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Job Summary:

The Wisconsin Research, Innovation and Scholarly Excellence (RISE) Initiative is designed to help address significant, complex challenges of particular importance to Wisconsin and the world, through accelerated and strategic faculty hiring, research infrastructure enhancement, interdisciplinary collaboration and increased student and educational opportunities. Wisconsin RISE Initiatives allow UW–Madison to attract top scholars at all stages of their careers to bring interdisciplinary perspectives to solving deeply complex problems. RISE-THRIVE, which stands for Transforming Healthspan through Research, InnoVation, and Education, is set to harness and grow the university’s reputation as a global powerhouse in interdisciplinary health research — translating both medical discoveries and innovative social science approaches into tangibly healthier lives for Wisconsinites and people and communities around the world. RISE-EARTH, which stands for Environment: Adaptation, Resilience, Technology, and Humanity, will strengthen the university's ability to address challenges and opportunities related to the environment, translating discoveries into tangible benefits in Wisconsin and beyond.

RISE-THRIVE will focus on strengthening UW–Madison’s investments and leadership in two distinct yet complementary areas: the science of immunology and the study of the healthspan, or the number of years a person is not only alive but healthy. Improving human health and wellness is a critically important global challenge. Milk, and dairy products like cheese, contain many uniquely designed components or metabolites that are generated through fermentation, processing, and digestion processes that can improve human health; these functions warrant further exploration and discovery. RISE-EARTH includes a focus on building resilient rural communities that heavily depend on dairy processing for their economic sustainability. In Wisconsin, the dairy sector has an economic impact of over $50B. There are over 400 dairy plants or whey processing firms in Wisconsin and 61 out of our 71 counties have at least one of these facilities. Creating innovative consumer dairy products and improving sustainability are key challenges for this dairy sector and relevant themes for this position.

As part of the RISE initiative, the Department of Food and Nutritional Science (FSN) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor or Associate Professor (with tenure) position with expertise in the processing, or characterization of functional components in milk or dairy foods like cheese or approaches to improve the environmental or economic sustainability of dairy processing.

The vision for this position is to act in concert with complementary programs and researchers within the department, the Dairy Innovation Hub (see https://dairyinnovationhub.wisc.edu/), CALS and campus communities. Areas of focus could include, but are not limited to, the identification and characterization of functional dairy components, identification and characterization of bioactive metabolites that are generated through fermentation, processing and digestion processes of cheese and fermented dairy products, the discovery and creation of products containing dairy ingredients targeted towards personalized nutrition applications; ultimately these efforts would lead to impactful dairy product discoveries, uses, and economic impacts. Research that provides value to consumer health and dairy product development, or economical and environmental sustainability, are also of great interest.

The ideal candidate will produce high-impact, relevant research that can be meaningfully applied to the dairy industry and complement existing departmental strengths in food and nutritional sciences. We value scholars who demonstrate a strong commitment to public engagement and real-world impact. We seek a faculty member who will combine rigorous research with a deep interest in outreach that engages communities, stakeholder, industries, and institutions. This position offers an outstanding opportunity to participate in interdisciplinary research, influence dairy food manufacturing, and teach in a world-class academic setting.

Key Job Responsibilities:

• Develop a nationally competitive, extramurally funded research program focused on functional dairy products with the goal of increasing the consumption, sustainability, nutritional value, and health impact of dairy products and dairy-derived components in concert with RISE-THRIVE and EARTH initiatives. This work will address the growing need to generate compelling evidence of dairy’s health benefits within an increasingly competitive landscape of alternative ingredients, leveraging interdisciplinary approaches that connect fundamental science to economically meaningful outcomes.The position may deploy such approaches that integrate basic and translational research, advancing discoveries toward commercialization, and collaborating with departmental strengths in nutritional research while leveraging world-class facilities such as in Babcock Hall. The successful candidate will be expected to secure extramural funding and publish in high-quality peer-reviewed journals. Research collaborations with other faculty in our department, and across campus, are encouraged.
• Teach graduate and undergraduate students, commensurate with college expectations and consistent with the teaching loads of the department. Mentor students and promote their development and success in a collaborative environment. 
• Contribute to outreach and service functions of the department, college, university, and professional societies.
• Contribute to programs aimed at increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion within the department, college, and university. Promote an inclusive and diverse climate within our campus and associated communities.

