Wellbeing and Nutrition Consultant – KTP Associate

The post-holder will be a key member of Nirvana Spa, aiming to revolutionise wellness by developing customised packages that integrate spa therapies, nutritional guidance, and educational programs, all grounded in scientific research. The associate will work closely with the academic team and the wider Nirvana Spa teams to manage the project. Key objectives include designing wellness packages that promote mental and physical health, conducting studies to assess their effectiveness, and incorporating knowledge of behavioural change and nutritional science into the business. Additionally, the associate will become a key subject matter expert in integrating psychology and food science into a spa setting, developing programs that can be used as tools to enhance wellness. They will provide valuable guidance and insights to inform business practices.

The associate will:
• Take ownership of the project plan, ensuring all tasks are completed in agreed timescales.
• Carry out detailed analysis of Nirvana Spa offerings to understand the features of a spa environment which can impact upon wellbeing and health.
• Apply knowledge of how nutrition, and specifically polyphenols, can impact wellbeing and health.
• Implement research methodologies that add to knowledge and understanding appropriate to the academic discipline and to Nirvana Spa operations.
• Design Wellness packages using behavioural and food science.
• Develop and evaluate package prototypes.
• Contribute to the development of research proposals and projects as self-contained items or as part of a broader programme.
• Capture, evaluate and utilise data relating to wellbeing, health and nutrition.
• Use initiative and creativity to synthesise, analyse and interpret research data.
• Act as a secondary supervisor and mentor to MSc, BSc and industrial placement students, identifying key experimental methods and enabling them to deliver high quality industry relevant projects.
• Represent Nirvana Spa and the University of Reading at conferences and expos.
• Disseminate project findings to internal and external audiences at conferences and workshops.
• Contribute to the writing of papers for publication in leading academic journals and other relevant media.
• Write technical-business case studies to support the implementation of the identified technical solutions.
• Produce regular reports detailing progress on each stage of the project.

The associate will play a key role in disseminating the project outputs across Nirvana and the University of Reading and at conferences and workshops. The postholder will receive the investment of a £6,000 professional development budget to spend on project relevant training courses/materials in addition to attendance at a management training course alongside other KTP associates. There will be the opportunity to represent Nirvana Spa at least once at an international conference during the project.

This position forms part of the Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) funded by Innovate UK. It is a 36-month fixed-term contract based primarily at Nirvana Spa, Mole Road, Sindlesham, Wokingham, Berkshire, RG41 5DJ. As some work will be based in the School of Psychology, the post holder will be required to visit the University of Reading on average 2 days per month. The project provides the opportunity to a post-holder to carry out a key strategic project involving the development of customised packages that integrate spa therapies, nutritional guidance, and educational programs, all grounded in scientific research.

The associate will work closely with the academic team and the wider Nirvana Spa teams to manage the project. Key objectives include designing wellness packages that promote mental and physical health, conducting studies to assess their effectiveness, and incorporating knowledge of behavioural change and nutritional science into the business. Additionally, the associate will become a key subject matter expert in integrating health psychology and food science into a spa setting, developing programs that can be used as tools to enhance wellness. They will provide valuable guidance and insights to inform business practices.

The post-holder will be employed by the University of Reading and working within the Marketing team at Nirvana Spa supported by the academic team at the University of Reading. They will be supervised by the Head of Marketing (Claire Prevost-Snell) at Nirvana Spa and Dr Daniel Lamport at the University of Reading.

Essential skills we require as a minimum

• Research skills to synthesise complex information into robust experimental design and business recommendations
• Clear understanding on designing wellness packages using behavioural and food science
• Clear understanding in how nutrition and specifically polyphenols can impact wellbeing and health
• Competency in Statistical analysis
• Advanced Excel user
• Excellent written, verbal, and visual communication skills, including the ability to communicate effectively with a wide variety of audiences
• Ability to work individually and in a team