SmartAge ESR project 15

Host: Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Switzerland

Secondments: Wageningen University, Netherlands / Lifelines, Netherlands

The Department of Food and Beverage Innovation (head of project: Prof. Dr. Christine Brombach) at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Switzerland, offers a PhD position for an Early-Stage Researcher (ESR) for the project: Impacts of nutrition communication strategies on eating behaviour – best practice models to enhance compliance and adherence to healthy nutrition in different target groups. The position is part of the EU-funded Innovative Training Network SmartAge (“Gut-brain-axis: Targets for improvement of cognition in the elderly”) with full-time employment for a duration of 3 years, starting in March 2021.

Objective of the project: The aim of this project is to identify best practice strategies for the effective communication strategies of nutrition advice to different target groups. Despite the fact that nutrition is a public topic, recommendations for an enhanced nutrition are often not followed or incompletely understood. Questions this study will answer include: How can the main beneficiaries of the results of SmartAge, such as the elderly and their families, profit from its findings? Which nutrition communication strategies are the most effective in ensuring lasting benefits for the elderly? What kind of influence does the context (food environment) play in which the target groups live? What are the barriers to or factors promoting nutrition communication? Which channels (e.g. social media, print media, radio, TV, graphical methods, internet) are the most suitable? These questions will be answered through a) consumer insights to better understand the impact of nutrition communication, b) identification of different nutrition communication pathways for the elderly target groups, c) identification on differing opinions on nutrition communication, d) application / evaluation of different nutrition communications strategies e) understanding influences of cultural contexts (food environments). The project will use qualitative and quantitative methods. In an explorative phase, a two focus group design will be used: in the first stage, four focus groups will be conducted, two with elderly consumers and two with nutrition experts. Findings will be then further discussed in a second stage in a focus group with communication experts. Following this expert consultation, a survey will be developed, pretested and conducted within countries covered by the ITN, providing a sample of 100 healthy participants >65-80 years in each country. It is the aim of this survey to provide information on best practice strategies for nutrition communication strategies for elderly consumers. Based on the results of this survey, a best practice strategy will be set up, tested and evaluated on a group of elderly consumers in Switzerland.

The PhD student will join an existing team with extensive knowledge in different communication related tools and very good knowledge of qualitative empirical methods as well as quantitative methods.

Requirements for the applicant:  We expect a Master´s degree (or equivalent) in Health and/or Life Sciences, Nutrition and Home economics or Medicine. Furthermore, the applicant should be able to perform team-oriented as well as independent work. Very good language skills in English are required.

Please note the eligibility criteria for researchers: Candidates must be in the first four years of his/her research career, not have a doctoral degree, and not have resided in Switzerland for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately before the recruitment date.

Selection process: Interested candidates please send a motivation letter, a CV including publications (if available), copies of university degrees and courses (including obtained grades), and the names and e-mail addresses of two scientists who can provide references (all summarized in one pdf) to Preferential treatment will be given to applications received before 30 November 2020.

For more information concerning the research project please contact Prof. Dr. Christine Brombach (phone: 0041 58 934 5686, ZHAW Waedenswil, Schloss, Campus Gruental, CH-8820 Waedenswil; email: )