Assistant Professor - Nutrition Specialist

The University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) appreciates your interest in employment at our growing institution. We want your application process to go smoothly and quickly. Final applications must be submitted prior to the close of the recruitment.

If you need assistance or have questions regarding the application process, please contact our recruitment helpline at (775) 784-1495 or [email protected].

Job Description

The Department of Nutrition within the College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources at the University of Nevada, Reno invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor, Nutrition Specialist position focused on improving nutritional health and well-being of school-age children and adolescents throughout Nevada.  This is a full-time, 12-month appointment supported by both Extension and the Nevada Agricultural Experiment Station, and reports to the Department of Nutrition Chair. 

This position is located in Las Vegas, NV. The Nutrition Specialist will serve communities across the state through innovative Extension programming, collaborative research, and engagement with diverse audiences dedicated to improving youth health outcomes.

This position offers a unique opportunity to combine Extension teaching and program leadership, applied research, and community partnership to address critical public health challenges, including nutrition-related health disparities, food insecurity, and the social determinants of health that influence children and families.

The ideal candidate will be a collaborative scholar who is passionate about improving the nutritional health of children and adolescents through innovative research, evidence-based Extension programming, and strong community partnerships. They will have the vision to build a nationally recognized program that addresses food insecurity, health disparities, and the social determinants of health while making a measurable impact on Nevada's youth and families.

Position Overview

The Nutrition Specialist will develop, deliver, and evaluate evidence-based educational programs and interventions that support healthy nutrition behaviors among children and adolescents. The successful candidate will build a nationally recognized program of scholarship that advances understanding of factors affecting youth nutrition and contributes to meaningful improvements in community health.

Research and scholarly activities may include:

• Developing innovative nutrition interventions that produce measurable outcomes.
• Investigating dietary risk behaviors and factors that influence nutrition and health.
• Examining the impact of food insecurity and other social determinants of health on children and families.
• Exploring the perspectives and roles of community stakeholders, including parents, guardians, teachers, healthcare providers, and community organizations.
• Translating research findings into practical, community-based solutions that improve health outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

Extension Education, Policy, Programming, and Outreach

• Develop and implement evidence-based nutrition education programs for school-age youth, families, and community partners.
• Collaborate with schools, community organizations, healthcare professionals, and other stakeholders to address nutrition-related health concerns.
• Lead and support policy, systems, and environmental approaches to improve access to healthy foods and create sustainable conditions that support positive nutrition and health outcomes.
• Evaluate program effectiveness and demonstrate measurable impacts on participants and communities.
• Provide leadership in statewide nutrition programming and initiatives.
• Supervise, mentor, and support programmatic staff, students, and/or volunteers involved in nutrition education and outreach efforts; foster a collaborative, high-performing team environment that advances program goals and impacts.
• Travel throughout Nevada to support Extension programming and partnerships.

Research and Scholarship

• Establish and sustain an impactful research agenda related to children's nutritional health and well-being.
• Secure extramural funding to support research and Extension activities.
• Publish scholarly work in peer-reviewed journals and disseminate findings through professional presentations and Extension publications.
• Integrate research findings into Extension programming to enhance community impact.
• Provide mentorship and academic guidance to graduate and undergraduate students, including participation on graduate committees, supervision of student research projects, and support for experiential learning opportunities aligned with Extension and research objectives.

Service

• Contribute to university, Extension, professional, and community service activities.
• Participate in interdisciplinary collaborations that support the university's land-grant mission.

Required Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Nutrition, Public Health, Community Health, Health Promotion, Nutritional Sciences, Dietetics, Family and Consumer Sciences, or a related field by the time of appointment.
• Demonstrated knowledge of nutrition, health promotion, public health, or related disciplines.
• Evidence of, or strong potential for, developing a scholarly research program and publishing in peer-reviewed venues.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively with diverse audiences through teaching, presentations, outreach, or community engagement.

This position requires candidates to complete a fingerprinting/background check.

