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Metabolic Research Specialist

Employer
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Location
Chapel Hill, NC
View more categoriesView less categories
Administrative Jobs
Academic Affairs, Research Staff & Technicians
Employment Type
Full Time
Institution Type
Four-Year Institution

Job Details

Department:

Nutrition Research Institute - 633300

Career Area :

Research Professionals

Posting Open Date:

11/25/2024

Application Deadline:

11/29/2024

Position Type:

Temporary Staff (SHRA)

Position Title :

Metabolic Research Specialist

Position Number:

20068276

Vacancy ID:

S024396

Full-time/Part-time:

Full-Time Temporary

Hours per week:

40

Work Schedule:

Must be able to work a flexible schedule as needed, often including early morning hours, with the possibility of occasional weekend and/or evening hours. Flexible scheduling is shared across team members.

Position Location:

North Carolina, US

Hiring Range:

$30.00/hr - $32.21/hr

Estimated Duration of Appointment:

6 months not to exceed 11 months

Be a Tar Heel!:

The UNC Nutrition Research Institute (NRI) is a world-renowned center and a global leader in precision nutrition research. Our on-site facilities include multiple wet labs and clinical facilities as well as a vivarium and a metabolic chamber. Approximately two hours from UNC-Chapel Hill, the NRI is located on the beautiful North Carolina Research Campus (NCRC) in Kannapolis, NC, a mid-size city with a small-town feel. The institute is within walking distance of the city center which includes shops, restaurants, a minor-league ballpark, theater, and music hall of fame. We are also a short drive to Charlotte and Winston-Salem/Greensboro. The NRI offers programs that support a healthy work/life balance. We also offer professional training opportunities for career growth, skill development, and lifelong learning.

Primary Purpose of Organizational Unit:

Learning how people can eat uniquely!

The UNC Nutrition Research Institute (NRI) is an internationally recognized center conducting innovative basic and translational science to establish how individual differences in nutrient requirements and responses to diet affect our nutritional needs. Our research contributes to the prevention and mitigation of chronic disease across the lifespan from periconception through aging.

Our Mission is to lead precision nutrition research through understanding how genetics and environment affect an individual’s requirements for and responses to nutrients.

NRI principal investigators hold faculty appointments in the departments of Nutrition and Psychology at UNC Chapel Hill. Their research interrogates nutrient roles in disease prevention, disease risk factors, and the impact of gene-environment and gene-nutrient interactions.

The NRI promotes excellence in nutrition knowledge, teaching, and research. We seek and encourage a diversity of experiences and ideas and provide the tools and flexibility for all employees to achieve success and excellence within their chosen occupations and aspirations.

We are committed to open dialogue, careful listening, becoming educated about the systems that hinder or prevent success, and taking action to ensure that all are equally acknowledged for their contributions and equally reap the benefits of being part of our community.

Our Vision is to use scientific discovery to ensure optimal health through individualized nutrition.

Everyone who works at the NRI supports this hopeful vision. Working at the NRI means doing good for the world. Join us!

The NRI and this position are in Kannapolis, NC, in the Charlotte region.

Position Summary:

Nutrition for Precision Health (NPH), powered by All of Us is a new initiative to develop algorithms that predict individual responses to food and dietary patterns. The position works closely with two recruitment/clinical data collection locations: Chapel Hill, NC (UNC-CH) and Kannapolis, NC, located at the UNC Nutrition Research Institute (NRI).

The Metabolic Research Specialist will play a lead role in study intervention to assess individualized dietary requirements. Under the general supervision of the Research Project Managers and in collaboration with the Clinical Site Coordinators, the position independently manages the metabolic food laboratory kitchen as it relates to NPH. As a key member of the UNC-CC clinical research team, the position directs, coordinates and supervises Dietetic Technicians and the daily operations of the metabolic food laboratory to meet the production timeline based on the recruitment schedule. It works across functional areas including the metabolic food laboratory and clinical suite. It also works closely with the leadership team to develop and adapt procedures and policies that ensure research needs are met, and controlled diets are delivered. The position is dedicated 100% to NPH. A key resource needed to conduct this trial is a metabolic food laboratory to produce the nutrient controlled meals to the precision and accuracy standards established in the NPH Diet Intervention Manual of Procedures. Three distinct diets are precisely prepared and provided to participants to consume at home, each for two (2) weeks at a time. Strict diet production procedures must be adhered to to ensure consistent production of the study diets across all ten (10) diet production facilities across the six (6) Clinical Centers. Foods must be procured to meet exact brand, nutrient and ingredient specifications. Each food must be weighed to 1/10th of a gram and quality control methods must be used to check each recipe and ensure all foods are included in provisions to participants. The position will establish close relationships with participants in working with them on diet instruction and adherence throughout the total of six (6) weeks consuming these diets. The integrity of the study data relies heavily on this position to carry out the diet intervention procedures as per protocol and manual of procedures. It is critical for ensuring that food safety and sanitation guidelines are adhered to throughout the procurement and production process.

