DESIRED APPLICANTS We are seeking a postdoctoral fellow intent on an interdisciplinary career in academic biomedical research. Our team spans epidemiology, health behavior, biostatistics, genetics, physical activity and health, strength and conditioning, nutrition, evidence-based practice, health literacy, informed decision making, and preventive interventions.
The ideal applicant will bring creative energy and quantitative insights to advancing research aimed at optimizing physical function and well-being through lifestyle change. Those with experience in exercise physiology, kinesiology, functional fitness, body composition, and tailoring physical training programs will be prioritized for interviews.
Experience with analysis of exercise protocols, body composition and biomarker testing, metabolic testing, and macro and micro-nutrient intake is highly desired. Specific skills with repeated-measures longitudinal data and time-to-event analysis would be ideal. Familiarity with design of intervention protocols for randomized clinical trials and with analysis of large-scale genetic data is valued but not required.
FOCUS OF RESEARCH A significant portion of the research conducted in our group will focus on large-scale data from adults who track resistance training, daily bodyweight, and daily nutritional intake paired with weekly measurements and photos. The population includes individuals with a range of goals including weight loss, strength, body recomposition, and athletic competition. Baseline and prospective data is robust including medical conditions, medications/supplements, and menstrual cycle data. We have expertise in gene-by-behavior interaction, race and ethnic disparities in context of ancestry-informative markers, pharmacoepidemiology, community-recruited cohorts, and endocrine and metabolic function.
Other resources and potential areas for leadership include access to a substantial bariatric surgery database with clinical collaborators for pre-and post-operative interventions, as well as an enduring partnership with a community-based wellness program for low-income women. We also collaborate with the diabetes center, sports medicine, the university athletics programs, and multiple medical disciplines.
This postdoctoral fellow will have multiple opportunities to lead projects and to participate in large-scale collaborative studies. Depending on the applicant’s prior research, topics such as frailty prevention, circadian biology, active recovery and rehabilitation, and longevity could also mesh well with team objectives and will be considered. The projected start date is flexible with intent to have the position filled by Summer/Fall 2020.
LOCAL RESOURCES Investigators, including postdoctoral fellows, have access to numerous resources. Among the most relevant are: • Pilot funding • Body composition measurement (DEXA, BodPod, CT, MRI) • Metabolic chamber, metabolic cart, treadmill and bike testing, insulin clamp procedures • BioVU genetic database with more than 225,000 adult specimens linked to electronic health records • Test kitchen, menu development, controlled diets, and nutrient assessment • Muscle and fat biopsy protocols • Onsite medical center exercise training facility
QUALIFICATIONS: • PhD in Physiology, Exercise Physiology, Kinesiology, Health Behavior, Epidemiology, Human Genetics, Nutrition, Statistics, or related disciplines • Grounding in behavioral models for lifestyle intervention that include nutrition and physical activity • Familiarity with statistical software and programming languages (e.g. Stata, R, SAS, SPSS) • Background in training or physical conditioning, including certifications such as NSCA CSCS, and personal experience in training/athletics is ideal • Ability and desire to learn new techniques and implement new software tools • Record of authorship of peer-reviewed publications is required; experience with grant development is desirable • Strong initiative, multitasking ability, and desire to lead projects
Application Details Interested applicants should send a curriculum vitae with the contact information of three references by email to Scott Gubala cc: Katherine Hartmann or by mail to:
Katherine E. Hartmann, MD, PhD Vanderbilt Epidemiology Center 2525 West End Ave, Suite 600 Nashville, TN 37203