Our food system faces a number of challenges, including overweight and obesity issues, unhealthy food consumption behaviour, food affordability and waste, cost of living and increased poverty and hunger, which increases food inequality and the strain on the food system. While these issues impact people's health, and social and psychological well-being, they continue to be public health and economic challenges facing the UK. Therefore, this PhD will generate transdisciplinary evidence addressing current societal, economic, and environmental challenges of our food system and will contribute towards building a food system offering a better solution, aligned with recent recommendations in the 2021 National Food Strategy.
The PhD focuses on two areas: consumer purchase and consumption behaviour; and, building a digitally connected food system. It may involve developing a prototype model for a digitally connected food system that complies with the NetZero Strategies, reducing food waste, food poverty and inequality, offering healthy diet solutions for all, and data governance and transparency. The research project may also focus on testing the acceptability of such a system among food chain stakeholders (e.g., consumers, producers, manufacturers, and policymakers) in different food categories, including seafood, fruits, and vegetables.
The project will explore behavioural interventions, and will consider methods from a number of disciplines, including behavioural economics, marketing, health psychology, computer science, law, food choice analysis, environmental management, and economics.
The project would fit under the research cluster “Behaviour change in our approach to food and healthy eating”: https://www.stir.ac.uk/research/research-degrees/institute-for-advanced-studies-studentships/behaviour-change-in-our-approach-to-food-and-healthy-eating/
Please notify the principal supervisor, Dr Seda Erdem ([Email Address Removed]) of intention to submit. Expression of interest to be submitted by 14. April 2023.
Application Requirements:
Eligible applicants should:
· Hold a Bachelor’s degree in Economics, Behavioural Economic, Psychology, Public Health, Computer Science and related fields. A relevant MSc qualification is desirable.
· Experience in data collection and analysis
· Willingness to participate in an interdisciplinary project involving collaborators and supervisors from diverse research fields.
If your first language is not English, to be accepted into a PhD programme and be eligible for a studentship you are required to show English language competency equivalent to the minimum level of IELTS 6.5 (6.0 in all bands).
Enquiries to:
Associate Professor Seda Erdem ([Email Address Removed])
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