Preferred Qualifications

• Academic training, research, or professional experience in children's nutrition, adolescent health, public health nutrition, community nutrition, food security, health disparities, or related areas.
• Experience developing, implementing, or evaluating evidence-based nutrition education or health promotion programs.
• Record of scholarly productivity, including peer-reviewed publications, presentations, or other research dissemination activities.
• Experience obtaining or contributing to externally funded grants, contracts, or sponsored projects.
• Experience working collaboratively with community partners, schools, healthcare organizations, government agencies, or other stakeholder groups.
• Experience conducting community-engaged, translational, participatory, or applied research.
• Experience working with underserved, rural, culturally diverse, or historically marginalized populations.
• Experience partnering with schools, youth-serving organizations, healthcare systems, governmental agencies, or community-based organizations.
• Demonstrated ability to collect, analyze, and interpret quantitative and/or qualitative data to assess outcomes and impacts.
• Experience designing and delivering educational programming using in-person, online, and hybrid delivery methods.
• Experience supervising professional staff, student employees, volunteers, or multidisciplinary teams.
• Experience integrating student learning opportunities into community-engaged research and Extension programming.
• Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) credential or eligibility for registration.
• Bilingual in English and Spanish
• Familiarity with the Cooperative Extension System or similar outreach and engagement models.

Licensure

A valid Class “C” driver’s license or higher operator’s license within 30 days of appointment.

Schedule and Travel

This position requires the ability and willingness to travel throughout Nevada and work flexible hours, including evening and weekends, as needed to meet statewide Extension programming responsibilities.

Compensation

Assistant Professor (Tenure track)

To view the salary schedule for this position, please visit Salary Schedules and select (12-month contract) Academic Faculty.

Perks of Working at UNR 

• Health insurance options including dental and vision - Health Insurance
• Generous annual, sick leave, long term disability and life insurance – Faculty Benefits
• Mountain EAP supports employees (and eligible dependents) through life's difficult moments. Mountain EAP is located in Reno and specializes in counseling and advising services for personal or interpersonal issues.
• Faculty Senate is the principal representing body for faculty. Its membership includes representatives from each academic and administrative major unit of the University. Faculty Senate
• No state income tax!

Grants-in-Aid for Faculty Employees

The University is proud to provide a reduced-rate tuition benefit to faculty and qualified dependents. Faculty can take up to six credits per semester at a reduced rate. Dependents of faculty have unlimited credits, but in order to be eligible children must be unmarried and under the age of 24 and must receive at least 50% of their financial support from the employee and/or employee’s spouse or domestic partner.  Faculty Grants-in-Aid

Faculty Dual Career Assistance Program

The University of Nevada, Reno recognizes the importance of addressing dual-career couples’ professional needs. We offer a dual career assistance program to newly hired faculty spouses/partners that provides resources and assists them to identify career opportunities in Northern Nevada. Dual Career Assistance Program

College/Department Information

The Department of Nutrition is one of four academic Departments within CABNR. It offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees and two accredited Dietetic Programs. Faculty include internationally renowned nutrition scholars and award-winning teachers. We value collaboration and are committed to an inclusive and equitable learning community that fosters the success of all. https://www.unr.edu/nutrition

UNR Extension has a long-standing commitment to providing practical, research-based education that improves lives and strengthens communities throughout Nevada. As part of Extension, you will have the opportunity to:

• Make a direct impact on the health and well-being of children and families across Nevada.
• Develop innovative, community-engaged research with real-world application.
• Build meaningful partnerships with schools, healthcare providers, and community organizations.
• Contribute to a statewide and national Extension system dedicated to improving lives through education and engagement.
• Live and work in the dynamic and diverse Las Vegas community while serving communities across Nevada.

To learn more about Extension, please visit: https://extension.unr.edu/default.aspx

Search Contacts

Search Coordinator - Lindsey Barnes, [email protected]

Hiring Manager - Dr. Bradley Ferguson, Dept of Nutrition Chair, [email protected] 

Exempt

Yes

Full-Time Equivalent

100.0%

Required Attachment(s)

Please note that once you submit your application, the only attachments viewable to you will be the attachment/s to the resume/CV section of the application. Any additional required attachments to the cover letter, references, and other documents sections of the application will not be viewable to you after you submit your application. All uploaded attachments will be on the application for the committee to review. To request updates to attachments before the committee review of applications, please contact the candidate helpdesk at [email protected].

Attach the following attachments to your application
1) Resume/CV
2) Cover Letter: Please submit a cover letter describing your educational background, relevant professional experience, research and Extension interests, and qualifications for the position.
3) Contact Information for Three Professional References

4) Vision Statement (1-page maximum): Please submit a one-page statement describing your vision of an integrated Extension and research program focused on improving the nutritional health and well-being of children and adolescents. Applicants are encouraged to discuss potential areas of focus, approaches to addressing food insecurity, health disparities, and social determinants of health, opportunities for community engagement and collaboration, and the anticipated impact of their work on Nevada’s youth, families and communities.

