Assistant & Full Professors: Obesity/Physical Activity/Nutrition Science
Academic Affairs

Location: San Diego, CA
Open Date: Oct 29, 2021

Description
San Diego State University (SDSU) seeks to hire four tenure-track faculty members, three at the Assistant Professor rank and one tenure-track member at the Professor rank with expertise in the areas of Obesity, Physical Activity or Nutrition Science to begin Fall 2022. These positions are part of a cluster of 11 faculty being hired at SDSU and SDSU Imperial Valley and are at the core of the SDSU FUERTE (Faculty Unified towards Excellence in Research and Transformational Engagement) program which is funded by the National Institutes of Health FIRST program (NIH Award Number: U54CA267789). These four positions will be located at the SDSU campus in San Diego, California.

SDSU is looking to recruit a diverse cohort of colleagues from a broad range of disciplines and a variety of academic and research backgrounds. Candidates must have a demonstrated research focus on obesity/physical activity/nutrition science research and a commitment to working with diverse groups (e.g., Latinx, Black/African American, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Pacific Islander, LGBTQI, etc.) through research, teaching, mentoring, and service.

Research expertise could include basic science, applied research, intervention research, health disparities research with Latinx populations, and/or social science research. Given the growing diversity of fields that are contributing to understanding these areas of research, applicant disciplines may include but are not limited to the fields of anthropology, biology, chemistry, critical food studies, engineering, exercise science, geography, health communication, health disparities; Latin American Studies, nursing, nutrition science, psychology, public health, social work, sociology or sport studies. Among the areas of research that may complement those of other SDSU faculty researchers include: behavioral and population-based research in diet and physical activity that considers cultural, systemic, and structural factors; psychological stress and obesity; the connections between physical and mental health; family systems, parenting, caregiver and intergenerational research with U.S. Latinx populations; intervention research with U.S. Latinx families and communities, including community-based participatory research; technology-based intervention research that considers literacy, language, and the digital divide, and implementation and dissemination science; basic research investigating molecular mechanisms of obesity including microbiome, immunology, epigenetics, signaling pathways, and metabolic alterations using experimental models.


Qualifications
Assistant Professor Positions:

Candidates must have a research and funding record of accomplishment that demonstrates their potential ability to establish a clear program of research and high potential for success in securing extramural funding from the National Institutes of Health. A history of experience with extramural funding from federal agencies (e.g., NIH, NSF, DOD, HRSA, CDC, USDA, etc.) is preferred. Ideally, candidates would have experience conducting research in interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary, or transdisciplinary environments. SDSU and the FUERTE program will provide structured faculty development to assist faculty in achieving success as independent researchers. Programming includes: research training opportunities, support for building community among faculty researchers and the SDSU campus community, and mentorship support as faculty work to establish their program of research at SDSU. Teaching experience at the undergraduate and graduate levels is desired but not required. Incumbents will have a reduced teaching load and specifically will teach one course a semester during their first five years of service.

Professor Position: Candidates should have significant demonstrated experience conducting research in interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary, and/or transdisciplinary environments as well as a strong record of extramural funding. Teaching experience at the undergraduate and graduate levels is required. The incumbent is also expected to serve as a member of the mentoring team to help mentor the three Assistant Professors hired as part of this cluster hire.

Candidates for all four positions must hold a Doctoral degree (e.g., PhD, Sc.D. etc.) and are expected to make significant contributions to the scholarly literature. SDSU is home to a wide variety of student research support programs that facilitate faculty engagement of students and postdoctoral trainees in research. Research opportunities for underrepresented students at the undergraduate and graduate levels are highly encouraged.

Candidates should indicate in their application cover letter the department or school at SDSU that they believe is best suited for their academic training and expertise. Academic home determination for college department or school affiliation will depend on candidate academic training, fit with potential college departments/schools and college dean approval.

SDSU FUERTE was funded as part of the NIH Faculty Institutional Recruitment for Sustainable Transformation (FIRST) Program to promote scientific workforce diversity and build a community of scientists committed to implementing and sustaining cultures of inclusive excellence through recruitment of a diverse cohort of early-career faculty (Grant # NIH Award Number: U54CA267789). Given SDSUs federal designation as a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) in 2012 and recent designation as an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Service Institution (AANAPISI), SDSU FUERTE is committed to elevating the health and wellbeing of Latinx and other underrepresented communities through support of a diverse research workforce.

