Research Fellow in Greenspace & Health at University of Salford

Length of Contract 4 year FTC 

The University of Salford is the fastest growing university in the Northwest and the 5th fastest growing in the UK. This is an exciting joint post between the School of Science, Engineering and Environment (SEE), the School of Health & Society (H&S) at the University of Salford and Edge Hill University. At Salford, the Schools aim to transform the quality of life for society and the well-being of future generations through a better and more sustainable future.  Industry collaboration is at the core of what we do. This is combined with a passion for innovation, finding creative solutions to current and future challenges through our applied research and enterprise activities. Our work is truly interdisciplinary with a strong focus on knowledge development and subsequent knowledge exchange.

GreenME (advancing Greencare in Europe: an integrated multi-scalar approach for the expansion of nature-based therapies to improve Mental health Equity) is a 4-year €5.8 million Horizon2020 project, involving some 19 core partners and an array of other external organisations across Europe and the USA. The project aims to identify ways in which effective nature-based therapy and a broader green care framework can be scaled-up to improve adult mental health and wellbeing equity, while also contributing to multiple socio-ecological co-benefits. To that end, over 4 years, GreenME’s approach is to diagnose, to increase scientific evidence on the mental health and wellbeing benefits of green care and to empower green care actors. The evidence generated will offer replicable partnership models and guidelines to design impactful cross-sectorial green care systems, with national healthcare systems and local governments amongst the beneficiaries, leading to a higher uptake of nature-based therapy and a general reframing of the green infrastructure functionality.

You will work primarily with Prof Mike Hardman (SEE), Prof Penny Cook (H&S) and Dr Michelle Howarth (Edge Hill), alongside the wider GreenME team. In the UK, this wider team consists of Dr Silvio Caputo at the University of Kent, to Social Farms & Gardens and Mind UK. We are looking for a passionate, highly-motivated and creative interdisciplinary researcher who has a background in Geography, Environmental Studies, Planning, Health or a related field. The UK team’s work cuts across multiple elements of GreenME, from exploring innovative policy and practice around green care, to the spatial assessment of schemes and impact of initiatives on the ground. 

For more information and to apply for this vacancy, please click ‘Apply’ above.

At the University of Salford we are committed to an inclusive approach to promoting equality and diversity.