS. The work of the Fellow will likely focus on some of the following areas:
- Delivery of a table(s) containing the estimated national density value for an identified list of agricultural products.
- Provision of a methodology note, highlighting definitions of “nutritional density” used, the methodology/calculations used and setting out any key caveats or points to note; and,
- Contribution to the design and development of the subsequent analysis led by analytical teams within RESAS.
The Fellow will work closely with RESAS analysts throughout the fellowship’s tenure. Additionally, a Fellowship support group will mentor the Fellow, provide to access resources and contacts to underpin the work, disseminate findings to the Scottish Government and connect outcomes with relevant existing work.
A short final Report and Case Study are required by SEFARI Gateway at the end of the Fellowship.
The Fellow
The Fellow will require:
- A strong understanding of nutrient profiling
- Experience in researching for and compiling written reports and communicating findings to non-technical audiences
- A motivation to gain experience in working closely with Scottish Government producers of policy analysis and official statistics
Applicants must be staff of SEFARIs, Centres of Expertise, or HEIs across the UK. Additionally, applications to deliver the work via a small team (up to 3) of researchers would also be considered.
Further Details
The deadline for applications is 5pm on the 9th of June 2023, with interviews likely to be held within a few weeks following that date.
The Fellow should expect to spend the equivalent of up to 50 days on the project with a likely budget of £30k (although there is flexibility over the total). The successful Fellowship will commence immediately after award – with the specific time distribution of the project to be mutually agreed upon between the successful Fellow, SEFARI Gateway and RESAS.
The funding will cover salary costs and any travel and accommodation (where these are necessary and permitted by relevant COVID-19 restrictions). Please note that costs should be submitted net of VAT recovered by the applicant. Applicants should seek advice on appropriate VAT treatment of proposed funding.
If you have any questions on this, or any general aspect of the SEFARI Fellowship scheme, please contact SEFARI Project Manager, Andrew Kelloe, at: andrew.kelloe@sefari.scot
Applications
Applications should be made to: info@sefari.scot and should include a cover letter (two pages of detail on your suitability) and a two-page CV. Decisions on who to interview will be based solely on this letter and your CV.
The cover letter should include:
- Why are you interested in this opportunity and what you would hope to get from it?
- What skills and experience would you bring to the role?
- How would you use your wider work to underpin the Fellowship project?
- How will you promote the project’s findings through SEFARI Gateway
- How will you take the learning from this opportunity back into your organisation?
Applicants must have the support of their organisation. Sign-off should be at the level deemed appropriate for each organisation (please talk to your line manager).
The taking up of such an opportunity should not result in a candidate going beyond the end of any agreed contract they may have with their employer. The employer of the successful fellow(s) should not expect to meet any costs beyond that paid for by SEFARI Gateway.
It is recognised that individual circumstances are different and support levels will vary depending on salary, distance from the opportunity and so on – the support level will be kept under review to try and maintain fair and equitable competition and process.
The successful candidate(s) will be expected to contribute to relevant meetings or outputs for the project partners as the Fellowship progresses and to generate knowledge-exchange-related content for SEFARI Gateway (support will be offered on this).