Research Assistant

at  NUI Galway

Applications are invited from suitably qualified candidates for a full-time, fixed term position as a Research Assistant, Data Science with the Nutrition Security and Sustainable Food Systems research group at the University of Galway, Ireland.
The University is committed to embracing opportunities for hybrid working, to build a more dynamic, agile and responsive University, while sustaining strong standards of teaching, learning, research and high levels of productivity. The University will continue to be the primary workplace for all staff, however individual hybrid arrangement requests can be reviewed with the Line Manager in conjunction with the University Hybrid Working Policy.
This position is funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine and is available from August 2024 to contract end date of May 2025.
Food Vision 2030 (FV2030) has given Ireland a platform for leadership in sustainable food systems (SFS) on the global stage. Operationalising FV2030 may now be enhanced with comprehensive mapping of actors and actions that can support Ireland’s food vision. Our project will develop a methodology that intertwines artificial intelligence (AI) and social science to comprehensively map stakeholders, intended objectives, instruments and interactions in the development of SFS.
Methodology will be developed for AI to retrieve and categorise information from research, policy and grey literature on stakeholders, their intended objectives and instruments implicitly or explicitly related to development and outcomes of SFS in Ireland from the 2015 launch of Food Wise 2025 to now. Knowledge graphs will be constructed to visualise multi-layered relationships between stakeholder. Our focus will be limited to the dairy sector.
The capabilities of AI to map food system entities will be critically considered with social science methodologies exploring similar objectives. We will conduct a series of surveys, interviews and multilateral focus groups to understand and map multi-layered relationships, including knowledge flows, perceptions of expertise and power, economic activities and social values with stakeholders in Ireland’s dairy sector.
Our ultimate aim is to provide decision makers will tools that enable them to consider how changes in food systems affect stakeholder relationships. Presented as an Evidence Report and Policy Brief, our findings will be at the disposal of Irish representatives at global milestone events including UNFSS Stocktake Moment in 2025.
Successful candidate will work on the project under the supervision of Dr Anne Mullen (School of Biological and Chemical Science; SCBS), Dr Conor Hayes (School of Computer Science) and Prof Charles Spillane (SBCS) at the University of Galway.
Salary: Research Assistant salary scale €31,462 - €41,443 per annum, (subject to the project’s funding limitations), and pro rata for shorter and/or part-time contracts.
Closing date for receipt of applications is 17:00 (Irish Time) on Monday 8th July 2024. It will not be possible to consider applications received after the closing date. Please review full job description for further details and essential requirements

Please refer the Job description for details