From Sea to Saucepan: Society and Safe, Sustainable Shellfish

The European Centre for Environment and Human Health (part of the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry) is offering a PhD on improving our understanding of society6al beliefs about the benefits and risks of shellfish as a safe and sustainable food source. The studentship will be based in Truro, Cornwall. Ideally it will start in May 2012. The studentship will provide an annual stipend of £17,290 for three years, with the student responsible for paying their own fees (currently £3,700 p.a.). This studentship is part-funded by the ESF-Convergence programme 2007-2013. Agreement No: 11200NCO5.

There is a range of health benefits associated with the consumption of seafood and shellfish in particular. Consuming shellfish, from responsibly managed sites, is also likely to be a more sustainable food option in comparison to wild capture (traditional methods) and other forms of aquaculture (e.g. fin fish). However, there are also risks. Shellfish are susceptible to various toxic and microbial contaminants at all stages from production (in the sea) to consumption (in the saucepan). The aim of the PhD is to understand public and other stakeholder perceptions of these benefits and risks and to understand behaviour at all stages of the process from sea to saucepan.

The PhD will follow the “mental models” approach to benefit and risk communication by gathering data from scientific experts and relevant stakeholders including producers, processors, retailers, restaurateurs and consumers. Data gathering will include interviews, questionnaires and experimental work testing reactions to different benefit/risk communication strategies. The supervisory team is truly interdisciplinary including an environmental psychologist, a microbiologist and an environmental chemist/toxicologist. The PhD is also linked to a local business, Aquatic Water Services Ltd (AWS) who provide rapid microbial analysis for environmental waters and shellfish samples and will help the student understand key issues in the field and support access to key stakeholders.

Due to the interdisciplinary nature of this project we welcome applicants from a wide range of backgrounds but would be particularly interested in applicants with an interest in environmental science, environmental psychology, marine sciences or food sciences. The PhD would be ideal for someone interested in a career in academia or food or environmental policy.

Criteria & Skills

You should have a first degree of class 2:1 or above in environmental science, psychology, marine sciences, food sciences or a related discipline.

An interest in environmental sustainability and/or public health and a willingness to conduct interviews with members of the public and stakeholders are essential.

Experience of water or food safety and/or designing questionnaires and conducting experiments with human participants is desirable.

The successful applicant will normally be an EU national and have a home address in Cornwall for the duration of their studies.

If English is not your first language, a language test certificate is required with the following minimum requirements for this studentship: IELTS 7.0. Personal qualities should also include the ability to work independently and high degree of motivation necessary to complete a PhD in three years.