Position Description:

This position provides an opportunity to join an existing team conducting clinical research assessing the impact of dietary patterns, diet quality and lifestyle for people with multiple sclerosis. The Postdoctoral Research Scholar will work primarily with Drs. Terry Wahls and Linda Snetselaar. Additional nutrition scientist collaborators will include Dr. Tyler Titcomb. The scholar will analyze data from existing projects, develop manuscripts to submit to leading journals, develop grant proposals, and take an active role in current and future research.

The lab is conducting two year randomized, controlled trial investigating ketogenic diet, modified Paleolithic diet and usual diet (with Dietary Guidelines for Americans information) diets in the setting of multiple sclerosis, which will include biomarkers and brain imaging at baseline and after a two-year dietary intervention. Future studies include analyses of metabolomics and microbiome data and longitudinal quality of life data from a study comparing low saturated fat and modified Paleolithic diet in the setting of multiple sclerosis.

The scholar's candidate's specific project-related responsibilities will be developed in consultation with Drs. Wahls and Snetselaar and may include project management, data collection, development of research hypotheses, analytic strategies and scholar-initiated analyses and projects related to the lab's core projects.

The successful candidate will be involved in studying the impact of diet and lifestyle factors on clinical outcomes in multiple sclerosis and other chronic disease states in human subjects. She/he will have access to existing data, collaborators in the Colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Public Health, and Liberal Arts and Sciences. The successful candidate is expected to qualify for training grants and fellowships and to further our understanding of the relationship between diet and various lifestyle factors and brain health.

The Postdoc Scholar position is a one-year full-time appointment. Reappointment for additional years is possible depending on the fellow's performance as it relates to their initiative, support of the lab, their publication record, and available funding.