Humanity faces profound questions about how our planet can sustain nine billion people by 2050. With the trend of urbanisation, the majority of the world’s population now live in cities. There is a global nutrition crisis, with dual problems of undernutrition and obesity. Meanwhile, environmental and population changes have major implications for issues including food and nutrition security, access to clean water and sanitation, and natural disasters. In meeting these challenges and delivering culturally, socially and economically appropriate solutions, research has a critical role to play.

The Wellcome Trust are pleased to launch their Sustaining Health awards scheme, with a call for proposals for pilot research projects in this broad area. This call supports small awards in the order of £250 000 (exceptionally up to £500 000) for up to two years.

To find out more, please visit the Wellcome Trust website.

Deadline for concept notes: 27 August 2013

A new article has been published in the journal Global Public Health by Michael Goran, a professor of preventive medicine at the University of Southern California and Oxford researcher Stanley Uliaszek, professor of Anthropology and Director of the Unit for Biocultural Variation and Obesity.

The research, which aimed to evaluate, from a global and ecological perspective, the relationships between availability of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and prevalence of type 2 diabetes, concluded that "these results suggest that countries with higher availability of HFCS have a higher prevalence of type 2 diabetes independent of obesity."

Employing unit: Innovative Food Systems Teaching and Learning

Start date: As soon as possible

Closing date: 19 June 2015

Reference number: SF07948

Post type: Full-time, Fixed-term until 30 September 2018

Payscale: £28,695 to £38,511 per annum – please note salary is dependent on location/institution. Please consult the salary range in the local job advert for each institution.

Innovative Food Systems Teaching and Learning

IFSTAL seeks to recruit a team of five full-time Coordinators for the ‘Innovative Food Systems Teaching and Learning’ (IFSTAL) Programme, one to be based in each of the consortium institutions. The positions are fixed-term contracts from mid-2015 until 30 September 2018.

The University of Reading is collecting applications for all five institutions, so to formally apply, please visit Jobs at the University of Reading – University of Reading or contact Human Resources, University of Reading, Whiteknights, PO Box 217, Reading RG6 6AH. Telephone +44(0)118 378 6771 (voicemail)

Job Title: James Martin Fellow

Project: Future of Food modelling project

Department: British Heart Foundation Health Promotion Research Group (BHF HPRG), Dept of Public Health, Oxford

Grade 7: £29,541 - £36,298 p.a.

The closing date for applications is 12.00 midday on 12 July 2013 and it is planned to hold interviews on 23 July 2013.

Further details and information on how to apply please see the Oxford University Recruitment website

Further particulars: 108212 - James Martin Fellow G7 BHF