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HEALTH RESEARCHER
The Plastic Soup Foundation, an Amsterdam-based organization that works internationally to stop the “plastic soup” (the ubiquity of plastic in the environment, especially oceans) at its source, is urgently looking for a health researcher for 24 or 32 hours a week.
At the end of 2018, the Plastic Soup Foundation (PSF) established the Plastic Health Coalition. This partnership between national and international environmental and research organizations stimulates scientific research into the health effects of plastic and disseminates its research results among various target groups.
To this end, the Plastic Soup Foundation has established two communication platforms: the Plastic Health Channel (PHC) and the Plastic Health Summit (PHS). In the PHC episodes, groundbreaking scientific research is shared in an accessible way with an international audience. The episodes are broadcast via a YouTube channel. The PHS, meanwhile, is an annual conference set in Amsterdam where many leading scientists, policymakers, and innovators come together to find an answer to the question: does plastic make us sick? The Summit did not take place in 2020, but it will in 2021.
In addition, the Plastic Soup Foundation also collaborates with universities around the world to generate more knowledge about the health effects of plastic pollution and consumption.
The Plastic Soup Foundation team consists of passionate Dutch and English-speaking world improvers. You will mainly work with colleagues from the Research & Solutions unit and more specifically with the Health Campaigner.
YOUR TASKS
- You actively seek new and groundbreaking international scientific research on the effects of plastic on human health.
- You work both substantively and coordinatingly on items for episodes on the Plastic Health Channel and you participate in the organization of the Plastic Health Summit. You are responsible for delivering substantive content and you translate this into comprehensible and catchy storylines, for both the Channel and the Summit. You will also be involved in communication about Plastic & Human Health. Think of social media, tutorials, press releases, texts for the dedicated website, etc.
- You are, together with the other researcher in the Health team, the first point of contact for the scientists you actively approach. You will guide these scientists through the preliminary discussions of sharing research during a broadcast and/or presentation for the Summit.
- Together with your multidisciplinary colleagues, you will use all your expertise for other campaigns within Plastic Soup Foundation, so that Health runs as a common thread through all campaigns.
- You coordinate research in collaboration with universities to generate more knowledge about the exposure and health effects of microplastics and plastic chemicals. This includes designing the research, the research methods that are used, feedback to possible funders, interim discussions about the progress, evaluation, and interpretation of the results as well as subsequent public dissemination.
- Together with the other researchers, you maintain a large international network of scientists and continue to expand this network.
- You provide plastic and health content to the Health website (www.plastichealthcoalition.org ).
- You deliver a constant stream of ideas to create more attention and awareness worldwide about the possible health dangers of plastic.
YOUR PROFILE
- You have an academic background in beta sciences, for example, medical biology, biology, or chemistry.
- You effortlessly interpret scientific publications about plastics and chemicals in the human body and share obtained insights in an accessible manner with colleagues and a wide audience.
- You have an affinity with science communication and online video and event productions.
- You are independent, stress-resistant, proactive, and a critical thinker.
- You are an enthusiastic, driven, flexible and experienced team player.
- You speak and write fluent English and Dutch and have excellent communication and social skills for networking activities.
- You are able to function under time pressure in a dynamic, growing non-profit organization.
- You have excellent writing skills: writing website content but also drafting research proposals is easy for you.
- You have at least 3 years of relevant work experience at the university level.
WE OFFER
An annual contract for 3/4 days a week (24/32 hours). It is a special and challenging position within a very dynamic organization. We would like to receive your CV and motivation letter via email at:
The closing date for the vacancy is April 4, 2021.
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