Full Consideration
For full consideration, applications must be received by October 30, 2026.

This posting is open until filled.
Qualified individuals are encouraged to apply immediately. This search will close without notice when a sufficient number of applications are received or a hiring decision has been made.

Posting Close Date

Note to Applicant

A background check will be conducted on the candidate(s) selected for hire.

HR will attempt to verify academic credentials upon receipt of hiring documents. If the academic credentials cannot be verified, HR will notify the faculty member that an official transcript of their highest degree must be submitted within thirty days of the faculty member’s first day of employment.

References will be contacted at the appropriate phase of the recruitment process.

Applicants hired on a federal contract may be subject to E-Verify.

As part of the hiring process, applicants for positions in the Nevada System of Higher Education may be required to demonstrate the ability to perform job-related tasks.

For positions that require driving, evidence of a valid driver's license will be required at the time of employment and as a condition of continued employment.

Schedules are subject to change based on organizational needs.

The University of Nevada, Reno is committed to providing a place of work and learning free of discrimination on the basis of a person’s age (40 or older), disability, whether actual or perceived by others (including service-connected disabilities), gender (including pregnancy related conditions), military status or military obligations, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, national origin, race (including hair texture and protected hairstyles such as natural hairstyles, afros, bantu knots, curls, braids, locks and twists), color, or religion (protected classes). 

About Us

The University of Nevada, Reno is a leading public research university committed to the promise of a future powered by knowledge. Founded in 1874 as Nevada’s original land-grant university, the University serves more than 23,000 undergraduate and graduate students from all 50 states and 63 countries.

Classified by the Carnegie® Classification of Institutions of Higher Education as an R1 (“Very High Research”) university, it is also recognized in the Carnegie® Community Engagement classification. The University is also ranked by U.S. News & World Report among the “Best National Universities” and “Best National Public Universities.” It also ranks in the top tier of the WSJ/Times Higher Education World University Rankings and the New York Times’ “Top Colleges for Economic Diversity.”

Since 2009, nearly $1 billion has been has invested in advanced labs, facilities, and residence halls on the main campus. The University is home to Nevada’s first medical school – the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine and the Wayne L. Prim Campus at Lake Tahoe, where education, research, and creative work thrive in a stunning mountain setting. The University delivers on its original land-grant mission with outreach across the state through the University of Nevada, Reno Extension, Nevada Agricultural Experiment Station, Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, Nevada Small Business Development Center, the Nevada Seismological Laboratory, and Wolf Pack Athletics.

The main campus is in Reno, Nevada, a burgeoning global technology hub with a vibrant midtown and downtown. Found where the high desert of the Great Basin meets the High Sierra and Lake Tahoe, the beautiful, 290-acre main campus is also a Nevada State Arboretum. The University’s physical infrastructure is expanding with ongoing construction of the newly named John Tullock Business Building, set to open in fall 2025. Groundbreaking is also planned for a new State Public Health Laboratory Building on campus, alongside the recent acquisition of 16 parcels near campus, known as “University Village,” to provide affordable housing for graduate students and early career faculty.

Collaborating with world-renowned organizations, the University fosters innovation through initiatives such as the Digital Wolf Pack partnership with Apple, which ensures equitable access to technology for students, providing new incoming freshman or transfer students with an iPad Air and accessories. Google’s TechWise initiate is an 18-month program that fully supports undergraduate students in becoming entry-level software engineers by graduation.

In 2023, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) announced that Nevada – led by the University of Nevada, Reno – was named one of the inaugural 31 Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs (TechHubs). Nevada was selected from a competitive pool of 489 applicants from across the United States and its territories. Nevada’s Tech Hub will strengthen America’s lithium batteries, critical elements and other electric vehicle materials industry sectors within the state.

Through its commitment to high-impact education, world-improving research and creative activity, and outreach that’s transforming Nevada’s communities and businesses, the University continues its 150-year tradition of benefitting our state, nation and world.

The University recognizes that diversity promotes excellence in education and research. The inclusive and engaged community on campus recognizes the added value that students, faculty, and staff from different backgrounds bring to the educational experience.

Today, the University delivers on its original land-grant mission of access to education and knowledge by investing in the academics, facilities, support, engagement and vibrant campus life that promote our diverse students’ cognitive growth and academic achievement – all while remaining one of the best values in American higher education.

For more information, please visit the University’s website.

University of Nevada, Reno