Endowed Full Professor of Nutritional Sciences

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:

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• If you are NOT a current employee or student, please click “Apply” and complete the application process for external applicants.

JOB DESCRIPTION AND POSITION REQUIREMENTS:

The Department of Nutritional Sciences (https://hhd.psu.edu/nutrition) and the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences (https://www.huck.psu.edu/) at the Pennsylvania State (Penn State) University, a Land-grant University, seeks a tenure-track candidate for an Endowed Full Professorship. Associate Professors eligible for promotion are welcome to apply. We seek candidates whose work centers on the gut-brain axis in animal models and/or humans. This position will initially come with a five-year appointment as the Dorothy Foehr Huck Endowed Chair in Nutrition, with excellent possibility for renewal. The Dorothy Foehr Huck Chair is expected to further scholarly excellence through contributions to instruction, research, and public service. This position comes with a competitive start-up package and salary based on 36-weeks of service annually, which can be supplemented with additional salary up to a total of 48 weeks from external competitive grants, contracts, and/or endowment funds.

The candidate will complement the research of existing faculty within the Department, Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, One Health Microbiome Center (https://microbiome.psu.edu), and across the University. Areas of interest prioritize the gut-brain axis, including but not limited to the microbiome, behavior, endocrinology, precision nutrition, neuroscience, drug development, and dietary interventions. The successful applicant’s research may span the translational research spectrum from preclinical to population-based work. Penn State is a land-grant institution. As such, all tenure-track faculty engage in teaching courses, advising/mentoring students, and service.

This position is located at the University Park campus of Penn State in State College, Pennsylvania, a picturesque locale in the heart of the Commonwealth known as Happy Valley. As a vibrant college town, State College hosts year-round festivals and activities and is near countless miles of trails and state parks. State College is not only centrally located in Pennsylvania, but also the Mid-Atlantic region. Major metropolitan areas including Baltimore, Washington DC, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Harrisburg are just a short drive away.

Position Requirements for a Successful Candidate Will:

• Have earned a doctoral degree in nutrition, neuroscience, biochemistry, or a closely related field (PhD, MD and/or equivalent).

• Demonstrate a record of creative research accomplishments.

• Maintain an innovative and well-funded research program.

• Demonstrate excellence in teaching undergraduate and graduate courses and mentoring students.

• Either have demonstrated a commitment to building an inclusive, equitable, and diverse campus community, or describe one or more ways they would envision doing so, given the opportunity.

About the Department of Nutritional Sciences

The National Research Council ranked Penn State’s Graduate Program in Nutritional Sciences among the nation’s best. More information is available at: http://nutrition.hhd.psu.edu/. The Department has 29 full-time faculty and approximately 200 undergraduate students, 64 master’s students, and 28 PhD students. The Department provides a supportive, collaborative environment that facilitates and encourages interdisciplinary translational research. Collaborative opportunities are abound in the Department of Nutritional Sciences, other departments in the College of Health and Human Development, various Penn State Colleges including Agriculture, Engineering, Medicine, Science, Liberal Arts and Sciences, and Centers and Institutes across campus, including but not limited to the Huck Institutes for the Life Sciences, the Social Sciences Research Institute, Penn State Clinical and Translational Institute (CTSI), Penn State Cancer Institute, and Cooperative Extension. Faculty within the department have a high success rate of extramural funding. The Department is invested in the success of the faculty, staff, and students, and has developed a mentoring program for faculty.

About the Huck Institutes of Life Sciences

The Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences is one of 7 interdisciplinary institutes at Penn State, houses several interdisciplinary graduate programs, and manages all of the life science core facilities. The mission of the Huck is to catalyze interdisciplinary research excellence. Huck works across the university to support and connect research teams addressing the greatest biological challenges facing humanity.

Application and Inquiries

To apply, interested candidates should complete an on-line application and upload:

Cover letter Personal statement addressing interests and vision (future goals and plans) in a) research and b) teaching; A diversity statement; A curriculum vitae along with names, titles, and complete contact information for three professional references who may be contacted; At least three peer-reviewed manuscripts illustrating the applicant’s contribution to the scientific literature

The Pennsylvania State University is committed to and accountable for advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in all of its forms. We embrace individual uniqueness, foster a culture of inclusive excellence that supports both broad and specific diversity initiatives, leverage the educational and institutional benefits of diversity, and engage all individuals to help them thrive. We value inclusive excellence as a core strength and an essential element of our public service mission. 

Our campuses are located on the original homelands of the Erie, Haudenosaunee (Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, Mohawk, and Tuscarora), Lenape (Delaware Nation, Delaware Tribe, Stockbridge-Munsee), Monongahela, Shawnee (Absentee, Eastern, and Oklahoma), Susquehannock, and Wahzhazhe (Osage) Nations. As a land grant institution, we acknowledge and honor the traditional caretakers of these lands and strive to understand and model their responsible stewardship. We also acknowledge the longer history of these lands and our place in that history.

Priority will be given to applicants who demonstrate thorough prior actions and achievements, intentional and actioned commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.Examples of such contributions are research or creative activity focused on empowering underserved populations; teaching, mentorship, and service that increases equitable access; and inclusion in fields where historically excluded populations are underrepresented.

Please address materials to the Assistant Professor of Nutritional Sciences Search Committee and direct questions or informal inquiries to the search committee chair, Professor Greg Shearer ([email protected]). Please indicate " Endowed Chair, Gut-Brain Axis Position" in the subject line of email correspondence and carbon copy the message to Julie Brenneman ([email protected]). 

Review of applications will begin December 1, 2024, and will continue until the position is filled. Salary is competitive, commensurate with background and experience. An attractive benefits package is available.

CAMPUS SECURITY CRIME STATISTICS: