Earth Fellow: University food systems capability mapping

UE07: £41,064.00 - £48,822.00 Per Annum Pro Rata.

Edinburgh Earth Initiative, Department for Social Responsibility and Sustainability.

Part Time - 9 hours per week.

Fixed-term for six months from August 2026.

The Edinburgh Earth Initiative (EEI), Edinburgh Innovations and the Division of global Agriculture and Food Systems are looking for a PhD student to support with mapping the University’s expertise in future food systems research. This 6-month project will focus on arranging an interdisciplinary workshop to bring together food systems researchers from across different disciplines. The Earth Fellow will have responsibility for creating workshop materials and analysing and reporting on workshop outputs.

to view the full project brief for the Earth Fellow:
University of Edinburgh future food systems capability mapping, including key tasks and deliverables (opens browser in new tab).

to view the general Earth Fellow job description (opens browser in new tab).

Please refer to the project brief and the skills listed below when outlining your skills and experience in your application.

This post will be appointed at Grade UE07, step 1 which is £41,064 per annum, pro rata (£22.50 per hour).

Earth Fellowships are only open to current postgraduate and PhD students at the University of Edinburgh based in the UK. Please do not apply if you will not be an on-campus University of Edinburgh student in the ‘26/’27 academic year.

• Current University of Edinburgh PhD student in the ‘26/’27 academic year.
• Experience with research related to future food systems and an awareness of different aspects of food system research.
• Excellent communication skills including the ability to communicate complex information clearly, both in writing and in oral presentations.
• Ability to assimilate information from multiple sources and report on it effectively.
• Experience creating visual outputs such as maps, infographics or summary diagrams.
• Ability to work proactively with colleagues and external collaborators with a variety of expertise; understanding and valuing different points of view and building consensus.
• Experience organising workshops for a wide variety of stakeholders.

As an Earth Fellow, you will be joining a diverse, fun and dynamic team of researchers, students and staff all working together to address the global climate emergency. As part of the Earth Fellows programme, you will have access to co-working space, exciting networking and personal development opportunities and opportunities to contribute towards partnerships and solutions for climate change on a global scale.

Earth Fellows work on individual and team-based projects which contribute to the University of Edinburgh and Edinburgh Earth Initiative’s work on climate change research-led impact, innovation, engagement, and teaching.

• A competitive salary.
• An exciting, positive, creative, challenging and rewarding place to work.
• To be part of a diverse and vibrant international community.
• Comprehensive Staff Benefits, including generous annual leave entitlement, a defined benefits pension scheme, a wide range of staff discounts, family-friendly initiatives, and flexible work options. Check out the full list on our staff benefits page and use our reward calculator to discover the value of your pay and benefits.

The University of Edinburgh holds a Silver Athena SWAN award in recognition of our commitment to advance gender equality in higher education. We are members of the Race Equality Charter, and we are also Stonewall Scotland Diversity Champions, actively promoting LGBT equality.

Prior to any employment commencing with the University, you will be required to evidence your right to work in the UK. Further information is available on our right to work webpages.

On this occasion the University will not consider applicants requiring sponsorship for this role. International workers will therefore only be able to take up this role if they can demonstrate an alternative right to work in the UK.

The closing date for applications is 6 July 2026.

Unless stated otherwise, the closing time for applications is 11:59 pm (UK time). If you are applying from outside the UK, the closing time shown on our adverts will automatically adjust to your browser’s local time zone.