PhD Studentship at the University of Nottingham

PhD Studentship – Understanding consumer behaviour regarding sustainability in food and beverage section

Closing Date Saturday, 30th November 2019

DepartmentBiosciences

Supervisor: Dr Qian Yang

Secondary Supervisor: Dr Jo Gould

Subject Area:Sensory and consumer science

Research Title
Understanding consumer behaviour regarding sustainability in food and beverage section

Research Description

Applicants are invited to apply for this exciting fully funded 4-year PhD studentship studying consumer behaviour surrounding sustainability in food and beverage section in both the UK and Australia. To overcome the looming threats of climate change and population growth to our society, there is a need to shift the current consumer behaviour towards a more sustainable lifestyle. Broad media coverage of these global challenges, has enhanced consumer awareness of sustainability, which in turn has influenced consumer choice behaviour. With the current increasing sales and consumer demand for sustainable food, there is a need to better understand consumer opinions and attitudes towards sustainability. This PhD will take a scientific approach to understand consumer opinions on sustainability of food products as well as food packaging and understand consumer acceptability and choices for products with sustainable natures (e.g. insect food product or plant based product). The student will be co-supervised by staff at both The University of Nottingham and University of Adelaide and will undertake two years research at each institution. The doctoral scholar will be based on the Sutton Bonington campus in Nottingham when in the UK, and at the Waite Campus in Adelaide when in Australia. Both campuses are renowned for their world-leading research in agricultural, food and beverage sciences, and their outstanding facilities for research and teaching. PhD graduates will obtain jointly awarded degrees from the University of Nottingham and the University of Adelaide. The studentships will cover PhD tuition fees, plus a stipend corresponding to the standard research council rate. Details of the partnership can be found at nottingham.ac.uk/global/partnerships/partnership-pages/adelaide.aspx

Keyword Search
sensory, consumer, sustainability, food

Award Start Date: 01/02/2020

Duration of Award: 48 months

Terms and Conditions

The scholarship is open to UK/EU citizens only.

Applicant Qualification Requirements

All students should have, or expect to obtain, a first-class or 2:1 honours degree and/or a high distinction, distinction or high merit at the Masters level in a sensory or food related subject area. A background in statistics is essential and some knowledge of sensory and consumer science, food science would be beneficial.

How to Apply

To apply send your CV, unofficial transcripts (details of University grades/predicted grades) together with the names and contact details of two referees to the principal project supervisor (Qian.Yang@nottingham.ac.uk). Please also provide a covering letter to indicate your interests, why you are applying to the “Joint Nottingham-Adelaide Programme” and what attracts you to this PhD research.

Closing Date: 30/11/2019

Further information

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