The School of Environmental and Biological Sciences (SEBS) and the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES) at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey is leading the way to achieve a healthy and sustainable future. We do this through a rich tradition in research, education, entrepreneurship, outreach, and engagement. Our hiring initiative in Metabolic Health integrates the molecular and physiological underpinnings and environmental influences that impact the sustainable wellbeing of humans, animals, and ecosystems. Metabolic Health is essential to solving many challenges which affect the future of life on Earth.
We seek to hire an interdisciplinary cluster of four tenure-track faculty colleagues whose scholarly interests and goals fit within the SEBS core areas of strength which span from microorganisms to ecosystems. Successful applicants will prioritize and align with SEBS values of inclusivity, interdisciplinary excellence and scholarly relevance leading to innovative research programs, student success, and community engagement.
Faculty hires will affiliate with one of several academic departments: Animal Sciences, Biochemistry and Microbiology, Food Science, and Nutritional Sciences. Specific research areas are shown below, though any area related to metabolic health will be considered.
Open Faculty Positions
Assistant Professor in Gastrointestinal (GI) Physiology and the Microbiome
Assistant Professor in Gastrointestinal (GI) Physiology and the Microbiome
Central to the goals of the Department of Animal Sciences is development of key research areas central to The New Jersey Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health that will support our mission to "improve animal, human, and environmental health." There is a clear scientific gap in understanding how human and animal physiology is altered by the gut microbiome. Alterations in gut-brain health driven by the microbiome may contribute to the underlying pathology of endocrine-related diseases including obesity, diabetes, and cancer. This tenure-track faculty hire will complement existing expertise in neuroendocrinology, physiology, and microbiome-related research at SEBS by including research with host animal species. Faculty hiring in this area should fill the current gastrointestinal physiology expertise gap we have and enhance collaboration within the cluster and with the Rutgers University Microbiome Program, Rutgers Brain Health Institute, and Rutgers RWJ Medical School. This faculty hire will be expected to teach courses in the Animal Sciences undergraduate curriculum and Endocrinology and Animal Biosciences Graduate Program focused on integrative and gut-brain physiology.
For additional information regarding the position, please contact Dr. Carol Bagnell, Search Committee Chair, aniscisearch@sebs.rutgers.edu ..
Assistant Professor in Microbial Metabolism
Assistant Professor in Microbial Metabolism
The encompassing theme of the Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology is the study of fundamental life processes from molecules to biomes. A fundamental understanding of the combined metabolisms of microbiomes and their hosts is pivotal to meeting many of the challenges that face humanity – from human health, to agriculture, to the overall health of the biosphere. We seek a scholar in the area of microbial metabolism who will test hypotheses to elucidate the mechanistic foundations of biotic interactions. Research interests include, but are not limited to, the biochemistry of biotic interactions; the biochemical and regulatory dialog between microbiomes and their hosts; regulation of gene expression in cells or microbiomes; bacterial cell biology and physiology; the enzymological basis of metabolic pathways; or the metabolism, biochemistry, and enzymology of the transformations of natural or anthropogenic compounds. This scholar and educator will broaden our existing strength in our understanding of microbiomes and their biotic interactions. The position is central to the mission of the department and the Biochemistry and Microbiology curricula and will teach courses in general biochemistry and microbial biochemistry.
For additional information regarding the position, please contact Professor Jeffrey Boyd, Search Committee Chair, jeffboyd@sebs.rutgers.edu.
Assistant Professor in Bio-functional Food Processing
Assistant Professor in Bio-functional Food Processing
The Department of Food Science studies everything from the health benefits of food components (e.g., plant phytochemicals) to the study of processing technologies that ensure the delivery of safe food that supports human health. There is a current gap in our understanding of the influence of processing on food components and the underlying effect on the gut microbiota and their microbial metabolites. A hire in bio-functional food processing will complement existing expertise in bio-nanotechnology, metabolomics, and metagenomics. This hire will enhance our ability to develop food processing technologies that ensure safe functional foods that influence metabolic health. The research interests of the hire should fill the expertise gap in bio-functional food processing and enhance collaboration within the cluster and across greater the Rutgers research community. A faculty hire in this area is core to the mission of the department and the food science curriculum and will teach courses in principles of food science, food chemistry and/or food process engineering. Individuals must have at least one post-baccalaureate degree in Food Science.
Assistant Professor in Nutrition and Metabolic Health
Assistant Professor in Nutrition and Metabolic Health
The Department of Nutritional Sciences envisions a healthy and sustainable tomorrow through research, education, and outreach. The faculty hire in Nutritional Sciences within this cluster would contribute to the department's objective to meet the strategic goals of the NIH, USDA, and other funding organizations that aspire to reduce the impact of disease by improving health through nutrition. General areas of interest for this hire include the broad categories of metabolism, prevention and treatment of chronic disease, and dietary patterns, with particular focus on one or more of the following: nutrition, inflammation, and the gut microbiome; precision nutrition; biomarkers of healthy eating; data science; lifespan nutrition from development to old age; metabolic disorders; and health disparities. This faculty hire will also be expected to contribute to the curricular goals of the department in biomedical nutrition; teach courses in advanced nutrition, nutritional biochemistry, and nutritional physiology; and provide experiential learning opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate students through basic and/or clinical or translational research.
For additional information regarding the position, please contact clusterhireinquirydns@sebs.rutgers.edu.
Tenure-track nine-month academic appointments are at the Assistant Professor level. Successful applicants will be competitive for external funding opportunities with the potential to establish an integrated research program and must be committed to teaching core and elective courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels and to mentoring research students at all degree levels.
Rutgers and SEBS are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. One of our main priorities is to diversify our faculty ranks as outlined in the SEBS/NJAES DEI strategic plan to ensure our faculty composition reflects the diversity of our state and student population. We especially encourage applications from backgrounds underrepresented in the sciences including Black, Latine, Indigenous, and LGBTQ+ scientists.
The School of Environmental and Biological Sciences powers the university's robust exploration of sciences. From microorganisms to a changing climate, the land, air and ocean, nutrition and food sciences, animals, and plants. SEBS/NJAES continues to successfully serve the increasingly diverse population of New Jersey by integrating basic and applied research with education, outreach, and engagement to achieve community-serving outcomes.
The New Jersey Institute for Food, Nutrition, and Health (IFNH) plays a central role in these efforts, building on Rutgers' extensive and pioneering work in the fields of agriculture, food science, nutritional science, and human and animal health. IFNH underscores the commitment of Rutgers University to new transformational initiatives across the many disciplines impacting food, nutrition, and health. The institute embraces a culture of interdisciplinarity that seeks solutions to our health problems in the social as well as the biological determinants of health. IFNH oversees a spectrum of translational activity ranging from basic research to community outreach. The breadth of its activities is reflected in the diversity of its research centers, thematic programs, and student services. As one of its top program priorities, the institute focuses on ways to stem the epidemic rise in childhood obesity and obesity-related disorders such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.