Faculty in Food and Nutritional Sciences - RISE-THRIVE

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Job Category:

Faculty

Employment Type:

Regular

Job Profile:

Professor

Job Summary:

The Wisconsin Research, Innovation and Scholarly Excellence (RISE) Initiative is designed to help address significant, complex challenges of particular importance to Wisconsin and the world, through accelerated and strategic faculty hiring, research infrastructure enhancement, interdisciplinary collaboration and increased student and educational opportunities. Wisconsin RISE Initiatives allow UW–Madison to attract top scholars at all stages of their careers to bring interdisciplinary perspectives to solving deeply complex problems. RISE-THRIVE, which stands for Transforming Healthspan through Research, InnoVation, and Education, is set to harness and grow the university’s reputation as a global powerhouse in interdisciplinary health research — translating both medical discoveries and innovative social science approaches into tangibly healthier lives for Wisconsinites and people and communities around the world.

As part of the THRIVE initiative, the Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences (FNS) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, an international leader in food and nutritional sciences research and instruction, invites applications for a 9-month tenured or tenure-track appointment with responsibilities in research, teaching, outreach, and service. The successful candidate will develop a nationally recognized, extramurally funded research program aligned with the RISE-THRIVE initiative and advancing understanding of the role of human nutrition and metabolism in healthspan, aging, immune function, and chronic disease.

This position will explore understanding, characterizing, and translating human nutritional and metabolic variation to improve health and wellness across the lifespan. The vision for this position is to act in concert with complementary programs and researchers within the FNS department, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS), and campus communities, including participation in initiatives such as RISE-THRIVE, to foster and establish novel links between human diet, metabolism, and health outcomes, ultimately leading to impactful advances in clinical and translational nutrition. Areas of focus could include but are not limited to: human clinical nutrition and metabolism, nutrition and aging, immune function, and chronic disease, and application of multi-omics, large-scale data, and AI approaches to advance personalized and performance nutrition.

The ideal candidate will produce high-impact, health-relevant research that can be meaningfully applied to improve human health and complement existing departmental strengths in metabolism, chronic disease biomarkers, and clinical nutrition. Applicants from a range of disciplinary backgrounds are encouraged to apply but must indicate how they plan to build a cohesive research, teaching, and outreach portfolio in human nutrition. We value scholars who demonstrate a strong commitment to public engagement and real-world impact. We seek a faculty member who will combine rigorous, extramurally funded research with a deep interest in outreach that engages communities, healthcare systems, and policy-relevant institutions as well as foster collaboration within the FNS department. This position offers an outstanding opportunity to participate in interdisciplinary research, contribute to ACEND-accredited dietetics training and emerging undergraduate programs.

Key Job Responsibilities:

• Develop and conduct a nationally recognized research program relevant to the multidisciplinary field of food and nutritional sciences. The successful candidate will be expected to secure extramural funding and publish in high quality peer-reviewed journals.
• Contribute to interdisciplinary research collaborations across the Department of FNS, CALS, and the broader UW–Madison community.
• Contribute to undergraduate and graduate teaching, including participation in the ACEND-accredited dietetics program and emerging undergraduate program tracks, to leverage current strengths and trends in food and nutritional sciences. Additional responsibilities include mentoring students and trainees, engaging in outreach and public engagement activities that connect research to clinical, community, and policy settings, and participating in departmental, college, campus, and professional service activities.
• Demonstrated commitment to, or potential for, instructional excellence and pedagogical scholarship in teaching and mentorship across undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs.

Department:

Food and Nutritional Sciences

Compensation:

Negotiable – 9 months / ongoing

Required Qualifications:

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) credential required.

Successful candidates will have a record of or demonstrate potential for:

• Producing publications in peer-reviewed journals
• Graduate student training and mentoring
• Writing extramural grants
• Contributing to the community and service functions of the department and CALS
 

Strong communication and collaboration skills are required and will be assessed via written materials submitted with the application and interactions during the interview process.

We encourage applicants of any rank. At the rank of Associate Professor or Professor, the candidate's qualifications must be sufficient to meet the requirements for tenure in the Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences, in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, at the University of Wisconsin- Madison.

Education:

Ph.D. in Nutritional Sciences, Metabolism, Biochemistry, or a related biological science or M.D.

Additional Information:

This position is part of the Wisconsin Research, Innovation and Scholarly Excellence (RISE) Initiative. Through accelerated and strategic faculty hiring, research infrastructure enhancement, interdisciplinary collaboration, and increased student and educational opportunities, RISE addresses complex societal challenges of importance to the state, nation and world. Building on UW-Madison's strengths, RISE expands the University's successful track record of connecting with communities and industry on collaborative solutions.

Over the next three academic years, UW-Madison will substantially increase current hiring levels, bringing 150 new RISE faculty to campus. Candidates hired through RISE will join a community of scholars working across disciplines, schools and colleges on research, teaching and outreach endeavors. The community will engage regularly in venues such as seminar series and colloquia to share ongoing projects and identify opportunities to work together. The University will support the community, facilitating access to research infrastructure, and funding to support broad and rich collaboration. Further information regarding RISE can be found at: https://rise.wisc.edu/ 

About the Department and Institution: The Department of FNS is entering an exciting new era of growth and innovation as a newly formed academic department at UW–Madison. This position provides a unique opportunity to join a dynamic and collaborative community during a formative period of expansion, helping to shape the department’s research vision, educational programming, and interdisciplinary partnerships. The department is poised to build national leadership in translational nutrition, metabolism, and healthspan research through strong collaborations across campus and the RISE-THRIVE initiative.

UW–Madison is located in Madison, Wisconsin—an innovative and vibrant city frequently ranked among the best places to live in the U.S. The university fosters a collaborative and inclusive environment and is committed to inclusivity and community engagement.

How to Apply:

Apply online at "Jobs at UW" (http://jobs.wisc.edu). Applications must be received through UW-Madison's online application system.

To begin the process, please click "Apply Now".

Applicants must upload the following information as a single PDF document:

1) Cover letter detailing interest and relevant training/experience for this position (1-page)

2) Curriculum vitae

3) Statements of:

• Teaching and mentoring philosophy (2-page limit)

• Research experience and interests with a description of current and planned research (5-page limit).

In addition, you will be asked to provide the names and contact information of three references willing to be contacted for letters of recommendation at a later date.

Deadline: The deadline for assuring full consideration is September 10, 2026; however, the position will remain open, and applications may be considered until the position is filled.

Contact Information:

Scott Rankin - Department Chair
Phone: 608-263-2008
Email: [email protected]

Institutional Statement on Diversity:

Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background - people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is an Equal Opportunity Employer. 

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, including but not limited to, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, pregnancy, disability, or status as a protected veteran and other bases as defined by federal regulations and UW System policies. We promote excellence by acknowledging skills and expertise from all backgrounds and encourage all qualified individuals to apply. For more information regarding applicant and employee rights and to view federal and state required postings, visit the Human Resources Workplace Poster website.

To request a disability or pregnancy-related accommodation for any step in the hiring process (e.g., application, interview, pre-employment testing, etc.), please contact the Divisional Disability Representative (DDR) in the division you are applying to. Please make your request as soon as possible to help the university respond most effectively to you.

Employment may require a criminal background check. It may also require your references to answer questions regarding misconduct, including sexual violence and sexual harassment. 
 
The University of Wisconsin System will not reveal the identities of applicants who request confidentiality in writing, except that the identity of the successful candidate will be released. See Wis. Stat. sec. 19.36(7). 
 
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