Research Engineering/Scientist Associate IV

Hiring Department: Department of Nutritional Sciences • Open to all applicants • 40 hours/week • Exempt from FLSA • Earliest start: July 28, 2026 • Expected to continue until December 31, 2030 • Location: UT Main Campus

About the Role

The Research Engineering/Scientist Associate IV supports and advances the scientific and operational work of the Burgermaster Lab, a clinical and community nutrition research program with a portfolio of large-scale, federally and foundation-funded projects. This role combines independent scientific contribution with oversight of day-to-day research operations across the lab’s clinical trials, feeding studies, and community-based nutrition interventions.

Responsibilities

• Conducts specialized, independent research at an advanced level, including completing complex assignments requiring development or implementation of new techniques and procedures.
• Determines project requirements and develops procedures to achieve research goals; devises new approaches to problems encountered.
• Directs protocol development and clinical trial protocol development, including REDCap architecture, SOP creation, IRB submissions and amendments, and regulatory compliance.
• Oversees the Nutri clinical decision support software goals framework and rules logic in collaboration with the PI and development team.
• Leads and co-leads manuscript preparation and submission for peer-reviewed publication, including writing and revising methods, results, and discussion sections.
• Contributes to grant conceptualization, writing, and preparation of proposals to funding agencies.
• Prepares graphical and written reports describing research results for submissions to funding agencies, in-house publications, and journal articles.
• Presents results at scientific meetings and conferences.
• Assists PI with recruitment, selection, direction, and supervision of research personnel including graduate students, research coordinators, and support staff.
• Manages lab-wide research operations including project timelines, grant deadlines, and cross-project coordination across a portfolio of studies.
• Serves as scientific liaison between lab staff, PI, external collaborators, and partner institutions.
• Oversees IRB compliance, contract and PO initiation, and vendor relationships across projects.
• Develops and maintains research infrastructure including SOPs, staff training materials, REDCap systems, and data quality protocols.
• Contributes to lab budget tracking and grant reporting in coordination with the PI.
• Communicates with biostatisticians, provides analysis-ready data, and conducts basic data analyses independently.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Required: PhD in nutrition, nutritional sciences, public health, health behavior, or a related field.
• Preferred: Experience with clinical trials or community-based intervention research; REDCap; NIH-funded research environments; clinical decision support or health informatics tools.

Pay

$80,000 per year

Schedule

Monday–Friday, 8 hours per day

Working Conditions

• Lab environment
• Office environment