Research Intern | Food Citizen

Research Assistant (mid-May to end July 2021) - Closed

Food Citizen is commissioned by a university to conduct basic exploratory research and establish a digital information base as part of a larger project that looks at the impact of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic on urban food systems and communities.

The larger project is a collaborative international research project that brings together partners from Germany, Thailand, and Singapore. It is funded by The Volkswagen Foundation (VolkswagenStiftung), an independent private research funding foundation that encourages research and education in the sciences, social sciences, and humanities.

Food Citizen’s exploratory research focuses on two areas:

food initiatives that encourage social cohesion during this COVID period

how cities could be better designed so that spaces that are currently under-utilised could be turned into spaces that are cared for by the local community in ways that enhance local food access and biodiversity/ecosystems as well as community wellbeing.

A note - The Food Citizen project team is practitioner-based and we were invited to support this research work based on the strength of our community experience. The team receives guidance from academics familiar with Singapore and international food systems, as well as disaster risk management.

As a social business focused on deepening the understanding of systems with the awareness of steps we can take to shift into regenerative lifestyles, we are looking to hire an individual for 2-3 months as a research intern who will work closely with the project team. We are open to receiving applications from recent university graduates, mid-career individuals, and individuals with career gaps and with relevant skills to offer.

We are looking for someone who can commit to working on the research project for up to 15 hours each week over a period of 2-3 months. We value flexible working and accommodate requests to work flexible hours as long as project outcomes can be met.

This role is remote, with minimally a team check-in once a week by Zoom or in-person.

Scope and Responsibilities

The Research Assistant will assist the project team in these areas:

Conduct online research to identify key local food initiatives that encourage social cohesion and resilience, and how they were impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic

Identify key pieces of data that can be collated into tables and georeferenced data/maps that can be used by academics for follow-up research

Reach out and interview selected individuals for a better background understanding of their food initiatives and the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on their work

Reach out and interview selected individuals to gather insights on how Singapore urban spaces could be designed to include spaces for growing food in ways that ‘unlock’ under-utilised outdoor spaces and make them available to more people while enhancing nature/ecosystem services of the area.

Put together an interpretative report that summarises key findings that can be used by academics for follow-up research

The person we are looking for

You are keen to know more about related topics and can’t wait to dive into researching online or publicly available information.

You are familiar with web-based research or have a keen interest in research.

You have an eye for detail and have analytic skills.

You are able to effectively communicate your findings with the project team via Zoom or in-person meetings.

You are proactive in raising issues and working with the team to resolve them.

You work well independently and with the team.

Other skills that are useful in this project

Georeferencing data or marking out locations for mapping (In-person training on desktop and web mapping tools can be provided)

Experience in conducting research interviews

Pay

$400/month (including CPF)

Apply

Interested to apply? Email your cover letter and CV to hello@foodcitizen.sg with ‘Application - Research Intern placement’ as the subject header and addressed to Cuifen (project lead). The closing date is 7 May 2021.