Meredith T. Niles, PhD

Position Description
A two-year post-doctoral position (with potential funding for additional years) is available at the University of Vermont (UVM) under the mentorship of Dr. Meredith Niles. The expected start date is negotiable, with a preferred start date by December 1, 2024. This post-doctoral position will contribute to ongoing research exploring rural food insecurity, and the contribution and potential of home and wild food procurement (HWFP) towards food security and resilience. HWFP refers to activities including gardening, hunting, fishing, foraging, raising of animals, and/or preservation of food. The position is funded by the Food Systems Research Center at the University of Vermont, a collaboration between UVM and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service.

The post-doctorate will join an existing research project exploring the longer-term food security and health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in rural New England, and specifically contribute to emerging areas of interest related to the role of HWFP for regional self-sufficiency, food security, and climate resilience. The post-doctorate will use existing survey data collected in Maine and Vermont to examine HWFP relationship to food access and dietary intake and quality. They will be responsible for leading additional qualitative interviews in the region to examine the climate change context of HWFP in the region, and the vulnerabilities and resilience potential for HWFP. The post-doctorate will be responsible for producing peer-reviewed manuscripts, as well as public and policy-facing materials including research briefs, and engaging with an external advisory committee composed of public and nonprofit stakeholders to inform and elevate these efforts.

The position will also provide significant mentorship and professional development opportunities, collaborations, and funding. Additional funding is available for graduate student research assistants, which also provide mentorship opportunity for the post-doctorate. There will be opportunities for professional development and engagement, including funding for the post-doctorate to join professional societies, attend additional statistical training and development seminars, attend conferences, and publish their work in open-access journals. The project will also support funding for a computer and necessary related materials, as well as graphic design assistance for public facing materials.

Salary and Benefits
Salary range will be between $61,008-$74,088, depending on experience as determined by the National Institutes of Health stipends. There are also a number of generous benefits associated with the position, which can be found at: https://www.uvm.edu/human-resources/postdoctoral-associates-fellows-overview.
The post-doctorate will also have opportunities for professional development and travel associated with the projects as well as additional resources and support as detailed above.

Colleagues and Mentorship
The Niles Lab at the University of Vermont focuses on food systems, environment and health from a behavior and policy perspective. Members of the lab utilize mixed methods approaches, with a particular focus on quantitative social science and data science, including the integration of multiple kinds of datasets. The students and post-doctorates within the lab are inter and transdisciplinary scholars, working in fields including food systems, nutrition, plant and soil science, ecology, data science, and complex systems. Regularly-scheduled lab meetings create space for shared learning among lab members, as well as opportunities to receive peer feedback on research. The lab is funded through several projects from the US Department of Agriculture, National Science Foundation and varying foundations, all focused on sustainable food security and systems in a changing environment and complex world.

The HWFP project is part of an ongoing research between UVM and the University of Maine, focused on food security and health following the COVID-19 pandemic. The interdisciplinary team leading this research brings diverse perspectives and areas of expertise, including health sciences, food and nutrition policy, economics, and dietetics. Findings have been published in Scientific Reports, Nutrients, BMC Public Health, and the Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition, amongst others. Numerous research briefs are also available on our project website.

Required Qualifications
- A PhD in a relevant field related to nutrition, food systems, food policy, and/or plant, soil or agricultural sciences among others. There is no specific disciplinary PhD requirement, so candidates from many different disciplines, departments and interdisciplinary programs are encouraged to apply if their experience is relevant.
- 2+ years of experience with mixed-methods social science research:
      o Ability to analyze quantitative survey data using statistical analyses.
      o Experience with programming (e.g., STATA, R, Python) oriented toward social science applications.
      o Development and implementation of qualitative interview guides and interview.
      o Analysis of qualitative data (e.g., NVIVO).
      o Experience with Institutional Review Board (IRB) applications.
- Publication record, evidenced by peer-reviewed publications.
- Independent work ethic.

Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience in food security research, with a social science approach.
- Experience working with large research teams, including ability to work across disciplines and with remote academic and non-academic partners.
- Interest/experience in mentoring graduate/undergraduate students.
- Demonstrated capacity for communication of research findings among diverse audiences including non-profits, policymakers, developers and/or funders.
- Interest/experience in home and wild food production.

The University of Vermont is an Equal Opportunity/ Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any category legally protected by federal or state law. Applicants are welcome from any region, and there are no associated citizenship requirements.

Application Process
To apply for this position please submit:
- A cover letter (no more than one page) that details experience and interest in the position including experience working on food security, nutrition, and data analysis
- A full CV
- At least one, and up to three, peer-reviewed publications
- Contact information for three references (who will not be contacted unless the candidate is a finalist)

Top candidates will be invited to interview through videoconference, with the possibility of a campus visit.

To be fully considered for the position, applications should be received by October 1, 2024. To apply, please complete the following online form: https://form.jotform.com/242174493828162
Questions can be directed to Rebecca Mitchell, Food Systems Research and Action Coordinator in the Niles Lab, at rcmitche@uvm.edu with the subject line “Postdoc position.”