This position works closely with the study coordinator on forecasting visits and metabolic food laboratory needs so that clinic demands and metabolic food laboratory demands are balanced to meet planned milestones. The position will utilize the ProNutra software, designed specifically for metabolic food labs and used to generate the meal production sheets and labels for each participant for each day of diet. The position also oversees and meets with research participants to conduct energy calculations per protocol and adjust master menus with unit foods to achieve energy to the nearest 100kcals of the participants needs. The position meets with participants at meal pick-ups (3-4 days’ worth of food at a time) at which time any weight changes and energy adjustments are assessed as per protocol. At meal pick-ups, participants are evaluated for adverse events, which are documented and evaluated, alongside the research nurse for relatability to the research protocol. Food pick-up also includes a review of the participants daily food log and provision of diet adherence counseling to improve any adherence issues and improve study data. The position collects data at each food pick-up and enters into REDCap, a browser-based, metadata-driven electronic data capture software and workflow methodology for designing clinical and translational research databases. The position is also responsible for evaluation and resolution of data queries as presented by the Data Coordinating Center.

Minimum Education and Experience Requirements:

Bachelor’s degree in a discipline related to the field assigned and one year of related training or experience; or equivalent combination of training and experience. All degrees must be received from appropriately accredited institutions.

Required Qualifications, Competencies, and Experience:

* Possess an understanding of food resource management strategies, food safety, food preparation, food composition, and basic cooking skills.
* A proven track record in working well both independently and as part of a team. Independent problem-solving skills are essential.
* Must demonstrate exceptional written and verbal communication skills. Excellent customer service and communication skills are required in this position.
* The position requires strong organizational skills to manage multiple workflows (staffing, participant scheduling, and meal production).
* Ability to work a flexible schedule as needed, often including early morning hours, with the possibility of occasional weekend and/or evening hours. Flexible scheduling is shared across team members.

Preferred Qualifications, Competencies, and Experience:

* Registered Dietitian or eligible to sit for Commission on Dietetic Registration exam by hire date.
* Proficient in data management software such as ProNutra and REDCap.
* Prior management and/or supervisory experience.
* Knowledge of clinical research and regulatory standards that apply to research and human clinical trials. Possess an understanding of the importance of following protocol and reporting any formulation changes or errors immediately as it relates to study integrity.
* ServSafe certification
* Bilingual (Spanish) candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

Special Physical/Mental Requirements:

Must be able to perform the following functions with or without reasonable accommodation:
* Must be comfortable using industrial kitchen appliances and tools.
* Ability to move or lift objects weighing up to 50 lbs.
* Ability to stand for extended periods of time; bend, stoop, and pull to complete work.
* Must have strong hand-eye coordination and work with detailed precision while maintaining quality assurance expectations.
* Visual attention, mental concentration, and manipulative skills are critical when ordering materials, calculating units of measure, and recording data.

Campus Security Authority Responsibilities:

Not Applicable.

Organization

The nation’s first public university is at the heart of what’s next, preparing a diverse student body to become creators, explorers, innovators and leaders in North Carolina and throughout the world. Carolina’s nationally recognized, innovative teaching, campus-wide spirit of inquiry and dedication to public service continue the legacy that began in 1795 when the University first opened its doors to students.

Here, in one of America's most beautiful college settings, we offer exceptional careers in richly diverse fields. Come explore what UNC-Chapel Hill has to offer you.


