Description

Status: Full Time

The Program in Human Nutrition engages in efforts to improve the nutritional status of women of reproductive age, pregnant and lactating women, and infants and children in underserved areas through a variety of approaches, including improved diets, biofortified foods, fortified food products, and vitamin and mineral supplements. To support these studies, we run a state-of-the-art Micronutrient Research laboratory which has developed a variety of assays across different methodological platforms for vitamin and mineral status assessment and run thousands of serum/plasma, human milk, urine and stool biospecimens from affiliated study sites in South Asia and Africa. 

Position Overview

We have recently received funding for research to characterize the dosage of a range of vitamins and minerals required to enhance micronutrient status to sufficiency levels among women of reproductive age and during pregnancy in rural Bangladesh. This project will require careful assessment of biochemical status for a variety of fat- and water-soluble vitamins and minerals in several hundred women at multiple time points. The study is being conducted by a team of faculty and staff at the BSPH, an experienced field team at an established field site in rural Bangladesh, a collaborating in-country institution, and biostatisticians with expertise in pharmacokinetic modeling. We are seeking a PhD-level candidate to join a team of investigators to support this project. The successful candidate will have expertise in human nutrition, laboratory biomarker analyses, and experience or demonstrated interest in the area of micronutrient status assessment, particularly in the context of maternal and child health in low and middle income country settings. The candidate will join as faculty with the title of Assistant Scientist in the Program in Human Nutrition, Department of Human Nutrition, and will take on leadership responsibilities as part of this study within the Micronutrient Research laboratory. We are looking to hire immediately, with the grant support continuing through March of 2025. Potential exists to extend this position beyond that time and for professional growth in a related area of interest.    

Scope of Work:

• In conjunction with other participating faculty, guide and perform laboratory assessment of biomarkers of fat-soluble, B-vitamin, and mineral analytes in a laboratory with HPLC, ICP-MS, automated chemiluminescent, and other assay capabilities for the assessment of micronutrient status biomarkers; this includes some assay development, validation, quality control monitoring, and instrument troubleshooting
• Coordinate activities of 2-3 staff and 1-2 postdoctoral fellow/s in the laboratory
• Interact with field teams to ensure proper procedures for collecting, preserving, and shipping biospecimens; this could involve travel to the study site or could be addressed remotely
• With laboratory manager, manage receipt, storage, and organization of biospecimens; ensure inventory of laboratory supplies; ensure equipment maintenance
• With other experts on the study team, provide interpretation of study findings, including some data analysis and manuscript preparation

Travel: Potential for occasional (1 trip per year) travel to project site

Requirements

Required qualifications:

• PhD in Nutrition, Public Health, Nutritional Biochemistry, Analytical Chemistry or related field
• Experience with or interest in the role of micronutrients in maternal, newborn, and child health in the international context
• Laboratory experience that includes some combination of work with and assay development for HPLC, ICP-MS, immunoassays and other 96 well plate formatted assays, with demonstrated experience in developing and monitoring quality control parameters
• Experience with instrumentation software programs, spreadsheets, data management
• Ability to travel to or otherwise remotely support field operations around biospecimen collection, storage, and shipments
• Ability to work as part of a team, including managing and providing oversight to other members of the laboratory and coordinating with other faculty, with an expectation that aspects of the project will be conducted independently
• Experience with manuscript preparation and publications

Preferred qualifications:

• Coursework in epidemiology and biostatistics
• Good written and oral communication skills, including peer-reviewed publications on related topics

Application Instructions

Please contact Dr. Kerry Schulze (kschulz1@jhu.edu) with the subject line Assistant Scientist Position including a cover letter and CV.