The Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) is Singapore's lead public sector R&D agency driving science and developing innovative technology to further economic growth and improve lives.  A*STAR's cutting-edge research undertakings are fuelled by the national S$25 billion 5-year Research Innovation & Enterprise 2025 (RIE2025) plan funded by the Singapore government and industry funding.  The RIE2025 effort is broadly organised along 4 strategic domains, namely Urban Solutions & Sustainability (USS), Human Health Potential (HHP), Manufacturing, Trade & Connectivity (MTC) and Smart Nation & Digital Economy (SNDE).

The Singapore Institute of Food and Biotechnology Innovation (SIFBI) is a research institute under A*STAR. Our mission is to identify the needs, design and engineer foods for food security and better health of the population in Singapore and the region.  Our long-term vision is to be a global leader in driving the innovation and consumption of nutritious future foods for a healthy and sustainable tomorrow.

SIFBI's 3 strategic research thrusts in Sustainable Food and Downstream Processing; Food and Ingredient Innovation; and Tasty and Nutritious Food aim to establish Singapore as the Asian food innovation capital, support Singapore's "30 by 30" goal of producing 30% of our nutritional needs locally by 2030 as well as enhance human potential and well-being by leveraging the nexus of food, nutrition and health.

SIFBI is seeking to appoint a Capability Group Lead for Nutrition.  The candidate will be an internationally accomplished scientist with a strong background in human nutrition and extensive track record of peer reviewed publications to lead the Nutrition Capability Group as well as work in multidisciplinary teams across SIFBI, A*STAR and local/international partners including the academia, healthcare system and industry to deliver the institute?s mission and outcomes.  The candidate must also possess the expertise to understand disease burdens of Singapore and the region that could be prevented through food and to develop a strategy, drive and implement research programmes, as well as work with the public health system to design and deploy nutritional interventions.  The candidate is expected to be effective in integrating across the multi disciplines within SIFBI in relation to food science, human nutrition, food process engineering, and human health.

With SIFBI's ongoing joint venture partnership on clinical nutrition with the National University Singapore (NUS), the candidate is also required to deepen this relationship as well as establish new partnerships (e.g., School of Public Health, Singapore Health Promotion Board, Ministry of Health) and to leverage existing cohort studies and clinical trials infrastructure to design nutritional interventions to enhance human health potential.

Job Responsibilities:

·       Lead, steer and manage the Nutrition Capability Group in its day-to-day operations

·       Develop a demand-driven strategy and roadmap as well as execute an implementation plan, including establishing strategic partnerships with local and international academia/industry and the public health system along SIFBI's thrust of Tasty and Nutritious Food

·       Work collaboratively in an integrated fashion with other Capability Groups in SIFBI and key stakeholders to contribute to SIFBI's other key thrusts and organisational goals to realise impact and outcomes through the nexus of food, nutrition and human health

·       Lead teams to compete for RIE2025 and industry funding and manage a healthy research budget to undertake cutting edge and impactful research

·       Develop, mentor and nurture scientific and technical staff within the Nutrition Capability Group as well as across SIFBI

·       Serve as a key member of SIFBI senior leadership team to develop organizational strategy and roadmap, organizational excellence, partake in employee engagements and drive SIFBI towards delivering its mission and realizing its vision

Profile of Candidate:

·       PhD in Human Nutrition, Public Health, Physiology, with a minimum of 15 years of work experience

·       Knowledge of food science and technology will be an advantage

·       Proven track record in leading teams and undertaking multidisciplinary research with evidence of successful research grant awards and industry funding

·       Good knowledge of clinical trials and nutritional epidemiological cohort studies, experimental design, and data interpretation

·       Track record of working in public health, healthcare and/or industry system to design nutritional interventions to improve health and well-being, especially nutritionally vulnerable populations

·       Strong ability to translate nutritional needs and wants of the Singapore population and the region into affordable, tasty, nutritious and healthy dietary patterns

·       Excellent oral and written communication skills