Postdoctoral Research Associate

Texas A&M University System • College Station, TX

6d

About The Position

The Postdoctoral Research Associate scientifically supports and manages “Hungry Minds: Neurophysiological Studies of Nutritional Quality and Cognitive Resources,” a collaboration between Texas A&M AgriLife Research and USDA-ARS. The project conducts a randomized controlled trial examining the effects of dietary intake on cognitive performance, emotion regulation, and behavioral economics outcomes. It integrates behavioral economics and neurophysiological measures, including EEG and eye tracking, with dietary, anthropometric, biochemical, and clinical assessments.

The position supports study implementation and regulatory compliance, participant recruitment and follow-up, data collection and management, preliminary analyses, and dissemination of findings. The role also contributes to literature reviews, reports, manuscripts, presentations, and grant proposals, while protecting confidential participant information. The position is funded through grants or contracts for three years; employment is contingent on continued funding and satisfactory performance.

Requirements

• PhD in Nutrition, Behavioral Economics, Neuroscience, Public Health, or a related field.
• Previous experience conducting clinical studies or human subject research.
• Knowledge of statistical analysis packages and database applications.
• Experience with IRB applications.
• Strong communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills.
• Ability to work independently, multitask, and work cooperatively with others.
• Ability to work beyond normal business hours and/or on weekends.
• Ability to travel to various field site locations, such as counties and field sites.
• Ability to lift or move light, moderate, or heavy objects.
• Ability to work outdoors in variable weather conditions.

Nice To Haves

• Research data management and analysis experience.
• Experience with online data collection tools such as Qualtrics or REDCap.
• Experience with polyphenols or dietary/nutritional interventions.
• Experience using neurophysiological measures, including EEG, eye tracking, or facial expression analysis.

Responsibilities

• Assist with research study implementation.
• Develop and maintain IRB protocols and ensure regulatory compliance.
• Support participant recruitment, screening, enrollment, and scheduling.
• Assist with intervention compliance monitoring.
• Collect data at HBL and IHA Mobile Health Assessment Centers.
• Clean, merge, and document data.
• Conduct preliminary statistical analyses.
• Develop online data collection tools.
• Contribute to literature reviews, reports, manuscripts, presentations, and grant proposals.
• Summarize study results.
• Communicate study progress and data needs to the research team while safeguarding confidential participant information.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Health, dental, vision, life, and long-term disability insurance, with AgriLife contributing to premiums.
• 12–15 annual paid holidays.
• Up to 8 hours per month of sick leave and at least 8 hours per month of vacation.
• Automatic enrollment in the Teacher Retirement System of Texas.
• Employee Wellness Initiative.
• Access to ongoing professional development and training through Aspire, LinkedIn Learning, and internally developed programs.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree