Project HAM is a new three year project starting in Brazil in 2026. Funded by the Wellcome Trust, this project is a collaboration between the University of São Paulo, the University of Oxford and TABLE. TABLE is led by the University of Oxford and is a collaboration with the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Wageningen University & Research, the Autonomous University of Mexico and the University of the Andes.
We are seeking a full time bilingual postdoctoral researcher who will be based at the University of São Paulo’s Campus Fernando Costa, in Pirassununga. The successful candidate’s role will be to map, describe and analyse food system narratives in Brazil with a particular focus on the livestock, meat and dairy sectors. We are interested in understanding who is telling which stories about agriculture, food, livestock and animal products, what their diagnosis is of Brazil’s food-related problems, what solutions they propose and what food related futures they want to see being realised. We also want to understand why they want the futures they do - that is, we are interested in the stakeholder’s priorities as well as the interests, beliefs and ideologies at play.
Ultimately, our goal with this project is to understand what futures for Brazil’s livestock sector (and its food system more generally) are considered to be possible and desirable for different stakeholders, as well as the policies and actions they envisage are needed to make them come to pass. In so doing, we hope to provide a structured overview of the plurality of possibilities for Brazil’s food system, in ways that inform climate resilient, healthy, zero-hunger and equitable future
decision making.
The work will involve stakeholder interviews, discourse analysis, the development and convening of dialogue among different stakeholder groups and the articulation and exploration, in collaboration with stakeholders, for a range of visions for Brazil’s food system and the pathways for achieving them.
Questions this research will explore include the following:
- Who is active in Brazil's food system, and in discussions about its present and its future, and
what are they doing? - What arguments are they making in relation to food systems (including agricultural approaches, gender, health, zero hunger, meat consumption and diets), and livestock systems more specifically?
- What do mapping exercises reveal about their differing degrees of power and economic, political or moral influence?
- What evidence do they draw upon in making these arguments?
- What values (moral, ideological) and interests (financial or other) inform and are revealed by the arguments they make?
- What futures are envisaged (desired or feared) for Brazil's food system, and what pathways for transformation are identified? What are the areas of convergence as well as disagreement?
This work will address environmental, social and economic debates around the merits and problems associated with different livestock types (beef, in all its diversity of systems, as well as pork and poultry) and different systems of livestock production as well as regional variations. We will also be looking at relevant and connected consumption-related issues, such as debates around ultra-processed foods, zero-hunger, the role of meat and other animal products in Brazilian diets (from both health and cultural angles), alternative proteins, and more.
About Project HAM
Project Ham is a collaboration between the University of São Paulo and the University of Oxford. The project has two main parts. One part involves working with ~500 Brazilian pig farms to build a data set of farm-level health and environmental outcomes, identify ways of reducing negative impacts and trial the effectiveness of introducing a toolkit aimed at providing practical, farm specific guidance. The second part (led by TABLE) is broader in nature. It aims to explore the wider socio-political, cultural, and systemic drivers that shape food systems and particularly livestock production and consumption, and that enable or hinder the evolution of more sustainable trajectories. The successful candidate for this position will be working on this second part of the overall project.
Project HAM is led by Professor Adroaldo Zanella at the University of São Paulo. This component of the project is led by Dr Tara Garnett from TABLE at the University of Oxford and the successful candidate will be supervised by her, with the involvement of other members of the project team.
About TABLE
TABLE is a food systems platform working to support better dialogue, decision making and action. In a world where misinformation, polarisation and simplistic, short-term thinking are rife, we support stakeholders in navigating the evidence, assumptions and values shaping global debates around food, as well as often contrasting visions for the future, and the narratives that underpin them. TABLE is led by the University of Oxford and is a collaboration with the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Wageningen University & Research, the Autonomous University of Mexico and the University of the Andes. This project marks the start of TABLE’s work in Brazil.
Essential criteria
- A PhD in a relevant social science (e.g. geography, anthropology, sociology, economics, journalism) with relevant post qualification research experience
- Excellent and demonstrable understanding of issues relating to food systems and sustainability
- Fluency in Portuguese and in English
- A track record of excellent writing skills, particularly in English
- Experience of organising and running dialogue processes
- Commitment to TABLE’s goals and approach
- A commitment to working regularly and closely with other members of the HAM team, including running training workshops and courses
- A commitment to working regularly and closely with other members of the international TABLE team (spanning the UK, Netherlands, Sweden, Mexico and Colombia) and to feeding into and learning from TABLE’s collective work
- A commitment to writing for the TABLE website and our global audience of food system stakeholders (spanning policy, civil society, academia and industry) as well as for Brazilian audiences.
Desirable criteria
- Experience of having applied qualitative research methods in areas related to food and
farming - Ability to speak Spanish
- Experience of visioning and scenarios methodologies
- Data visualisation skills
Applications are open until 15th of March, 2026
Interviews are scheduled for 7 and 8th of April, 2026
For additional information please contact Dr. Tara Garnett: taragarnett@tabledebates.org
Required Documents:
- FAPESP-style Curriculum Summary in English (https://fapesp.br/6351/instructions-for-the-elaboration-of-a-curricular-summary)
- A cover letter in English, outlining qualifications and interest in the position (maximum one A4 page, Times New Roman 12, double-spaced);
- Name and email address of two referees who can provide references for the candidate;
- All documents should be sent to the following email address: adroaldo.zanella@usp.br, stating in the heading HAM-TABLE position
