Chair, Department of Nutrition Sciences

Chair, Department of Nutrition Sciences

School of Health Professions

Birmingham, Alabama

THE SEARCH

The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Health Professions (SHP) welcomes applications and nominations for the position of Chair, Department of Nutrition Sciences. UAB includes one of the nation’s largest academic health science centers. UAB is ranked 12th (top four percent) in the nation among public universities and 27th overall (top four percent) in federally funded research expenditures. In 2021 UAB was recognized by Forbes as the best large employer in the country and America’s No. 4 best employer for diversity. In September 2021, UAB received the 2021 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. 

The UAB School of Health Professions is one of the largest and most well-respected health professions schools in the nation and offers more than 30 academic programs. The school’s faculty have more NIH funding than any other school of its type in the country, and SHP’s total research funding was over $20 million in 2021. 

As one of five departments in SHP, the Department of Nutrition Sciences (DNS) includes 27 full-time faculty members, more than 95 staff, and approximately 140 students and postdoctoral fellows engaged in education and research in a broad array of areas including diabetes, obesity, cancer, aging, circadian patterns, and developmental origins. The department has distinguished and long-standing research programs, and a broad portfolio of education programs including a highly regarded graduate dietetic program. The department launched a new undergraduate major in Biobehavioral Nutrition and Wellness in 2021 and is preparing for a comprehensive renovation of its building that will include a state-of-the-art metabolic kitchen. DNS hosts the NIH-funded Nutrition Obesity Research Center (NORC) and the Diabetes Research Center (DRC) and was recently awarded a $10.8 million NIH grant to establish a Nutrition for Precision Health Center. 

The department seeks in its next Chair an outstanding scholar with intellectual breadth who will articulate and execute on a bold vision for DNS. Ideal candidates will have a record of academic and administrative excellence, mentoring, scientific leadership, and research in a university setting, as well as an established record of commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. They will also have a doctoral degree from an accredited institution and relevant to nutrition sciences, along with a record of teaching, research and scholarship, and service excellence commensurate with a tenured faculty appointment at the rank of professor in SHP.

The UAB School of Health Professions has retained national executive search firm Isaacson, Miller to assist in this important recruitment. Nominations, inquiries, and applications should be sent via www.imsearch.com/8632.

Unless explicitly stated in the job posting, it is UAB’s expectation that an employee of UAB will reside in the State of Alabama as of the date the employment begins.

UAB is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer committed to fostering a diverse, equitable and family-friendly environment in which all faculty and staff can excel and achieve work-life balance irrespective of, race, national origin, age, genetic or family medical history, gender, faith, gender identity and expression as well as sexual orientation. UAB also encourages applications from individuals with disabilities and veterans. A pre-employment background check investigation is performed on candidates selected for employment.