This project provides the opportunity to be part of a new area of research that will involve a variety of research techniques including an online registry of dieters. People who lose weight on their own without professional or commercial intervention have not been researched in depth before because they have little or no direct contact with health care or research groups. This project aims to explore why some people are successful at losing weight on their own and what lessons might be carried over to planned weight management strategies.
Camperdown - Boden Institute of Obesity, Nutrition, Exercise & Eating Disorders
Masters/PHD
A large proportion of people who successfully lose weight do so on their own without any reference to health professionals or participation in formal weight loss programs. However, at present we have very little understanding of who is successful of controlling weight without professional interventions and what strategies they employ to achieve this outcome. This project is recruiting persons who have been successful at past self-directed weight control to identify common characteristics or strategies utilised. In addition a panel of willing participants who are considering the need to lose weight will be recruited and followed through this process over time to examine the appropriateness and efficacy of their approaches.
Benefits to the successful candidate
• As part of The Boden Institute of Obesity, Nutrition, Exercise & Eating Disorders at the Charles Perkins Centre, you will be part of an internationally recognized multidisciplinary research environment dedicated to reducing obesity and associated complications
• PhD candidates will be mentored for submission of a competitive application for an Australian Postgraduate Award or a University Postgraduate Award (APA/UPA, for domestic students).
• Opportunity for a Top-Up Scholarship for APA or UPA-funded PhD students of high standing, with the possibility of Top-Up Scholarship extension for students who are productive in publishing their research on this topic
• You will receive mentoring to help you develop your career, with individual and group training on scientific writing, conference presentation skills etc
• You will have opportunities to present your research findings at local, national and potentially also at an international biomedical conference
• You will have opportunities to publish your research findings in world-class peer-reviewed biomedical journals of high standing
Selection criteria
• An undergraduate degree in science, medicine or other health discipline (e.g. exercise physiology, nutrition & dietetics, nursing, pharmacy, physiotherapy, psychology, biochemistry, physiology etc.)
• First class honours or equivalent (for PhD candidates)
• An excellent undergraduate academic record (for Masters and PhD candidates)
• Prospective PhD candidates must be eligible for a nationally competitive PhD scholarship, such as an Australian Postgraduate Award or a University Postgraduate Award (APA/UPA, for domestic students) or an equivalent award for international students. Further details.
• A strong commitment to health and medical research in the field of adult nutrition and lifestyle interventions, obesity, weight management and chronic disease prevention
• Exceptional communication skills that will enable you to engender support from participants volunteering for this randomised controlled trial
• Ability to work productively both within a team environment as well as independently as required
• Excellent organisational skills
For further information
Please contact Professor Tim Gill
To apply
Please e-mail a cover letter addressing the above selection criteria, a copy of your CV as well as your academic transcript(s) to Professor Tim Gill.
The opportunity ID for this research opportunity is 2023