Sydney School of Public Health
Reference no. 1930/0917

• Support the Physical Activity, Nutrition and Obesity Prevention Research Program
• Located at Charles Perkins Centre
• Full-time, fixed term for 12 months, remuneration package: $120K which includes leaving loading and up to 17% super

About the opportunity 

The position will support the research program pertaining to Physical Activity, Nutrition and Obesity Prevention (RPANOP) within the Prevention Research Collaboration.  Working closely with the management group of the Prevention Research Collaboration, staff, associates and the Ministry of Health the position will manage research projects, , prepare reports, undertake evaluation and other relevant initiatives associated with activities for the RPANOP around public health nutrition, physical activity and/or obesity prevention across the lifespan.

The Fellow will contribute to the development and implementation of the work plan for the RPANOP and play a key role in the supervision of junior research staff, development of relevant evaluation frameworks and plans and participation in other research, evaluation and policy work relevant to the Prevention Research Collaboration.

About you

The University values courage and creativity; openness and engagement; inclusion and diversity; and respect and integrity. As such, we see the importance of recruiting talent aligned to these values and are looking for a Research Fellow who has:

• a masters of Public Health degree or PhD in public health (or post graduate qualifications in a related field)
• demonstrated experience in scholarly and professional research activities including designing research and evaluation studies, and preparing data collection protocols
• experience in implementing and managing research and evaluation projects
• track record of publications in peer reviewed journals
• strong understanding of the NSW health system, in particular the work of the Ministry of Health and Local Health Districts and local and state-wide health promotion initiatives and programs
• strong understanding of health promotion principles and practices including health inequity and working in partnership
• specialised knowledge and skills in nutrition or physical activity promotion or obesity prevention.
• skills in data analysis using SAS, STATA, or SPSS and experience in managing research assistants or other staff would be highly regarded.

About us

The Prevention Research Collaboration (PRC) is a research group within the School of Public Health, at the University of Sydney and has specialised expertise in population-wide prevention research and translational research. In particular, PRC is engaged in generating and disseminating new knowledge about implementation of population-wide prevention. The PRC research portfolio includes public health priority topics, with major emphases on chronic disease prevention, especially public health nutrition, physical activity and  obesity prevention; in addition PRC also carries out work in other areas of prevention, including tobacco control and sun protection and more generally, research in health promotion.

The PRC seeks to achieve excellence in relation to its research focus areas which are:

• Public health research on chronic disease prevention, including physical activity, nutrition and obesity
• Applied public health research, specifically research translation, population-wide and dissemination research
• Policy-relevant and technical research for government and international bodies
• Methodological research and measurement research development to inform prevention and program evaluation.

The PRC is responsible for the delivery of Research Program for Physical Activity, Nutrition and Obesity Prevention (RPANOP) and the Population Health and Health Services Research (PHHSR) Program funded by the NSW Ministry of Health, in addition to its existing prevention-oriented research, evaluation and teaching programs.  The Fellow is a key position within the PRC, will lead the research program pertaining to the development of partnerships, building system capacity and workforce development for the program of work encompassed in the RPANOP within the Prevention Research Collaboration.

Since our inception 160 years ago, the University of Sydney has led to improve the world around us. We believe in education for all and that effective leadership makes lives better. These same values are reflected in our approach to diversity and inclusion, and underpin our long-term strategy for growth. We’re Australia's first university and have an outstanding global reputation for academic and research excellence. Across our campuses, we employ over 7600 academic and non-academic staff who support over 60,000 students.

We are undergoing significant transformative change which brings opportunity for innovation, progressive thinking, breaking with convention, challenging the status quo, and improving the world around us.

For more information on the position and University, please view the candidate information pack available from the job’s listing on the University of Sydney careers website.

All applications must be submitted via the University of Sydney careers website.  Visit sydney.edu.au/recruitment and search by the reference number to apply.

Closing date: 11.30pm 24 October 2017

The University of Sydney is committed to diversity and social inclusion. Applications from people of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds; equity target groups including women, people with disabilities, people who identify as LGBTIQ; and people of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent, are encouraged.

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The University reserves the right not to proceed with any appointment.