PhD (via MPhil) Studentship in the School of Sport and Health Sciences

Updated: over 1 year ago
Location: Preston, ENGLAND
Job Type: FullTime
Deadline: 06 Jan 2023

Applications are invited for a PhD (via MPhil) studentship in the Nutritional Sciences and Applied Food Safety Studies Group in the School of Sport and Health Sciences and Institute for Citizenship, Society and Change. This is a unique opportunity to contribute to understanding of the relationship between workforce complexity and food safety risk.

The studentship is funded through the UCLan Doctoral Training Centre for Industry Collaboration and is tenable for up to 3.5 years full time [subject to satisfactory progress].  Both Home/EU and International Applicants may apply but International Applicants will be required to pay the difference in tuition fees between the UK and International fee rates (Current rates Home/EU £4600 per year, International £14500 per year). The studentship will provide successful applicants with an annual stipend in line with UKRI rates (Currently £17,668 per year), subject to satisfactory progress.  It is expected the successful applicant will commence in March 2023.

Project Title: Predicting food safety risk based on workforce complexity – overcoming communication and engagement barriers to strengthen food safety culture.

Project Description:

The food industry is labour-intensive and the search for suitable employees often results in an array of ethnic backgrounds, with different languages, cultural assumptions and traits within a given organisation. Conventionally food safety culture measurement surveys are based on statements and questions, often written by highly educated/trained individuals, that are applied with all levels of workers in food organisations, without considerations for local workforce arrangements.  This results in communication and engagement barriers which have not been previously studied in the context of food safety across the global supply chain.

Experience with UK businesses in a previous food safety culture project has shown that frontline workers’ understanding of terminology used in validated measurement statements can be problematic, both in terms of language reading level and individuals’ primary languages.  This gives challenges in accurately measuring the organisation’s culture maturity and identifying and applying necessary targeted improvement interventions to improve food safety performance.

Working with two global food businesses (multiple sites including UK) and research partner Cultivate SA, this project will:

  • Assess workforce complexity within sites of the two global businesses, regarding ethnic diversity, workforce languages and reading age levels of frontline food handlers.
  • Measure the impact on food safety culture monitoring and improvement strategies through testing existing culture measurement statements/questions with key language and ethnic groups.
  • Develop a predictive model for food safety risks based on workforce complexity.
  • Develop and test alternative statements/questions in different languages that can be used to mitigate risks and biases in culture measurement.
  • Further information

    Informal project related enquiries about the post can be made to Professor Carol Wallace  [email protected]

    For the application form and full details go to: https://www.uclan.ac.uk/research/research-degrees/studentships  

    Completed application forms should be returned to the Research Admissions email [email protected]    quoting the studentship reference number DTC38

    Closing Date: 6th January 2023

    Proposed Interview Date: 25th January 2023 (to be confirmed)

    CURRENT UCLAN RESEARCH STUDENTS WILL NOT BE ELIGIBLE TO APPLY FOR THIS RESEARCH STUDENTSHIP