Postdoctoral Scholar, Diet and Chronic Diseases of Aging

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.

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.

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.