Senior Scientist / Scientist (Exposure Assessment)

SINGAPORE FOOD AGENCY (SFA); Singapore; On-site; SGD 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

The National Centre for Food Science (NCFS), the scientific arm of the Singapore Food Agency (SFA), invites applications for an Officer to join the Exposure & Data Science Branch (EDSB). You will plan and conduct dietary intake assessments and health economic modelling to support food safety risk assessment and communication.

You will work with multidisciplinary teams, perform quantitative analyses (CBA/CEA), manage datasets, and present findings to policymakers.

Qualifications

• Master’s or PhD in public health, epidemiology, health economics, or an equivalent field.
• Demonstrated experience in qualitative or quantitative research or health impact modelling.
• Strong analytical and quantitative skills with the ability to learn new tools.

Responsibilities

• Plan, execute and manage research on dietary intake assessment and foodborne hazards.
• Develop and apply health economic modelling frameworks (DALYs, QALYs).
• Conduct quantitative Risk-Benefit, Cost-Benefit, and Cost-Effectiveness analyses.
• Organise and manage large datasets and apply statistical methods.
• Communicate findings to policymakers, operational teams and peers.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams and external institutions.
• Perform procurement and administrative tasks as needed.

Skills

Analytical skills

Quantitative skills

Research experience

Communication skills

Multidisciplinary collaboration

Initiative & independence

Project management

Data visualization

Education

Master’s or PhD in public health, epidemiology, or health economics

Tools

Python

R

Power BI

Tableau

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.

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:

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