Health System Sustainability - Research Fellow/ Senior Research Fellow / Research Assoc Prof

Climate change is the defining challenge of this century, and healthcare is both a victim of climate change and a major contributor to it. The Centre for Sustainable Medicine (CoSM) at the National University of Singapore works at the frontier of policy, clinical systems, and global health to accelerate the transition to low-carbon, climate-resilient health systems across Asia and worldwide.

Purpose of the Post

We invite applications for a senior leader in the field of healthcare system sustainability, to lead and grow the Centre’s work on mitigation and adaptation efforts and the health facility level.

The postholder will be responsible for taking CoSM’s world-leading work on preparing climate-smart health systems, hospitals, and clinical pathways, looking to integrate both mitigation and adaptation approaches.

This is a globally outward-facing role involving regular international engagement and travel, and combining applied policy work, academic research, and real-world implementation. The Centre is open to applications from experts from a wide range of seniority, spanning Post-Doctoral Research Fellows through to Research Associate Professors.

Key Responsibilities include:

1. Research Leadership in Health System Sustainability

• Develop, lead, and grow a coherent body of research on decarbonisation of the healthcare physical and built environment, including infrastructure, estates, energy use, procurement, and transport.
• Integrate climate adaptation and resilience solutions into decarbonisation and systems-level sustainability research.
• Deliver high-impact peer-reviewed publications, competitive grant applications, and multi-institution research collaborations at regional and global levels.
• Work closely across the Centre’s research and policy and implementation teams to ensure this thinking is embedded across research, from design through to real-world delivery.

 

 

2. Policy Engagement and External Partnerships

• Lead and contribute to major international projects across Asia-Pacific, and with global multilateral organisations, and national health systems.
• Translate research findings into policy briefs, technical guidance, and implementation frameworks for health system sustainability.
• Represent the Centre in international technical forums, expert groups, and advisory processes.
• Lead and develop individual and collaborative grant proposals to grow the capacity of the Centre and their own body of work.

 

3. Education and Academic Programme Development

• Design, convene, and deliver a number of postgraduate modules on climate change, sustainability, and health systems as part of the existing MSc and Executive Fellowship in Sustainable Healthcare.
• Lead the development of a new PhD Programme as part of the Centre’s work, and provide direct supervision to PhD and MSc students, including thesis supervision and examination.
• Oversee and provide strategic leadership for the Centre’s education portfolio, including curriculum development, quality assurance, administration, and pedagogical innovation.

4. Contribution to the Centre, NUS Medicine, and the wider University

• Contribute positively to the culture, cohesion, and collaborative spirit of the Centre and wider institution.
• Support interdisciplinary initiatives, mentoring of junior staff, and shared academic and administrative responsibilities.
• Actively participate in seminars, workshops, and outreach activities that enhance the Centre’s visibility and impact.
  

Qualifications

Essential

• PhD in Public Health, Environmental Health, Engineering, Climate Change, or an equivalent field.
• Strong academic publications and leadership of relevant research programmes.
• Strong track record in applying research methods to real-world policy situations.
• Excellent analytical, quantitative, and written communication skills.
• Ability to operate confidently in international, multidisciplinary, policy-facing environments.

 

Highly desirable

• Experience working with governments, multilateral organisations, or large health systems.
• Experience assessing the environmental sustainability of the built environment.
• Familiarity with climate, sustainability, or health system transformation agendas.
• Strong quantitative and modelling skills using tools such as R, Python, Stata, Excel, or similar.

 

Remuneration will be commensurate with the candidate’s qualifications and experience. Informal enquiries are welcome and should be made to Professor Nick Watts at n.watts@nus.edu.sg.

 

• Formal application: Please submit your application, indicating current/expected salary, supported by a detailed CV (including personal particulars, academic and employment history, complete list of publications/oral presentations and full contacts of three (3) referees to this job portal. We regret that only shortlisted candidates will be notified.