Postdoctoral Scholar, Diet and Chronic Diseases of Aging

Tufts University; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 61,000 - 74,000; Full time

Job summary

Tufts University’s Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging is seeking a Postdoctoral Scholar focused on human nutrition, cardiometabolic health, and multi-omics to understand responses to dietary interventions. You will contribute to clinical nutrition trials, perform bioinformatic analyses, and help prepare manuscripts.

The role requires a PhD in nutrition or related fields, strong bioinformatics experience, and proficiency in R/Python.

Qualifications

• PhD or equivalent in nutrition, nutritional biochemistry or related field.
• Strong background in human nutrition and cardiometabolic disorders, with experience in human clinical research.
• Experience with bioinformatic analysis of microbiome data, especially shotgun metagenomic sequencing, using listed tools.
• Experience analyzing metabolomic and lipidomic data, including MS-based approaches.
• Proficiency in R and/or Python for statistical analysis and reproducible workflows.
• Experience with multivariable modeling, multiple testing corrections/FDR, and longitudinal analyses.
• Strong written and verbal communication abilities and experience preparing manuscripts and presentations.
• Ability to conduct independent research while collaborating in a multidisciplinary team.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to ongoing human clinical nutrition trials using an ingestible device to collect gut-related data and study diet-induced changes in the microbiome and metabolites.
• Conduct bioinformatic and statistical analyses of metagenomic, metabolomic, and lipidomic datasets; perform data processing, QC, visualization, and integration with clinical outcomes.
• Analyze and interpret study results; lead the preparation of first-author manuscripts and contribute to publications, abstracts, and presentations.
• Participate in group meetings and collaborate on multidisciplinary projects.
• Assist with grant writing and progress reporting for research funding.

Skills

Bioinformatics analysis

R/Python for stats

Data visualization

Scientific communication

Education

PhD in nutrition or related field

Tools

MetaPhlAn

HUMAnN

Kraken2/Bracken

QIIME 2

Job description

Overview

The mission of the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University (HNRCA) is to promote healthy aging through nutrition science to empower people seeking to enjoy long, active, and independent lives. HNRCA investigators conduct the world's most advanced studies on nutrition and aging. The research focuses on determining the nutrient and physical activity requirements necessary to promote well-being for older adults. HNRCA scientists examine how nutrition and physical activity play a major role in the prevention of the major chronic degenerative conditions and diseases associated with aging.

What You'll Do

This is a grant funded position and is not eligible for severance pay.

The HNRCA invites applications for a Postdoctoral Scholar position focused on human nutrition, cardiometabolic health, and multi-omics approaches to understand the mechanisms underlying responses to dietary interventions.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to ongoing human clinical nutrition trials which use an ingestible device "mini-pill" to collect intestinal luminal contents and investigate diet-induced changes in the gut microbiome and related metabolites, particularly bile acids and short-chain fatty acids, in relation to cardiometabolic health.
• Conduct bioinformatic and statistical analyses of metagenomic, metabolomic, and lipidomic datasets, including data processing, quality control, visualization, and integration with dietary and clinical outcomes.
• Analyze and interpret study results and lead the preparation of first-author manuscripts, while contributing to collaborative publications, abstracts, presentations, and other scientific outputs.
• Participate actively in group meetings and collaborate on larger, multidisciplinary projects.
• Assist with grant writing and progress reporting for research funding.

What We're Looking For

Basic Requirements

• Doctoral degree (PhD or equivalent) in nutrition, nutritional biochemistry/bioinformatics or related discipline.
• Strong background in human nutrition and cardiometabolic disorders, with experience in human clinical research.
• Experience with bioinformatic analysis of microbiome data, particularly shotgun metagenomic sequencing, using tools such as MetaPhlAn, HUMAnN, Kraken2/Bracken, QIIME 2, or comparable platforms.
• Experience analyzing metabolomic and lipidomic data, including mass spectrometry-based approaches and high-dimensional biological datasets.
• Proficiency in R and/or Python for statistical analysis, visualization, and reproducible data workflows.
• Experience with statistical approaches relevant to omics, including multivariable modeling, multiple-testing correction/FDR, multivariate analysis, and repeated-measures or longitudinal analysis.
• Strong written and verbal communication abilities, including the ability to clearly communicate research findings, and prepare scientific manuscripts and presentations.
• Ability to conduct independent research while working effectively within a multidisciplinary team

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working in interdisciplinary research teams and integrating multi-omics data to address questions related to nutrition, the gut microbiome, and cardiometabolic health.

Pay Range

Minimum $67,500.00, Midpoint $67,500.00, Maximum $67,500.00

Salary is based on related experience, expertise, and internal equity; generally, new hires can expect pay between the minimum and midpoint of the range.