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NATURE AND PURPOSE

The position of Junior Specialist has a focus on a specialized area and provides technical or specialized expertise in the planning and execution of research projects. The Junior Specialist stays apprised of the research area and maintains technical competence in the designated area(s) of specialization. In general, it is inappropriate to appoint an individual with a master’s or doctoral degree in the relevant discipline or a baccalaureate degree plus three or more years of experience with specialized methods as a Junior Specialist.

In general, it is inappropriate to appoint an individual with a Master’s or doctoral degree in the relevant discipline or a baccalaureate degree plus three or more years of experience with the specialized methods as a Junior Specialist.

Major responsibilities:

The Nutrition Department, in conjunction with the Western Human Nutrition Research Center, conducts a variety of studies of nutrition, diet and health involving human participants. The Junior Specialist is engaged in research under the mentorship of experienced faculty researchers, dietitians, and post-doctoral scholars. The discovery and validation of new tools to assess diet using markers in biological samples may help researchers to understand the link between nutrient intake, health and disease, and to provide approaches to personalized nutrition. The Junior Specialist is actively and significantly involved in designing and developing tools for dietary data collection, data collection, summary and quality assurance, and reporting data in written, oral, and graphical formats. The Junior Specialist conducts dietary assessments using traditional and novel tools and educates participants regarding adherence to research protocols.

I. Research Specialized Areas (90%):

a. The Junior Specialist position will be involved in interdisciplinary studies focusing on questions in nutrition, health, and dietary assessment in the context of controlled human nutrition research studies.
b. The Junior Specialist will interact directly with human study participants via telephone, electronic communications, and in person to obtain informed consent, collect data through physical measures and questionnaires, and explain study procedures. Collect biospecimens such as urine or saliva from participants and transfer to the laboratory.
c. The Junior Specialist will use their educational background in Clinical Nutrition or Nutrition Science to collect, process, analyze, and interpret dietary and food pattern data using specialized software (e.g., ASA24, ProNutra, REDCap, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft Access), and will work on complex problems related to data integration between systems.
d. The Junior Specialist will follow the procedures developed for each specific research protocol, such as a Manual of Operations (MOP), and will participate in the revising of study protocols on an as needed basis.
e. General responsibilities of the Junior Specialist include the following: human nutrition research study support, dietary analysis, and data management.

II. Professional Competency and Activity (5%):

a. The Junior Specialist will be actively involved in surveying literature, reviewing journal articles, and engaging in discussions on research.
b. The Junior Specialist may participate in appropriate professional meetings such as the Nutrition for Precision Health consortium, WHNRC Science Monday presentations, and will contribute to published abstracts, posters and manuscripts.

III. University and Public Science (5%):

a. The Junior Specialist may participate in activities of committees within the WHNRC and mentor undergraduate student interns, as appropriate.

As a condition of employment, the finalist will be required to disclose if they are subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct, are currently being investigated for misconduct, left a position during an investigation for alleged misconduct, or have filed an appeal with a previous employer.

• “Misconduct” means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant’s previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, discrimination, dishonesty, or unethical conduct, as defined by the employer.
• UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy
• UC Anti-Discrimination Policy for Employees, Students and Third Parties
• APM - 035: Affirmative Action and Nondiscrimination in Employment

To implement this process, UC Davis requires all applicants for any open search to complete, sign, and upload the form entitled, "Authorization to Release Information" into UC RECRUIT as part of their application. If an applicant does not include the signed authorization with the application materials, the application will be considered incomplete, and as with any incomplete application, will not receive further consideration.

UC Davis is a smoke and tobacco-free campus (http://breathefree.ucdavis.edu/).

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected status under state for federal law.

Under Federal law, the University of California may employ only individuals who are legally able to work in the United States as established by providing documents as specified in the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. Certain UC Davis positions funded by federal contracts or sub-contracts require the selected candidate to pass an E-Verify check. More information is available at: http://www.uscis.gov/e-verify

The University of California, Davis (UC Davis) is committed to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for all employees and students. Our excellence in research, teaching, and service are embodied by members of our academic community who share our commitment to these values. A variety of resources and programs are available to academics, staff, and students that reflect the core values reflected in our strategic plan: “To Boldly Go,” our Principles of Community, the Office of Academic Affairs’ Mission Statement, and the UC Board of Regents Policy 4400.
UC Davis also is making important progress towards our goal of achieving federal designation as a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). There are numerous links available on the About Us webpage where you can learn more about our administration, campus rankings, locations, campus safety, sustainability, visiting UC Davis and UC Davis Health.

The university is consistently ranked among the top institutions in the world for campus sustainability practices by the UI Green Metric World University Rankings. UC Davis is focused on achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions and repeatedly shown its commitment to preserving a healthy and sustainable environment for generations to come.

As a University employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, state, or local government directives may impose additional requirements.