PhD Studentship: Understanding the Potential Role of Biofortified (Nutrient Enhanced) Crops for Improving UK Diets

About the project

Micronutrient deficiencies are highly prevalent in UK populations and are associated with the dual burden of malnutrition. Food-based health inequalities have been exacerbated through prolonged austerity and the Covid-19 pandemic. The aim of this project is to address nutritional shortfalls by enhancing the nutrient content of habitual diets via biofortified (nutrient enhanced) crops.

Novel systems for crop growing are being developed at the University of Sheffield as part of the H3 “Healthy soil, healthy food, healthy people” UKRI SPF funded project (h3.ac.uk). Using these, and crops produced by Harvest Plus (www.harvestplus.org), this research studentship will explore the overarching question of “Can the nutrient quality of the UK diet be enhanced via biofortification of crops?” A series of investigations will be carried out focusing on producer and consumer acceptance. Social, economic, health-related, and regulatory barriers and facilitators of acceptance of biofortified crops will be explored using qualitative and/ or quantitative methods. Sensory properties of nutrient enhanced crops are generally well accepted in low- and middle-income countries, yet this has not been fully explored in the UK context and so this will be explored by the candidate. Within this PhD there will be scope for the candidate to develop studies to investigate acceptance in laboratory and home environments. 

This PhD studentship, funded by the University of Sheffield is linked to the interdisciplinary H3 project, and is linked to the Institute for Sustainable Food, one of the University of Sheffield’s four flagship research institutes: www.sheffield.ac.uk/sustainable-food. The Institute conducts basic, translational and transformative research, taking the latest scientific knowledge and applying it in real-world settings, to ensure that the production and consumption of the world’s food is sustainable and resilient. The appointed student will benefit from multidisciplinary interactions within both the H3 project, the research institute and expertise at the Universities of Manchester and Leeds.

Eligibility

You will:

• Demonstrate your enthusiasm to work collaboratively in an interdisciplinary environment.
• Have completed an undergraduate degree classified at equivalent to 2.1 and Masters degree in a relevant topic.
• Due to the multidisciplinary nature of this project candidates from a wide variety of disciplines will be considered with relevant expertise such as (but not limited to), psychology, human nutrition, plant science, plant nutrition, human geography.
• Meet English language requirements 

Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health (FMDH) Graduate school

As a PhD student in one of the departments in the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health (FMDH) at the University of Sheffield, you will receive training to support your career development via the FMDH graduate school: students.sheffield.ac.uk/medicine-dentistry-health/pgr

The student undertaking this project will have the opportunity to be a University of Sheffield Grantham scholar and to take advantage of the programme of sustainability training offered. The Grantham Centre for Sustainable Futures focuses on advancing sustainability research and connecting it with the policy debate around how humans can live in a more sustainable way (grantham.sheffield.ac.uk).

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