We are seeking applicants with demonstrated experience in and/or commitment to teaching and working effectively with individuals from diverse backgrounds and members of underrepresented groups. Candidates must satisfy two or more of the eight Building on Inclusive Excellence (BIE) criteria. Candidates that meet BIE criteria: (a) are committed to engaging in service with underrepresented populations within the discipline, (b) have demonstrated knowledge of barriers for underrepresented students and faculty within the discipline, (c) have experience or have demonstrated commitment to teaching and mentoring underrepresented students, (d) have experience or have demonstrated commitment to integrating understanding of underrepresented populations and communities into research, (e) have experience in or have demonstrated commitment to extending knowledge of opportunities and challenges in achieving artistic/scholarly success to members of an underrepresented group, (f) have experience in or have demonstrated commitment to research that engages underrepresented communities, (g) have expertise or demonstrated commitment to developing expertise in cross-cultural communication and collaboration, and/or (h) have research interests that contribute to diversity and equal opportunity in higher education. Applicants are encouraged to indicate in a separate diversity statement in the application of how they meet at least two (2) of these criteria.

SDSUs Vibrant Research Environment

Collaborative, transdisciplinary, and trans-border research opportunities abound at SDSU as well as at our two Imperial Valley campuses (Brawley and Calexico). For example, SDSU is home to one large NIH cooperative agreement, the SDSU HealthLINK Center, as well as many other Centers and Institutes focused on the health of underrepresented communities (SDSU Centers and Institutes). SDSU Imperial Valley is home to the recently established RISE Center. San Diego serves as an ideal hub for basic, applied, and population-based research in obesity/physical activity/nutrition, with opportunities for collaboration beyond SDSU, including the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency, UCSD, Moores Cancer Center, USD, CSU San Marcos, Universidad Autnoma de Baja California, Scripps Whittier Diabetes Institute, Scripps Research Translation Institute, Salk Institute, Sanford Burnham Prebys, local pharmaceutical and biotech industries, Federally Qualified Health Centers, etc. SDSU is home to a diverse student and faculty body. Over a third of our students, both undergraduate and graduate, are URM. SDSU is about 40 minutes from the U.S.-Mexico border and has a trolley line that extends directly to the border crossing to Mexico, thus facilitating research collaboration with faculty and students from universities in Tijuana. The San Diego region is a large metropolitan area with a wide range of diverse communities, which include newly arrived immigrants and refugees from many countries, and centuries-old Native American tribes and bands.

SDSU is the oldest institution of higher education in the San Diego region, with a campus and microsites in San Diego and locations in Southern Californias Imperial Valley and Tbilisi in the Republic of Georgia. The highly diverse campus community has a student population of approximately 36,000. SDSU is included in the Carnegie Foundations Doctoral Universities: High Research Activity category. Established in 1897, SDSU offers bachelor degrees in 97 areas, masters in 84 and doctorates in 23. See http://www.sdsu.edu for more information. SDSU is a large, diverse, urban university and Hispanic-Serving Institution with a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusive excellence. Our campus community is diverse in many ways, including race, religion, color, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, national origin, pregnancy, medical condition, and covered veteran status. We strive to build and sustain a welcoming environment for all.

SDSU strives for equity and inclusion in everything it does, building on the human and intellectual diversity of students, faculty, and staff as a source of innovation and strength. SDSU is ranked 35 nationwide for ethnic diversity, and roughly 54% of the university's undergraduates and graduates are students from historically marginalized populations. SDSU is the No. 1 LGBTQ+-friendly campus in California, and No. 8 nationally, according to Campus Pride and BestColleges. Further, the university is consistently ranked as a top school for veterans and serves more than 4,000 military-connected students. As a U.S.-Mexico transborder Hispanic Serving Institution, SDSU launched its Inaugural Global Seal of Biliteracy in Spanish in Spring 2021 to value and honor the language of our California/Baja California region. Most critically, the values of equity, diversity, and inclusion translate to results: Continuation and degree completion rates have increased over the last decade, and equity gaps have begun to close effectively with individuals from diverse backgrounds.

The SDSU Mission Valley Innovation District will offer opportunities for collaboration and entrepreneurship, with 1.6 million square feet of planned research and innovation space that will be developed primarily through public and private partnerships. SDSU researchers and Innovation District partners will work together to develop creative solutions to complex problems. SDSUs entrepreneurship programs have the potential to catalyze the public impact of research discoveries.


Application Instructions
To apply, visit https://apply.interfolio.com/98072

Apply via Interfolio.

Candidates should submit: cover letter, diversity statement (i.e., commitment to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in academia), curriculum vitae, and the names and contact information of three (3) references.

Salary and benefits are competitive and are commensurate with qualifications and experience. Application review will begin December 15th, 2021. For additional inquiries or questions, please contact Dr. Mark B. Reed (mreed@sdsu.edu) or Dr. Mara Luisa Ziga (mlzuniga@sdsu.edu).

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