Assistant Professor, Precision Nutrition and Food Microbiome

43702BR
Position DescriptionThe Department of Animal and Food
Sciences at Texas Tech University invites applications for a nine-month, tenure-track Assistant Professor in Precision Nutrition and Food
Microbiome Interfaces to begin September 1, 2026. The anticipated workload distribution is approximately 75% research, 20% teaching, and 5%
service.The successful candidate will develop a nationally competitive research program investigating how food composition, processing, and
dietary bioactives influence gut microbiome dynamics, intestinal physiology, and human or animal health outcomes. Areas of emphasis include
foods regulated by FDA/USDA (e.g., produce, meats, fermented foods, and ready-to-eat foods). The appointee will collaborate with
departmental food microbiology faculty on pathogen control, validation, and regulatory compliance, and with food and meat science faculty on
food composition and health evaluation.This position contributes to a One Health cluster hire that includes faculty in bioinformatics,
landscape metagenomics of infection, soil and environmental ecology, microbiology/virology/immunology, and precision lifestyle and
microbiome science. The position supports the teaching in food science and contributes to industry- and agency-facing educational
programming consistent with Texas Tech Universitys mission.The Department of Animal and Food Sciences at Texas Tech University invites
applications for a nine-month, tenure-track Assistant Professor in Precision Nutrition and Food Microbiome Interfaces to begin September 1,
2026. The anticipated workload distribution is approximately 75% research, 20% teaching, and 5% service.The successful candidate will
develop a nationally competitive research program investigating how food composition, processing, and dietary bioactives influence gut
microbiome dynamics, intestinal physiology, and human or animal health outcomes. Areas of emphasis include foods regulated by FDA/USDA
(e.g., produce, meats, fermented foods, and ready-to-eat foods). The appointee will collaborate with departmental food microbiology faculty
on pathogen control, validation, and regulatory compliance, and with food and meat science faculty on food composition and health
evaluation.This position contributes to a One Health cluster hire that includes faculty in bioinformatics, landscape metagenomics of
infection, soil and environmental ecology, microbiology/virology/immunology, and precision lifestyle and microbiome science. The position
supports the teaching in food science and contributes to industry- and agency-facing educational programming consistent with Texas Tech
Universitys mission.

Position Description
The Department of Animal and Food Sciences at Texas Tech University invites
applications for a nine-month, tenure-track Assistant Professor in Precision Nutrition and Food Microbiome Interfaces to begin September 1,
2026. The anticipated workload distribution is approximately 75% research, 20% teaching, and 5% service.

The successful candidate
will develop a nationally competitive research program investigating how food composition, processing, and dietary bioactives influence gut
microbiome dynamics, intestinal physiology, and human or animal health outcomes. Areas of emphasis include foods regulated by FDA/USDA
(e.g., produce, meats, fermented foods, and ready-to-eat foods). The appointee will collaborate with departmental food microbiology faculty
on pathogen control, validation, and regulatory compliance, and with food and meat science faculty on food composition and health
evaluation.

This position contributes to a One Health cluster hire that includes faculty in bioinformatics, landscape metagenomics of
infection, soil and environmental ecology, microbiology/virology/immunology, and precision lifestyle and microbiome science. The position
supports the teaching in food science and contributes to industry- and agency-facing educational programming consistent with Texas Tech
University’s mission.
The successful candidate will develop a nationally competitive research program investigating how food
composition, processing, and dietary bioactives influence gut microbiome dynamics, intestinal physiology, and human or animal health
outcomes. Areas of emphasis include foods regulated by FDA/USDA (e.g., produce, meats, fermented foods, and ready-to-eat foods). The
appointee will collaborate with departmental food microbiology faculty on pathogen control, validation, and regulatory compliance, and with
food and meat science faculty on food composition and health evaluation.

Major/Essential Functions
In line with TTU’s
strategic priorities to engage and empower a robust student body, enable innovative research and creative activities, and transform lives
and communities through outreach and engaged scholarship, applicants should have experience working with robust student populations at the
undergraduate and/or graduate levels within individual or across the areas of teaching, research/creative activity, and service.

As
a faculty member in the Department of Animal and Food Sciences, the successful candidate will be expected to:

Conduct Research
(75%)

• Develop and maintain a high-impact, externally funded research program examining how food matrices, processing, and bioactive
  compounds modulate intestinal environments (microbiome, barrier integrity, postbiotics, immune signaling) and drive systemic health outcomes
  (metabolic, neurological, inflammatory, or infectious disease).
• Apply omics and nutrigenomic approaches (such as metagenomics,
  metabolomics, and transcriptomics) and model systems (animal, human, or ex vivo) to connect food microbiome interactions with health
  endpoints.
• Integrate food safety perspectives into research by co-designing studies that assess both safety and health-promoting
  attributes, including pathogen reduction strategies.
• Collaborate with food scientists, microbiologists, process engineers, and One
  Health cluster colleagues to incorporate validation, regulatory considerations, and translational relevance.
• Lead or contribute to
  multi-PI proposals (NIH, USDA, FDA, NSF, and industry).
• Disseminate research through peer-reviewed publications, conferences, and
  engaged scholarship.

