Postdoctoral Research Associate
Join a multidisciplinary team at the University of Utah and Huntsman Cancer Institute to advance cancer prevention research through nutritional metabolomics and clinical data analysis.
Best for:Best for epidemiologists or nutrition scientists with strong statistical modeling skills and experience in metabolomics or clinical data analysis.
Overview
The Department of Nutrition and Integrative Physiology at the University of Utah, in collaboration with the Huntsman Cancer Institute, invites applications for a Postdoctoral Research Associate to work under the supervision of Dr. Mary Playdon. This NIH-funded role focuses on translating blood-based dietary biomarkers into clinical practice for colorectal cancer prevention and investigating the relationship between meal timing and cancer risk. The successful candidate will lead epidemiologic and translational analyses, integrating nutritional metabolomics, inflammatory protein profiling, and electronic medical record data. Applicants will collaborate with multi-site academic partners and contribute to high-impact research aimed at reducing the cancer burden.
What you'll do
- Conduct epidemiologic analyses using clinical trial and population-based data.
- Process and analyze complex datasets including metabolomics, proteomics, and dietary intake information.
- Develop and implement natural language processing pipelines for clinical data.
- Support the creation of clinical trial intervention materials and group education programming.
- Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams at the University of Utah and The Ohio State University.
- Prepare research manuscripts for publication and present findings at scientific conferences.
- Assist in the preparation of NIH grant applications and progress reports.
- Mentor junior researchers and participate in regular lab meetings.
- Ensure all research activities comply with IRB protocols and data security standards.
Requirements
Degree required: PhD in Epidemiology, Nutrition, Public Health, Biostatistics, or a related field.
Language: English (professional proficiency).
Instruction: English
Publications: Strong publication record required.
- Experience in population-based research and statistical modeling.
- Proficiency in longitudinal or mixed-effects regression methods.
- Strong scientific writing skills and a proven publication record.
- Proficiency in statistical software such as R or SAS.
- Ability to work independently and effectively within a multidisciplinary team.
- Must hold a PhD in a relevant field.
- Must be eligible to work in the United States.
Funding & terms
How to apply
Deadline: 2026-12-01
Interested candidates should apply through the official University of Utah portal. Please submit a CV, a cover letter detailing your relevant professional experience, and a list of three professional references.
- CV
- Cover letter
- List of three references
Contact
Mary Playdon· Principal Investigator
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