Professor and (Founding) Director, NTU Food Institute

Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore is seeking an accomplished and visionary academic and research leader for the position of Professor and (Founding) Director, NTU Food Institute.

Background

Food security / resilience and safety are key areas identified by the Singapore government as national priorities. In order to strengthen Singapore’s food security and achieve the “30 by 30” goal set by the government to meet 30% of population’s nutritional needs locally by 2030, a S$144M programme, “The Singapore Food Story”, has been set up by the National Research Foundation (NRF) and jointly developed by Singapore Food Agency (SFA) and Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR). This initiative will fund three R&D themes focusing on development and use of productive, climate-resilient, innovative and sustainable technologies for agriculture and aquaculture, as well as new biotech-based foods and ingredients, underpinned by a robust future-ready food safety system. To achieve the ambitious goal of “30 by 30”, universities such as NTU, and research agencies will play a critical role in talent development as well as providing essential research and development expertise. NTU aims to become a global leader in food science and technology by coordinating its relevant research and educational activities across various colleges. The NTU Food Institute Director will play a pivotal role in realising this.

The Position

The successful academic will provide foundational vision, leadership and oversight for the strategic and research direction for food activities at NTU. Fostering a world-class research and development programme, the candidate will enhance NTU’s visibility by further developing its leadership both domestically and globally, as well as building and maintaining a diverse range of credible and productive relationships within NTU, the Singapore partners and international leaders.

The ideal candidate for this position is a world authority in the field of food science or food engineering or a cognate discipline with the highest academic credentials, is a dynamic individual with an outstanding track record of providing strategic and research leadership in academia, has demonstrated formidable teambuilding capacities, and is leading translational activities in collaboration with industry, national and international agencies. He/She is experienced in developing beneficial relationships with a broad range of stakeholders and funding bodies, is a highly skilled researcher, ideally bridging food science and engineering with NTU’s other expertise. The successful candidate will be instrumental in building a strong university-wide initiative in food science and technology, with structural links towards other parts of Singapore’s society, and beyond.

About Food@NTU

NTU has early on recognized the importance of the food area and has over the last 5 years made significant efforts in developing its own capacity in this research space. A number of institutional and individual initiatives have been launched for education and research.

The Food Science and Technology (FST) program has developed a strong program in education of talent ranging from undergraduate to PhD education. The educational program is a collaborative effort with Wageningen University in the Netherlands. FST has also developed food tech innovations towards food circular economy which have been recognised globally with strong industry partnerships.

NTU has been awarded national research initiatives by National Research Foundation (NRF) in the areas of urban solutions and alternative food sources.

NTU is also the host institution for Singapore Future Ready Food Safety Hub (FRESH) and Singapore Agrifood Innovation Lab (SAIL), two national initiatives aiming at enhancing food safety science and promoting successful translation of food innovation respectively.

Together with these efforts, individuals and groups of faculty from science, engineering, medicine, humanities, and business disciplines have built a research base at NTU which can broadly be classified as (i) urban food production and disease management, (ii) food processing technology (iii) food safety, (iv) functional foods, health, nutrition and the gut microbiome, (v) consumer behaviour and education, (vi) supply chain analytics and fintech for agriculture, and (vii) food security and sustainability. These topics align well with the overall national research focus on sustainable food production, future foods (advanced biotechnology-based protein production), and food safety science and innovation. The topics reflect NTU’s unique multidisciplinary approach to food research, based on the strong position that NTU has in adjacent disciplines.

Application Procedure

NTU seek a diverse and inclusive workforce and is committed to equality of opportunity. We welcome applications from all and recruit on the basis of merit, regardless of age, race, gender, religion, marital status and family responsibilities, or disability.

The closing date for applications is 31 August 2023. Only shortlisted candidates will be notified. Applicants are invited to submit their applications (cover letter, CV, research, teaching and service statements, and WoS citation report) through the NTU Career Portal https://www.ntu.edu.sg/about-us/build-a-career-at-ntu

All applications and enquiries should be addressed to:

Search Committee Chair

Professor Luke Ong

President’s Office

NTU Singapore

[email protected]

Hiring Institution: NTU