Teach (20%)

• Teach approximately two courses per year (or equivalent distribution), including
  undergraduate and/or graduate instruction aligned with departmental needs and areas of expertise.
• Contribute to the development or
  enhancement of learning experiences in subject areas related to food-microbiome interactions, precision nutrition, omics applications, or
  functional food science, which may include modules, laboratory components, hybrid formats, or co-taught courses.
• Support the
  department by teaching or assisting with core food science courses as needed (e.g., Food Analysis, Food Chemistry, Food Microbiology),
  depending on expertise and curricular demand.
• Mentor and supervise MS and PhD students, serve on graduate committees, and direct
  thesis/dissertation research.
• Participate in educational programming connected to the International Center for Food Industry
  Excellence (ICFIE) or other department-affiliated initiatives consistent with TTU’s teaching and educational mission.

Serve
(5%)

• Provide service to the department, college, university, and profession.
• Participate in regional and national
  professional organizations such as the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), American Society for Microbiology (ASM), and the American
  Society for Nutrition.

Advise and Collaborate

• Support integration of departmental food safety initiatives with the broader
  One Health cluster to build “food:safety:health” research pipelines.
• Foster collaboration between the Institute for One Health
  Innovation and the Department of Animal and Food Sciences.
• Engage in cluster- and center-level initiatives such as seminar series,
  interdisciplinary workshops, collaborative proposals, and seed grant programs.

As a faculty member in the Department of Animal and
Food Sciences, the successful candidate will be expected to:

Required Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Food Science, Nutritional
  Sciences, Biochemistry, Microbiology, or a closely related field by the start date. Examples include defended dissertation, scheduled
  defense, or documented progress toward degree completion.
• Evidence of scholarly productivity relevant to microbiome science,
  precision nutrition, or food-health interactions. Examples include peer-reviewed articles (published, accepted, or submitted), dissertation
  chapters, or conference abstracts.
• Experience with molecular/omics tools (e.g., metagenomics, metabolomics, transcriptomics) and/or
  intestinal physiology systems. Evidence may include dissertation methodologies, coursework, workshops, or collaborative training.
• A
  proven capacity or a record indicative of the ability of securing extramural funding, demonstrated by contributions to grant proposals,
  competitive fellowships, scholarships, or clearly articulated plans in application materials.
• Ability to teach and mentor students,
  demonstrated through TA experience, guest lectures, undergraduate mentorship, pedagogical training, or teaching evaluations (if
  available).
• Commitment to working with a breadth of student populations at the undergraduate and/or graduate levels, demonstrated
  through mentorship, outreach participation, student organization involvement, or training in comprehensive teaching.

This position
is designated as involving access to critical infrastructure systems and/or research, as defined by Texas Executive Order GA-48. As such,
candidates must successfully complete a comprehensive background check prior to employment. Employees are required to comply with all
applicable state and federal regulations related to the protection of critical infrastructure. Ongoing employment is dependent upon
maintaining eligibility for access and successfully passing periodic security and compliance reviews.

Preferred
Qualifications
In addition to the required qualifications, individuals with the following preferred qualifications are strongly
encouraged to apply:

• Postdoctoral or equivalent research training experiences
• Experience working with FDA/USDA-regulated food
  systems, such as produce, meats, fermented foods, or ready-to-eat foods. Examples include internships, industry collaborations, or
  regulatory short courses.
• Experience in human or animal experimental systems, including familiarity with the Institutional Review
  Board (IRB)/Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) processes, sample collection, or coordination of clinical or translational
  studies.
• Experience contributing to interdisciplinary teams, particularly in data science, microbiology, food safety, nutrition, or
  biomedical areas.
• Evidence of translational or industry-facing engagement, such as pilot-scale trials, product development,
  stakeholder workshops, or extension-adjacent activities.
• Experience supporting or leading components of multi-PI or center-level
  proposals, including drafting sections, generating preliminary data, or managing a project component.
• Record of mentoring, such as
  supervising undergraduate researchers, interns, or junior lab members, and supporting experiential learning
  opportunities.

Candidates with advanced experience may be considered for appointments at a higher rank. Preferred qualifications
include:

• Established record of securing extramural funding as PI or co-PI.
• Sustained collaborations with industry or
  regulatory agencies.
• Leadership in multi-institutional or center-level initiatives.
• Experience directing research groups or
  supervising multiple graduate students.

Candidates with advanced experience may be considered for appointments at a higher rank.
Preferred qualifications include:

Special Instructions to Applicant
Please include the following documents in your
application:

1. Cover Letter
2. Curriculum Vitae
3. Copies of post-baccalaureate transcripts
4. Other document(s)
   directly related to required qualifications
5. List of three or more references

Questions about this position should be
directed to Dr. Angela Walla, Search Committee Chair at Angela.Walla@ttu.edu.
Questions about
this position should be directed to Dr. Angela Walla, Search Committee Chair at Angela.Walla@ttu.edu.

To apply, visit workattexastech.com

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment
without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information or status as a protected
veteran.jeid-71952bdbf2c4414db8b95b1acc46e367

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