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Switching the World's Salt Supply for Cardiovascular Prevention

The George Institute for Global Health | UNSW Sydney

Help shape one of the world's largest opportunities for cardiovascular disease prevention.

The George Institute for Global Health is seeking applications from outstanding candidates interested in undertaking a PhD as part of the newly established NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence (CRE) - Switching the World's Salt Supply for Cardiovascular Prevention.

We are seeking five exceptional candidates to help shape and advance this impactful program.

Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death globally. Excess sodium intake is a major contributor to hypertension, stroke and heart disease, while potassium intake remains well below recommended levels in most countries. Switching from regular salt to potassium-enriched (lower-sodium) salt is among the most effective dietary interventions available to reduce blood pressure and prevent cardiovascular disease. Large randomised controlled trials have demonstrated reductions in stroke, major cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality, and the intervention is now recommended by the World Health Organization as part of comprehensive sodium reduction strategies.

The CRE is moving beyond research to implementation, working with governments, health systems, industry and international partners to accelerate the global transition from regular salt to potassium-enriched salt.

About the Centre of Research Excellence

The NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence is a collaboration between leading Australian and international researchers, policymakers and implementation partners. The Centre aims to support implementation across multiple countries, strengthen evidence, inform policy, improve supply, and accelerate population-wide adoption of potassium-enriched salt. PhD candidates will join a multidisciplinary team spanning epidemiology, implementation science, clinical trials, health economics, food systems, nutrition, public health, policy and global health.

Will depend on the project and will be negotiated with the candidate. Some projects will involve co-primary supervision.



Some projects may have collaborators at other institutions as secondary supervisors.

- Professor Bruce Neal (UNSW)
- Professor Dike Ojji (University of Abuja)
- Professor Maoyi Tian (Harbin University)
- Dr Katrina Kissock (UNSW)
- Professor Stephan Jan (UNSW)
- Professor Michael Gary (UNSW)

Clinical Trials of Potassium-Enriched Salt: Evaluating effectiveness, safety and implementation in priority populations

This PhD will contribute to the design, delivery and analysis of current clinical and implementation trials evaluating potassium-enriched salt across diverse populations. Planned trials will assess areas such as hypertension treatment, hypertension prevention, chronic kidney disease, primary care, behavioural outcomes and pre-eclampsia prevention. Cost-effectiveness, equity impacts, and generalisability of effects across populations will be key implementation considerations.

Applicants with backgrounds in medicine, epidemiology, statistics, nutrition or public health are encouraged to apply.

Food Fortification and Enrichment: Expanding potassium-enriched salt through the food supply

A large proportion of sodium consumed in many countries comes from processed, packaged and restaurant foods. This project will investigate opportunities to incorporate potassium-enriched salt into food manufacturing while maintaining safety, quality, consumer acceptance and regulatory compliance. Potential topics include: reformulation of processed foods, food technology, regulatory pathways, consumer acceptability, economic evaluation, nutrition policy, and industry adoption.

Applicants with backgrounds in nutrition, food science, food technology or public health are encouraged to apply.

Supply Chain and Market Transformation: Building healthier salt markets

Scaling potassium-enriched salt requires reliable production, affordable pricing, and resilient supply chains. This PhD will examine: global salt markets, potassium chloride supply (including by-product opportunities from waste recycling), manufacturing capacity, industry incentives, market shaping, procurement strategies, trade and regulatory barriers, and/or investment cases for governments.

Applicants with backgrounds in economics, business, supply chain management, public policy or engineering are encouraged to apply.

Healthcare Provider Implementation: Supporting clinicians to recommend potassium-enriched salt





Clinical guidelines increasingly recommend potassium-enriched salt, yet adoption in practice remains limited. This project will investigate: knowledge and attitudes of clinicians, behaviour change interventions, clinical decision support, primary care implementation, education resources, guideline translation, and/or health system integration. The terms 'clinicians' will be interpreted broadly to include the breadth of allied health workers practicing in diverse global settings.

Applicants with backgrounds in medicine, nursing, allied health, pharmacy, implementation science or health services research are encouraged to apply.

Implementation Toolkit, Monitoring and Scale-up: Helping countries move from evidence to national implementation

Countries need practical tools to support implementation of potassium-enriched salt and metrics by which to track progress. This project will develop and evaluate implementation resources including: national implementation toolkits, readiness assessments, monitoring frameworks, policy indicators, programme evaluation tools, global benchmarking, and/or country case studies.

Applicants with backgrounds in implementation science, public health, epidemiology, global health or policy are encouraged to apply.

Who are we looking for?

We are seeking motivated candidates who are passionate about improving population health through nutrition and food systems research. Successful applicants will be committed to conducting high-quality research that translates into policy and practice to reduce hypertension, stroke and cardiovascular disease. We welcome applicants from a range of disciplines, including public health, nutrition, epidemiology, food science, medicine, implementation science, health services research, economics and related fields.

Candidates must hold a relevant First or Second Class Honours degree or a Masters degree with a substantial research component in medicine, public health, nutrition, dietetics, epidemiology, food science, implementation science, health services research, economics, supply chain management or another relevant discipline, or be able to demonstrate equivalent research experience.

Australian citizens or Australian permanent residents are eligible to apply.

Our successful candidate(s) for this opportunity will be requested to submit an Australian police check as part of their application.

Award Amount

Applicants will be supported to apply through the UNSW Main Scholarship Round. Candidates who are successful in securing a UNSW scholarship will receive a living allowance stipend of $39,991 per annum (2027 rate). Where a UNSW scholarship is not awarded, eligible candidates may be considered for a The George Institute Scholarship ($39,991 per annum (2027 rate).

Key Dates

Applications Open: 09 July 2026

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📌 PhD Scholarship Opportunities (Rand)
🏢 The George Institute
📍 Rand