Ast/Aso Prof

Candidates for this rank shall hold the highest degree appropriate to their field. A candidate shall be expected to demonstrate successful experience pertinent to the position they are being recommended and have demonstrated qualities relevant to the goals of the academic unit in which they will be employed.

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is creating an environment that affirms community across all dimensions. If an accommodation due to a disability is needed to apply for this position, please call 352-392-2477 or the Florida Relay System at 800-955-8771 (TDD) or visit Accessibility at UF.

IFAS and the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition invites applications from qualified individuals for a tenure-track faculty position at the Assistant or Associate Professor level. The successful candidate will develop a collaborative, externally funded, and internationally engaged research program focused on maternal and child nutrition, with particular emphasis on improving health and developmental outcomes for women, infants, and young children in global and underserved settings.

This is a 9-month, tenure-accruing position that will be 70% research (Florida Agricultural Experiment Station) and 30% teaching (College of Agricultural and Life Sciences) available in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, at the University of Florida, based in Gainesville, FL, expected to start in Spring 2027. The position is supported by a competitive salary with benefits including health, life, dental and vision insurance; flexible spending accounts; retirement options; paid holidays and wellness benefits. This assignment may be revised in accordance with the unit's needs. Tenure will accrue in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition. The faculty member will seek contract and grant funding actively to support their program.

Expected duties

We seek candidates who conduct research and integrative studies in global nutrition and health, public health nutrition, food and nutrition security, and maternal and child health. Relevant areas may include the role of nutrient-dense foods and dietary patterns—including animal-source foods, fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, fortified foods, and complementary foods—in supporting maternal health, infant growth, early childhood development, and long-term health outcomes.

Successful candidates will use interdisciplinary, systems-based, and population-level approaches and may integrate primary data collection, epidemiology, intervention research, implementation science, dietary assessment, nutritional biomarkers, data science, and predictive modeling. The position will include responsibilities in research and teaching, with opportunities to mentor undergraduate and graduate students and contribute to courses in nutrition, public health, global health, and food systems.

The successful candidate will engage in scholarly activities related to instruction. Examples of these scholarly activities include teaching undergraduate and/or graduate courses, advising and mentoring undergraduate and graduate students, participating in curriculum revision and enhancement, seeking funding for the teaching program, supervising undergraduate and graduate research and creative work, publishing teaching-related scholarship, producing learning tools, and engaging in professional development activities related to teaching and advising. Faculty are encouraged to support and participate in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences Honors Program, distance and international education.

Because of the IFAS land-grant mission, all faculty are expected to be supportive of and engaged in all three mission areas—Research, Teaching and Extension—regardless of the assignment split specified in the position description.

Background information

This position is one of two new faculty positions which will seed a nexus in global health nutrition and food security between Global Food Systems Institute (GFSI) within IFAS and the One Health Center of Excellence (OHCE) within the College of Public Health and Health Professions’ (PHHP) Department of Environmental and Global Health (EGH). These synergistic positions, a food safety epidemiologist in EGH and a public health nutritionist in Food Science and Human Nutrition, will complement the existing expertise in interdisciplinary research on global food security and nutrition across the lifespan.

The position will be housed in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, strengthening existing expertise in maternal and child nutrition, community and public health nutrition, nutritional sciences, food systems, food safety, food processing, and global nutrition. The successful candidate will have opportunities to collaborate with faculty across the department and throughout UF/IFAS, PHHP, the Emerging Pathogens Institute, and other university programs engaged in global health, One Health, agriculture, nutrition, and international development.

The Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition is a unit in CALS. The department has approximately 27 full-time faculty members including a significant group of federally funded researchers with a rich history of national research awards. The graduate program enrolls over 50 M.S. and Ph.D. students in Nutritional Sciences, Dietetics, and Food Science. The doctoral program in Nutritional Sciences is a part of the Center for Nutritional Sciences, which is interdisciplinary and includes a number of faculty from different departments across campus, along with a vibrant seminar series. The Department enrolls more than 450 undergraduate students across its three majors: Nutritional Sciences, Food Science, and Dietetics.

Nutritional Sciences faculty conduct research in multiple areas that span micronutrients, molecular nutrition, human metabolism, physiology, clinical, and community nutrition. Our faculty collaborate with colleagues from the Colleges of Medicine, Health and Human Performance, Public Health, Pharmacy, Liberal Arts and Sciences, Engineering, and Agricultural and Life Sciences. Within walking distance are superb opportunities to participate in basic and translational research with the UF Diabetes Institute, the Clinical and Translational Science Institute.

