Assistant/Associate Professor in Nutrition Sciences

About the Role

The University of Missouri invites applications for a tenure-track faculty position in nutrition sciences at the Assistant or Associate Professor levels within the Division of Food, Nutrition and Exercise Sciences (FNES). FNES is jointly part of the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources and the School of Medicine.

FNES offers state-of-the-art research facilities, including:

• MU Nutritional Center for Health (MUNCH), featuring a research metabolic kitchen, dining facility, and teaching kitchen
• Observational behavior lab
• MU-Physical Activity and Wellness Center (MU-PAW), a 2,250 sq. ft. clinical testing research facility supporting studies on IV placement, repeated blood sampling, body composition, energy metabolism, dietary counseling, ingestive behavior, cognitive function, and cardiovascular assessments
• Access to additional campus resources such as the Brain Imaging Center, Clinical & Translational Science Units, Metagenomics Center, Genomics Technology Core, Metabolomics Center, Bioinformatics and Analytics Core, and High-Performance Computing cluster
• NextGen, a translational precision medicine center designed to accelerate laboratory and clinical advances into transformational products and services

The university has 2,143 faculty members, 24,449 undergraduate students, and 7,094 graduate/professional students, with $553 million in research-related expenditures in 2025. FNES fosters a collaborative and interdisciplinary research environment.

Responsibilities

• Establish an independent line of research leveraging campus strengths and facilities while building new synergies across FNES and the broader university community
• Contribute to and expand research in metabolic health and disease, including obesity, MASLD, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer
• Engage in innovative, translational, and team-based research
• Contribute to the educational mission, including undergraduate and graduate (MS, RD, PhD) education

Requirements

• PhD in Nutritional Sciences or a closely related discipline by the time of appointment
• Postdoctoral research experience (preferred)
• Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (preferred but not required)
• Strong encouragement for candidates performing human clinical, behavioral nutrition interventions, and/or translational research

Areas of particular interest include functional foods, novel or bioactive compounds, precision nutrition, and other nutrition-related approaches advancing human health.

Benefits

This position is eligible for a comprehensive University benefits package, including:

• Medical, dental, and vision plans
• Retirement benefits
• Educational fee discounts for all four UM System campuses

Community

Columbia, Missouri, offers a high quality of life with small-town friendliness and big-city features. Located centrally on Interstate 70 and U.S. Highway 63, it is within a couple hours’ drive of St. Louis and Kansas City. Columbia is known for its ideal college-town atmosphere, affordable cost of living, diverse restaurants, entertainment venues, and over a dozen annual festivals.

Employment visa sponsorship may be available for this position.

For additional information, contact Dr. Jackie Limberg, Search Committee Chair (Limbergj@umsystem.edu) or Dr. Dojin Ryu, Division Director (dryu@missouri.edu).