Undergraduate Enrollment: 19,117

Graduate/Professional Enrollment: 10,894

Total Student Enrollment: 30,011

Founded: 1789, as the first state university in the United States

Type of Institution: Public, four-year

Undergraduate Admission: 15,961

Graduate/Professional Enrollment: 10,039

Total Student Enrollment: 26,000

Faculty: 3,000

Percentage of faculty who hold Ph.D.s or the highest degrees in their field: 94 percent

Faculty/student ratio: 1/14

Location: UNC is located in the heart of Chapel Hill, the best college town in America! It's a friendly town of about 40,000 in the geographical center of North Carolina. Chapel Hill is at the western point of the Research Triangle, an area of about one million people, comprised of Chapel Hill, the cities of Durham and Raleigh, and the Research Triangle Park, home of many corporate offices and scientific research centers. Carolina is about 30 miles from the state capital, Raleigh, and 20 minutes from Raleigh-Durham International Airport.

Chapel Hill's main street, Franklin Street, borders the campus and offers shops, coffee houses, cafés, movie theaters and houses of worship. The town has a historic district, museum, library, parks, malls, and many recreational facilities.

Origins of Carolina's students: 82 percent of UNC's freshmen are from North Carolina and 18 percent are from out-of-state. Our students come from 42 different states and our international students represent 37 countries.

Size of freshman class: Approximately 3,400

Class size: Barely five percent of undergraduate classes contain more than 100 students; two-thirds of undergraduate classes have fewer than 30 students. Forty-one percent have fewer than 20 students, including First Year Seminars, in which first-year students work closely with professors.

Sports and athletic programs: UNC is an NCAA Division I school with 28 varsity teams. Carolina is the proud home of the Dean Smith Center, Kenan Stadium, Carmichael Auditorium, Koury Natatorium, and many other fine athletic facilities. Students join more than 60 intramural and club sports, which include baseball, bowling, crew, golf, lacrosse, rock climbing, rugby, tae kwon do, and ultimate frisbee. The Student Recreation Center offers weight training, aerobics, stair machines, and all the equipment you would expect to find at a great health club! Carolina offers a newly renovated outdoor pool and indoor pools, a golf course, tennis courts, and the longest zipline in America!

Number of residence halls: Incoming undergraduates will live in one of Carolina's 29 residence halls, which are wired for Internet access and cable television. housing.unc.edu

Scholarships and financial aid: About 40 percent of UNC-Chapel Hill students receive scholarships and/or some form of financial aid. studentaid.unc.edu

Special research institutes: Institute for Research in Social Science, Institute of Outdoor Drama, Morehead Planetarium, Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise, Institute of Government, Institute of African American Research.

Career services: On-campus counseling, job fairs, résumé writing service, internships, placement services. www.unc.edu/depts/career

Technological facilities: Students find multiple uses for Carolina's state-of-the-art technological resources. They can access Carolina's computer services through Academic Technology and Networks, which manages academic computing, e-mail, microcomputing labs, interactive media presentation, video and classroom support, and a help desk. The MetaLab oversees the development of SunSITE, one of the world's busiest digital library and electronic publishing projects.

Students may open e-mail accounts, and many use campus computer resources to construct personal Web pages. Students in residence halls have hardwired network connections to the Internet and cable television in their rooms. At the ATN Training center, students may take classes on software packages and utilities. Computer labs are available for student use all over campus.

Carolina Computing Initiative: Beginning with the freshman class of 2000, undergraduates must purchase laptop computers. The University has arranged for IBM to offer computers at excellent prices. Students, faculty, and staff will enjoy cost savings, higher quality compatible equipment, and better technical support through CCI. www.unc.edu/cci

The Study Abroad program allows students to live and learn in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific Rim, Africa, and the Americas. www.unc.edu/depts/abroad

The Honors Program offers special seminars, research programs, and the chance to design your own independent studies. www.unc.edu/depts/honors

Carolina students spend time in public service through student organizations, the Campus Y, the Carolina Center for Public Service, and courses that incorporate community service.

UNC's chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, a national collegiate honor society, is the oldest in North Carolina, dating from 1904. There are many other honorary societies at Carolina.

UNC offers ROTC programs in all branches of national military service.

Through the First Year Seminars program, first year students will understand what it means to study at a premier research university. They will learn from faculty members and share in their research in seminars of no more than 20 students.

Life outside the classroom: More than 370 clubs, teams, and student organizations offer something for everyone! You can choose from among musical and dramatic performing groups, publications, ethnic and religious clubs, the Campus Y and other service organizations, fraternities and sororities, and pre- professional organizations. Whatever your interests, you will find others at Carolina who share them! www.unc.edu/depts/union/student/listintr.htm

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