Postdoctoral Scholar in Social Life Cycle Assessment of Cultivated Meat

Description

 

 

 

We are seeking an outstanding candidate to conduct original research on the social performance of cultivated meat in the United States. This exciting, high-impact position is supported by an award by the United States Department of Agriculture on the social implications of cellular agriculture technology in the livestock industry. This position will be based at the Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, located on Tufts University's Boston, MA campus. The Friedman School is a rare blend of interdisciplinary nutrition research and policy expertise, and a leader in science, education, and public policy, whose faculty work together to address large and complex food systems issues across the globe. The postdoctoral scholar will have the opportunity to join over 200 Friedman School graduate students, other postdoctoral scholars, and faculty in seminars, workshops, and other scholarly and social activities as part of the Friedman School, the Tufts University Center on Cellular Agriculture (TUCCA), the larger Tufts community, and the Boston-area community of food systems scholars.

 

Duties & Responsibilities

Dr. Nicole Tichenor Blackstone will serve as the primary mentor for the postdoctoral scholar, with additional supervision from Dr. Sean Cash. Other team members include Drs. Katherine Fuller (Economist, Oregon State University), Alexander Blanchette (Anthropologist, Tufts School of Arts & Sciences), Udita Sanga (Systems Scientist, Tufts Nutrition) and collaborators elsewhere. The postdoctoral scholar will work with our interdisciplinary team to design and conduct a social life cycle assessment (S-LCA) of US cultivated beef under different future scenarios. There are also opportunities to contribute to related projects such as conducting combined assessments of social and environmental impacts of cultivated meat by leveraging ongoing environmental LCA (E-LCA) work; working on issues of consumer acceptance and public attitudes toward cultivated meat; and contributing to the generation of new studies and grant proposals. Much of this work is coordinated through the USDA-funded National Institute for Cellular Agriculture.

 

Key responsibilities of the postdoctoral scholar will include:

• Collecting and processing secondary data to parameterize a set of social indicators for US beef and cultivated beef, including publicly-available datasets, special tabulations of federal datasets, and social life cycle assessment databases (e.g., Social Hotspots Database)
• Conducting data analysis and interpretation of S-LCA model results
• Designing, conducting, and analyzing surveys and/or interviews to fill data gaps
• Supporting the implementation of stakeholder workshops focused on potential social impacts under different future scenarios
• Developing peer-reviewed publications, and abstracts for presenting research findings internally and at scientific meetings
• Supervising graduate student and intern projects

A major emphasis will be placed on leading original analyses and manuscripts, career development, and transition toward an independent research career; up to 10% of time will be available to support the chosen candidate’s ongoing and new independent projects. A competitive salary, benefits, and travel/educational opportunities in the interdisciplinary environment at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy are offered. Funding to support this position is available for approximately 2 years, with an initial appointment period of 12 months. Reappointment is possible contingent on a review of performance and funding availability. Position available starting Fall