Post Doctoral Research Fellow in Agri-Food systems

SOAS University of London is the leading Higher Education institution in Europe specialising in the study of Asia, Africa and the Near and Middle East.  SOAS University of London is positioned to play a leading role in reimagining higher education globally, with a new strategic plan in place as the basis for the renewal and revitalisation of the School which commits SOAS to both student responsiveness and research intensity.

About the Role

Proponents of industrial poultry systems claims to boost farmer livelihoods and the availability of affordable proteins, especially in the Global South. While, industrial systems are known to increase the risk of a new pandemic, little is known about the externalities of they generate. Industrial poultry systems are highly corporatised, integrated and consolidated, with only two firms producing global breeding stock for chicken meat. Corporate concentration can create anti-competitive behaviour, skew market power to exclude smallholder producers, undermine environmental standards, affect animal welfare negatively, and reduce the genetic diversity of local chicken breeds. This project will deliver urgently needed evidence on the global health and livelihood implications of corporate capture of poultry industries by focusing on trade-offs generated by corporate concentration in poultry production systems in India and South Africa. Using an interdisciplinary One Health approach based within political economy and competition economics, we will investigate how transnational corporations contribute to risk of pandemic threats and livelihood vulnerabilities. The project will take place in South Africa and India.

About the Department

The SOAS Economics Department has a mission to address the most urgent issues of our times. Today these include the rampant environmental catastrophe, historic levels of inequality, health, economic and social crises, etc. The Department exercises leadership internationally in political economy, development and heterodox economics, and does so by bringing a unique regional lens to bear on its analysis.

About you

The post-doctoral research fellow will conduct independent research on contract farming conditions in poultry industry in India. You will be responsible for designing a farm level survey to capture the impact of corporate concentration on smallholder farmers in Telangana, India. Specifically, the farm level survey will assess sustainability of participation for smallholders over time. The survey will use a mixed methods – both quantitative and qualitative - approach to capture dynamics of poultry production at local level across contract and non-contract farming systems. It will also include in-depth qualitative interview questions to capture externalities of industrial systems. You will initiate the study and independently manage the farm level survey. This survey will be constructed in a way that it can be deployed in other countries and study sites in subsequent iterations of the projects. Knowledge or interest in survey tools such as kobo toolbox, mixed methods, and/or agrarian change would be an asset for the position holder.

How to Apply: 

Please complete the online application form and upload your CV with publications, and a supporting statement, addressing the essential criteria of the Person Specification.

Closing date:  6^th May 2026 at 11:59 p.m.        

Interviews to be held: 19^th May 2026

Further information

We may be able to offer sponsorship for candidates who do not currently possess the right to work in the UK.

If you would like further information about the role, please contact Mehroosh Tak, via email: mt83@soas.ac.uk

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