Research Officer/Senior Research Officer

• School of Food and Advanced Technology
• College of Sciences
• Palmerston North

CS_SFAT_1196_10/22 
School of Food and Advanced Technology
College of Sciences
Term length: fixed-term
Hours of work: full-time

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Position Overview

Combing implicit and explicit measure of emotional response to better predict food choice.

FEAST, the Food experience and sensory testing Lab, is inviting applications for an experienced Research Officer to deliver and lead and deliver a stimulating 3-year fixed term research project in collaboration with Fonterra Research and Development Centre (FRDC) , New Zealand. Feast is a diverse and welcoming team working in state-of-the-art consumer and sensory laboratories including, focus group and training rooms, a digital immersive space and dedicated booths. Fonterra is one of the largest global dairy manufacturers, as well as New Zealand's largest exporter of dairy products.

Traditional consumer acceptance and preference methods (e.g., hedonic scales) do not predict food choice behaviour accurately, and liking ratings rarely predict food choice in real life environments. Recently it has been hypothesised that measures of implicit and explicit emotional response to food consumption may enhance prediction of food choice behaviours, and that implicit measures can add to predictability of food choice.  This project seeks to evaluate individual and combined measures of implicit and explicit emotional response to dairy, alongside liking measures, for their ability to predict dairy food choice behaviour.

We are seeking a researcher with a strong background in areas including sensation and perception, emotional response, experimental psychology and with capabilities in programming and data analytics capability.  You will have an interest in food choice behaviour, experience running human perception trials and in developing and employing implicit and behavioural methods. You will have a PhD in Psychology, or similar relevant discipline and desirable subsequent postdoctoral research experience. Other postgraduate qualifications will be considered if accompanied by subsequent significant relevant experience. Under the guidance of Professor Hort, the postholder will be responsible for managing the day to day running of the project and working with other researchers across Feast, Fonterra and any other external partners.

Accordingly, you must demonstrate excellent organisational, communication and interpersonal skills. In return, you will benefit from the support of the broader Feast and Fonterra research teams. The position will give you an opportunity to be part of a vibrant sensory research community and to apply and develop cutting edge methodologies in the newly built Feast lab facilities with support from technical staff.

You will be employed by Massey University and be based in Palmerston North but will have regular interaction with Fonterra’s Research and Development Centre situated across the road from the campus. Notably, Palmerston North is a central hub for Food related research in NZ with Massey university co-located with other Food HQ partners including FRDC and other research Institutes including The Riddet institute , Plant and Food Research and AgResearch.

International applications are welcomed from applicants who must be eligible for employment in New Zealand by Massey University. The successful applicant is expected to start around Feb 2023. Applicants must submit a cover letter clearly indicating how they meet the role requirements, and a full CV. Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact j.hort@massey.ac.nz to discuss the position before applying. Closing date is 8 December 2022, but applications will be considered as they are received.

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