Assistant/Associate Professor - Chemistry of Food and Food Ingredients

About the Role

This is a 9-month tenure-accruing position that will be 50% research (Florida Agricultural Experiment Station) and 50% teaching (College of Agricultural and Life Sciences) available in the Food Science and Human Nutrition Department, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, at the University of Florida, based in Gainesville, FL. This assignment may be revised in accordance with the unit's needs. Tenure will accrue in the Food Science and Human Nutrition Department. The faculty member will seek contract and grant funding actively to support their program.

Responsibilities

• Develop a research and teaching program related to the chemistry of food and food ingredients. Research areas may include, but are not limited to:
  • Sustainable food ingredients
  • Sensory, allergens, toxicology
  • Plant-based food ingredients
  • Chemistry of sustainably sourced food components (flavor, color, nutritive and bioactive compounds) promoting health while ensuring a palatable food supply
  • Microplastics, engineered nanoparticles, and PFASs in the food chain
  • State-of-the-art physicochemical tools for the characterization of food components
  • Extending shelf-life and reducing food waste through mechanistic studies of chemical changes during food processing and storage
  • Designing next-generation food materials and structuring systems that minimize environmental impact while maintaining desirable functionality and sensory quality
  • AI-augmented discovery and predictive modeling
• Develop and teach courses (in-person, hybrid, and/or online) related to food science, including at least one additional food chemistry course such as:
  • Food Chemistry
  • Toxicology
  • Instrumental Analysis
  • Flavor/Sensory Chemistry
• Develop an externally funded research program.
• Advise undergraduate students and mentor master’s and doctoral students.
• Participate in faculty meetings, committees, graduate seminars, and related service work.
• Actively participate in undergraduate and graduate education by chairing and serving on graduate committees, supervising theses, dissertations, and undergraduate research, and publishing research results alongside students.
• Engage in Extension activities related to the Land-Grant mission within their program area.
• Support and engage in all three mission areas—Research, Teaching, and Extension—regardless of the assignment split specified in the position description.

Qualifications

• A doctorate (foreign equivalent acceptable) in Food Science or a closely related discipline is required. Applicants will be considered if a doctoral degree will be earned by the date of appointment.
• Demonstrated skills in verbal and written communication, and interpersonal relationships.
• Supportive of the mission of the Land-Grant system.
• Commitment to UF core values.

Preferred Qualifications

• Postdoctoral experience.
• Experience teaching in-person and/or online.
• Experience mentoring graduate and undergraduate students.
• Demonstrated ability to procure extramural research funding.
• Knowledge of the food industry and organizations, activities, and trends.

Background Information

The Food Science and Human Nutrition Department, a large interdisciplinary unit within IFAS, comprises three distinct undergraduate programs: Food Science, Nutritional Sciences, and Dietetics. The Food Science program is an approved curriculum with the Institute of Food Technologists. Undergraduate student enrollment is approximately 550, including 72 Food Science students. The graduate program enrolls approximately 62 graduate students. Graduate-level programs are competitive and provide the opportunity for graduate student mentorship.

The department’s 30 faculty members conduct research, teaching, and extension programs in a broad range of areas, including food chemistry and processing, food safety and microbiology, sustainable food systems, phytochemical characterization, aquatic foods, fruit and juice processing, engineering modeling, micro- and macronutrient metabolism, as well as pre- and probiotics, nutritional immunology, and chronic disease prevention. The department has a strong interdisciplinary nature and offers unique collaboration opportunities, such as those established through the Center for Nutritional Sciences.

Within walking distance are superb opportunities to participate in translational research with the Clinical and Translational Science Institute and collaborate with faculty from the Colleges of Medicine, Health and Human Performance, Public Health, Pharmacy, Liberal Arts and Sciences, Engineering, and Agricultural and Life Sciences. The University’s Interdisciplinary Center for Biotechnology Research provides research support laboratories for disciplines such as proteomics, genomics, and bioinformatics.

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. 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.