The University of Florida is a Land-Grant, Sea-Grant, and Space-Grant institution, encompassing virtually all academic and professional disciplines, with an enrollment of more than 56,000 students. UF is a member of The Association of American Universities. The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences includes the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station, the Florida Cooperative Extension Service, the College of Veterinary Medicine, the Florida Sea Grant program, and encompasses 16 on-campus academic departments and schools, 12 Research and Educational Centers (REC) located throughout the state, 6 Research sites/demonstration units administered by RECs or academic departments, and Florida Cooperative Extension Service offices in all 67 counties (counties operate and maintain). The School of Natural Resources and Environment is an interdisciplinary unit housed in IFAS and managed by several colleges on campus. UF/IFAS employs nearly 4,500 people, which includes approximately 990 salaried faculty and 1,400 permanent support personnel located in Gainesville and throughout the state. IFAS, one of the nation’s largest agricultural and natural resources research and education organizations, is administered by a Vice President and four deans: the Dean of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, the Dean for Extension and Director of the Florida Cooperative Extension Service, the Dean for Research and Director of the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station, and the Dean for the College of Veterinary Medicine. UF/IFAS also engages in cooperative work with Florida A&M University in Tallahassee.

Commensurate with Experience and Education

Applicants must hold a doctoral degree, or a foreign equivalent, in nutrition, public health nutrition, nutritional epidemiology, community nutrition, global health, epidemiology, public health, or a closely related field by the position’s start date.

Candidates must demonstrate the ability to develop a research program involving human populations and to work effectively in multidisciplinary and cross-cultural collaborations. Relevant research may include maternal and child nutrition, community or population nutrition, global nutrition, food and nutrition security, dietary interventions, or the evaluation of nutrition-related health outcomes. 

Candidates should demonstrate a commitment to excellence in scholarship, teaching, and student mentoring. Applicants at the Assistant Professor level should show strong potential to secure external research funding and develop an independent research program. Applicants at the Associate Professor level should demonstrate an established record of scholarly productivity, external funding, student mentorship, and teaching appropriate to rank. Candidates must be supportive of the mission of the Land-Grant system.  Candidates must also have a commitment to UF core values. 

Preferred candidates will have experience conducting nutrition or public health research in low- and middle-income countries or other resource-constrained settings.

Additional preferred qualifications may include experience in one or more of the following areas:

• Designing and implementing human nutrition interventions, community-based trials, randomized controlled trials, or longitudinal studies involving women, infants, children, families, or communities;
• Conducting community-engaged, implementation, translational, or population-based nutrition research;
• Working with international universities, governments, nongovernmental organizations, community organizations, or other local partners;
• Using dietary assessment methods, nutritional biomarkers, anthropometric measurements, developmental or health outcomes, or food-security indicators;
• Applying quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-methods approaches, including nutritional epidemiology, meta-analysis, population-level modeling, data integration, or implementation evaluation;
• Managing research activities across international sites, including ethical review, participant recruitment, research staff training, data quality assurance, and culturally appropriate community engagement;
• Developing externally funded, interdisciplinary research programs addressing maternal and child nutrition, global health, or food and nutrition security.

For full consideration, candidates should apply and submit materials by October 15^th, 2026. The position will remain open until a viable applicant pool is determined.

This position is available January 1, 2027, and will be filled as soon thereafter as an acceptable applicant is available. Compensation is commensurate with the education, experience, and qualifications of the selected applicant.

Nominations are welcome. Nominations need to include the complete name and address of the nominee. This information should be sent to:

Please refer to Requisition # 541347

Dr. Juan E. Andrade Laborde

Chair, Search and Screen Committee

University of Florida, IFAS

Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition

572 Newell Dr.

Gainesville, FL 32611-0620

Email: jandrade2@ufl.edu

Applicants should go to Careers at UF and submit:

• Cover letter that states applicant’s interest in the position, background, and qualifications relative to duties, responsibilities and qualifications listed above (2-page limit)
• Statement of teaching and mentoring philosophy and interests relative to the duties and responsibilities above (2-page limit)
• Statement of research activities and interests relative to the duties and responsibilities above (2-page limit)
• Current curriculum vitae
• Contact information (including email addresses) for three individuals willing to write letters of recommendation
• Unofficial transcripts

Selected candidate will be required to provide an official transcript to the hiring department upon hire. A transcript will not be considered “official” if a designation of “Issued to Student” is visible.  Degrees earned from an education institution outside of the United States are required to be evaluated by a professional credentialing service provider approved by National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES). 

Hiring is contingent upon eligibility to work in the US. The University of Florida is a public institution and subject to all requirements under Florida Sunshine and Public Record laws. The University and greater Gainesville community enjoy a variety of cultural events, restaurants, year-round outdoor recreational activities, and social opportunities.