Senior Scientist / Scientist (Exposure Assessment)

sggovterp; Singapore; On-site; SGD 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Singapore Food Agency’s NCFS is seeking an Officer to plan, execute and manage dietary intake research, translating findings into food safety risk assessment and risk communication. You will develop health economic models using DALYs and QALYs and perform CBA/CEA to prioritise risks and optimise resources.

You will organize large datasets, apply statistical methods, and present results to policymakers and multidisciplinary teams, including stakeholders and external partners, ensuring timely,

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or postgraduate degree in public health, epidemiology, health economics, risk assessment, or equivalent.
• Experience in qualitative or quantitative research, economic evaluation (CBA/CEA) or health impact modelling.
• Strong analytical and quantitative skills with ability to learn new tools.
• Proficiency in at least one statistical/data analytics language (Python or R).
• Excellent written and verbal communication for non-technical audiences.
• Good interpersonal skills for multidisciplinary or independent work.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver timely outputs.

Responsibilities

• Plan, execute and manage dietary intake research informing risk assessment and risk communication.
• Develop health economic modelling frameworks using burden of disease metrics (DALYs, QALYs).
• Conduct QALY/DALY-based analyses and CBA/CEA to support evidence-based decisions.
• Organise and manage large datasets using statistical methods to derive policy insights.
• Communicate findings to policymakers, operations teams, and scientific peers; publish reports.

Skills

Quantitative research

Health economics

CBA/CEA modelling

Statistics

Python or R

Communication

Multidisciplinary teamwork

Independent work

Time management

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s in public health/epidemiology/health economics/risk assessment

3+ years relevant experience

Tools

Power BI

Tableau

Python or R

Job description

What the role is

The National Centre for Food Science (NCFS) is the scientific arm of Singapore Food Agency (SFA), providing evidence to support regulatory functions in ensuring a supply of safe food Singapore. The Exposure & Data Science Branch (EDSB) conducts qualitative and quantitative research to inform food safety risk assessment, risk management and risk communication efforts in Singapore.

What you will be working on

Officer will be expected to:

• Plan, execute and manage research related to dietary intake assessment and the evaluation of foodborne hazards, with a focus on translating scientific findings to inform food safety risk assessment, risk management and risk communication.
• Develop and apply health economic modelling frameworks, including the use of burden of disease metrics such as DALYs and QALYs, to quantify the public health impact of foodborne hazards and the value of mitigation measures.
• Conduct quantitative Risk-Benefit Assessments (RBA), Cost-Benefit Analyses (CBA), and Cost-Effectiveness Analyses (CEA) to enable evidence-based risk prioritisation and resource optimisation.
• Organise and manage large datasets and apply a range of statistical and modelling methods to derive meaningful, policy-relevant insights.
• Communicate findings clearly to diverse audiences - including policymakers, operational teams, and scientific peers - through stakeholder engagement, conference presentations, scientific publications, and project reports.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams across internal departments and external institutions on projects that collectively contribute to food safety in Singapore.
• Perform administrative work including procurement, preparation of project proposals and collaborative contract agreements.

This job description provides a high-level view of the types of work performed. Other job-related duties may be assigned as required.

What we are looking for

Essential:

• Bachelor's or postgraduate degree (Master's or PhD) in public health, epidemiology, health economics, risk assessment, or an equivalent field; OR a minimum of 3 years of working experience in a related field.
• Demonstrated experience in qualitative or quantitative research, economic evaluation (CBA, CEA), or health impact modelling in food safety, environmental health, or public health context.
• Strong analytical and quantitative skills, with the ability to learn and apply new tools and methodologies to process and analyse datasets.
• Proficiency in at least one statistical or data analytics programming language (e.g. Python or R) for modelling and data analysis.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present complex technical and economic findings clearly to non-technical audiences such as policymakers and operations teams.
• Good interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively as part of multidisciplinary teams or independently.
• Highly driven and able to take personal responsibility and initiative for delivering quality work with minimal supervision.
• Able to manage multiple priorities concurrently and deliver timely outputs.

Preferred:

• Familiarity with burden of disease frameworks and metrics (e.g. DALYs, QALYs) and their application in regulatory or policy evaluation contexts.
• Experience with health economic modelling, including sensitivity and uncertainty analysis.
• Experience with data visualisation tools (e.g. Power BI, Tableau).
• Prior experience in food safety or public health research.
• A strong record of peer-reviewed publications in scientific journals.

Work Location

Work Location: National Centre for Food Science, 7 International Business Park, Singapore 609919