Department:

Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences

Compensation:

Negotiable – 9 months / ongoing

Required Qualifications:

• Training or experience demonstrating potential for excellence in conducting frontier research, providing innovative teaching, and actively engaging in outreach.

• Demonstrated research capacities in areas such as milk characterization, cheese technology, identification and quantification of metabolites and bioactives, clinical studies, and advanced processing technologies.

• Demonstrated skills may include AI, data analysis, techno-economic analysis, molecular identification, large datasets, and complex problem-solving.

• A record of, or potential for, securing competitive external funding such as through USDA, NSF, NIH, and so forth.

• Demonstrated commitment to public engagement, interdisciplinary collaboration, and stakeholder engagement.

• Demonstrated commitment to or potential for instructional excellence and pedagogical scholarship for instruction and mentorship.

• Strong communication and collaboration skills are required and will be assessed via written work listed on curriculum vitae, statements submitted for the application, and interactions during the interview process.

At the rank of Associate Professor with tenure, the selected candidate's qualifications must be sufficient to meet the requirements for tenure in the Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences, in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison by the position start date.

Education:

Ph.D. in Food Science, Food Engineering, Nutritional Sciences, or related fields.

Additional Information:

This position is part of the Wisconsin Research, Innovation and Scholarly Excellence (RISE) Initiative. Through accelerated and strategic faculty hiring, research infrastructure enhancement, interdisciplinary collaboration, and increased student and educational opportunities, RISE addresses complex societal challenges of importance to the state, nation and world. Building on UW-Madison's strengths, RISE expands the University's successful track record of connecting with communities and industry on collaborative solutions.

Over the next three academic years, UW-Madison will substantially increase current hiring levels, bringing 150 new RISE faculty to campus. Candidates hired through RISE will join a community of scholars working across disciplines, schools and colleges on research, teaching and outreach endeavors. The community will engage regularly in venues such as seminar series and colloquia to share ongoing projects and identify opportunities to work together. The University will support the community, facilitating access to research infrastructure, and funding to support broad and rich collaboration. Further information regarding RISE can be found at: https://rise.wisc.edu/ 

About the Department and Institution: The Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences at UW–Madison is internationally recognized for its research, teaching and outreach related to dairy foods.

UW–Madison is located in Madison, Wisconsin—an innovative and vibrant city frequently ranked among the best places to live in the U.S. The university fosters a collaborative and inclusive environment and is committed to diversity, equity, and community engagement.

How to Apply:

Apply online at "Jobs at UW" (http://jobs.wisc.edu). Applications must be received through UW-Madison's online application system.

To begin the process, please click "Apply Now".

Applicants must upload the following information as a single PDF document:

1) Cover letter detailing interest and relevant training/experience for this position (1-page)

2) Curriculum vitae

3) Statements of:

• Teaching and mentoring philosophy and experience (1-page limit)

• Research experience and interests with a description of current and planned research (3-5 page limit).

In addition, you will be asked to provide the names and contact information of three references willing to be contacted for letters of recommendation at a later date.

Deadline: The deadline for assuring full consideration is August 30, 2026; however, the position will remain open, and applications may be considered until the position is filled.

Contact Information:

Scott Rankin - Department Chair
Phone: 608-263-2008
Email: [email protected]

Institutional Statement on Diversity:

Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background - people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is an Equal Opportunity Employer. 

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, including but not limited to, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, pregnancy, disability, or status as a protected veteran and other bases as defined by federal regulations and UW System policies. We promote excellence by acknowledging skills and expertise from all backgrounds and encourage all qualified individuals to apply. For more information regarding applicant and employee rights and to view federal and state required postings, visit the Human Resources Workplace Poster website.

To request a disability or pregnancy-related accommodation for any step in the hiring process (e.g., application, interview, pre-employment testing, etc.), please contact the Divisional Disability Representative (DDR) in the division you are applying to. Please make your request as soon as possible to help the university respond most effectively to you.

Employment may require a criminal background check. It may also require your references to answer questions regarding misconduct, including sexual violence and sexual harassment. 
 
The University of Wisconsin System will not reveal the identities of applicants who request confidentiality in writing, except that the identity of the successful candidate will be released. See Wis. Stat. sec. 19.36(7). 
 
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