The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK), invites applications for a 12-month, tenure-track Assistant Professor position in Community Nutrition with a focus on Outreach and Food Insecurity. This position is part of the University of Tennessee. Knoxville’s (UTK’s) ambitious Food and Nutrition Security Cluster Hire Initiative, a strategic, interdisciplinary effort to enhance the university’s leadership in addressing food and nutrition insecurity through transdisciplinary research, outreach, and academic programming.

This new faculty member will join a cohort of six scholars across departments—including Nutrition, Public Health, Agricultural and Resource Economics, Nursing, Food Science, and Retail, Hospitality, and Tourism Management—working collaboratively to address food system challenges and promote food security in Tennessee and beyond.

The successful candidate will hold their primary appointment in the Department of Extension Family & Consumer Sciences and engage in robust collaborations with the UT Institute of Agriculture (UTIA) at UTIA. This position is designed for a scholar who is passionate about bridging academic research with real-world impact, particularly in communities facing high levels of food insecurity.

Position Responsibilities

• Lead community-based outreach efforts aimed at reducing food insecurity, with emphasis on underserved and rural populations through Tennessee through the University of Tennessee Extension outreach efforts.
• Develop and implement applied, community-engaged research focused on food access, dietary quality, and nutrition-related health disparities.
• Collaborate across disciplines and institutions within the Food and Nutrition Security Cluster, contributing to a collective vision and shared initiatives.
• Secure extramural funding as principal investigator or co-investigator from federal (e.g., USDA, NIH, CDC), state, and private sources.
• Provide training and technical support to Extension professionals, local agencies, and nonprofits in developing evidence-based nutrition education and food access programming.
• Plan, develop and implement research-based adult and youth Extension programs addressing food access, diet quality, and nutrition-related disparities.
•  Develop and maintain expertise in nutrition by publishing peer-reviewed journal articles/Extension publications, attending and presenting at professional meetings and belonging to relevant professional organizations.  
• Mentor graduate students and support experiential learning and service-learning opportunities in community nutrition.
• Engage in service to the department, college, university, and broader community, including contributing to the UTIA’s and UTK’s goals related to scholarship quality, impact, and public engagement.

Food and Nutrition Security Cluster Initiative Overview

This position is one of six new faculty lines created as part of UTK’s Food and Nutrition Security Cluster Hire Initiative, an innovative investment in transdisciplinary solutions to food insecurity. Faculty hired under this initiative will:

• Collaborate across UTK and UTIA to develop integrated research and outreach programs.
• Contribute to strategic planning that builds a cohesive identity for UTK in food and nutrition security scholarship.
• Advance community-engaged, inclusive research that reflects the lived experiences of diverse populations.
• Support the development of interdisciplinary academic programs and experiential training opportunities for students.

Cluster faculty will be expected to actively engage with each other, attend regular meetings, and participate in shared grant submissions, cross-departmental initiatives, and public scholarship efforts.

Required Qualifications

• Doctorate in Nutrition, Public Health Nutrition, Community Health, or a closely related field.
• Experience with community-based research or outreach programming targeting food insecurity or dietary health.
• Evidence of scholarly productivity, including peer-reviewed publications and presentations.

Preferred Qualifications

• Record of extramural funding or strong potential to secure funding from federal agencies, foundations, or state partners.
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• Experience in multidisciplinary collaborations, ideally involving Extension, public health, or social services.
• Familiarity with community-based participatory research (CBPR), implementation science, or translational nutrition strategies.
• Demonstrated ability to translate research into practice in community or policy settings.

Appointment Details

• Rank: Assistant Professor (12-month, tenure-track)
• Start Date: Anticipated September 1, 2025
• Primary Department: Extension Family and Consumer Sciences
• Collaborating Units: Public Health, Agricultural and Resource Economics, Nursing, Food Science, and Retail, Hospitality, and Tourism Management

Please submit your required application materials through this Interfolio system.

For questions about the position, please contact Dr. Karen Franck, search committee chair:

kfranck@utk.edu

(865) 974-1448

All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment and admission without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, pregnancy, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran status, and parental status, or any other characteristic protected by federal or state law. In accordance with the requirements of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the University of Tennessee affirmatively states that it does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, or disability in its education programs and activities, and this policy extends to employment by the university.

Requests for accommodation of a disability should be directed to the ADA Coordinator at Equal Opportunity and Accessibility, 1840 Melrose Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37996-3560, by email to eoa@utk.edu, or by phone at 865-974-2498. Inquiries and charges of violation of Title VI (race, color, and national origin), Title IX (sex), Section 504 (disability), the ADA (disability), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (age), sexual orientation, or veteran status should be directed to the Office of Investigation and Resolution, 216 Business Incubator Building, E J. Chapman Drive, Knoxville, TN 37996-3560, by email to investigations@utk.edu, or by phone at 865-974-0717.

About University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Our primary mission is to move forward the frontiers of human knowledge and enrich and elevate the citizens of the state of Tennessee, the nation, and the world. As the preeminent research-based, land-grant university in the state, UT embodies the spirit of excellence in teaching, research, scholarship, creative activity, outreach, and engagement attained by the nation’s finest public research institutions.

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