Assistant Professor

About the Job

Assistant Professor in Food Systems & Community Nutrition Extension Department of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN

The University of Minnesota invites applications for a tenure-track 60% extension, 40% research position in Food Systems & Community Nutrition at the Assistant level in the Department of Food Science and Nutrition in the College of Food, Agricultural, and Natural Resource Sciences.

This position will be a nine-month, tenure-track appointment involving extension and research activities that supports the mission of the Department of Food Science and Nutrition and University of Minnesota Extension The appointee is expected to address food systems issues, including food access, food entrepreneurship, health disparities and food insecurity developing a strong extramurally funded research program that investigates the relationship between diet, lifestyle and health of individuals and communities.

The research program should acknowledge the needs of cultural communities including New Americans/immigrants/refugees as well as traditionally underrepresented groups including American Indian and African American populations. The appointee will be expected to develop close partnerships with the Departments of Family, Health and Wellbeing and Community Development at University of Minnesota Extension, and engage in collaborations with investigators within the Department, the College, and the University, such as the Academic Health Center and the School of Public Health and state and federal agencies.

Qualifications

Required:

Earned doctorate by start date, with training and experience in community nutrition; evidence of strong research skills, published research in peer reviewed scholarly journals, and strong communication and interpersonal skills. Evidence of ability to work independently and in collaboration with interdisciplinary team members. Experience working with communities affected by food insecurity. Experience or demonstrated interest in developing educational programming for diverse audiences.

Evidence of potential for excellence in extension teaching and for program leadership and potential for success working with multi-disciplinary research and Extension teams.

Preferred:
Post-doctoral research, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, or relevant professional and/or community experience that includes demonstrated success in facilitating meetings, stakeholder discussions, or learning sessions, with the ability to foster inclusive dialogue, manage group dynamics, and ensure productive outcomes; experience writing or managing grants; potential for effective classroom teaching and acquisition of extramural funding; and demonstrated commitment to diversity and inclusion.

About the Department

The Department of Food Science and Nutrition creates and shares knowledge to ensure a safe, healthy, and appealing food supply that supports the well-being and prosperity of people and the environment.

Department of Family, Health, and Wellbeing: FHW provides timely and culturally relevant education around topics of food and nutrition by taking a multidisciplinary and holistic approach to health and wellbeing. We understand that community experiences with food and health are greatly influenced by policy, systems, and their environments. FHW emphasizes a community-engaged approach, leveraging the lived experience of field extension educators who often translate academic knowledge into actionable behavior change for communities.

The integration of food science and nutrition has provided an exceptional opportunity for the Department to capitalize on the intersection of the areas of health, food culture, dietary habits, food experience, and food production. The Department plays a unique and important role training professionals and providing service in the fields of nutrition, dietetics and food science. Faculty members in the Department are nationally and internationally recognized scholars in a wide range of nutrition and food science areas including nutrition and health, diet-based disease prevention, community nutrition, food safety and microbiology, food chemistry, food flavor and sensory studies, and food processing.

The Department employs 21 tenure/tenure track faculty members and about 30 professional staff members. Current enrollments include over 300 undergraduate majors and around 100 masters and doctoral students from diverse backgrounds and cultures. The Department has a history of collaboration with other academic units with emphasis in nutrition such as the Healthy Foods Healthy Lives Institute, the Minnesota Nutrition and Obesity Center, the School of Public Health, the Hormel Institute, the Center for Spirituality and Healing, the Minneapolis VA Medical Center, and the Plant Protein Innovation Center.

For more information about faculty members, programs, and curriculum, see: (Use the "Apply for this Job" box below)./

Pay and Benefits

Pay Range: $88,000 - $95,000; depending on…