| Location | College Park, MD |
| Salary | $65,000–$75,000 Per Year |
Job Description Summary
POSITION OVERVIEW/SUMMARY:
The Joint Institute for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (JIFSAN) at the University of Maryland (UMD), in collaboration with the UMD Center of Excellence in Microbiome Sciences, invites applications for a Postdoctoral Research Associate position in food safety microbiology and microbial genomics. We seek a highly motivated recent PhD graduate with expertise spanning both computational and experimental biology.
The successful candidate will join an interdisciplinary research team led by Professors Mihai Pop (Department of Computer Science) and Jianghong Meng (Department of Nutrition and Food Science). The research program focuses on foodborne pathogens, microbial genomics, microbiome science, and AI-driven large-scale data analysis for food safety applications.
Professor Pop's laboratory develops novel algorithms and software tools for the analysis of biological and microbiome data. His group has created widely used bioinformatics tools, including the sequence aligner Bowtie, the metagenomic assembler MetaCarvel, and the microbiome statistics package metagenomeSeq. Current research efforts focus on understanding strain-level variation within microbial communities and investigating how database errors influence downstream analytical pipelines.
This position offers an outstanding opportunity to engage in cutting-edge, multidisciplinary research with strong relevance to both academia and industry. The successful candidate will work in a highly collaborative environment at the intersection of microbiology, genomics, bioinformatics, and artificial intelligence, with opportunities for professional development, publication, and collaboration across multiple scientific disciplines.
ABOUT JIFSAN AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND
The Joint Institute for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (JIFSAN) was established between the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the University of Maryland (UMD) in April 1996. The Institute is a jointly administered, multidisciplinary research, education and outreach program. The Institute is the foundation of public and private partnerships that provides the scientific basis for ensuring a safe, wholesome food supply as well as the infrastructure for contributions to national food safety programs and international food standards. JIFSAN fosters the missions of FDA and the University through the creation of partnerships to increase the quantity and quality of research, which will provide the basis for sound public health policy. It promotes food safety, human nutrition, and animal health and production through integrated research, education, and outreach programs. Opportunities exist for collaborative projects with Federal and state agencies, private industry, consumer and trade groups, and international organizations with mutual interests.
ABOUT THE CENTER OF EXCELLENCE IN MICROBIOME SCIENCES
The UMD Center of Excellence in Microbiome Sciences is an interdisciplinary research community that unites faculty and students across UMD colleges and schools to advance microbiome science through emerging technologies, data innovation, and evidence-based solutions that support human, animal, and environmental health.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
demonstrating the ability to design, execute, and troubleshoot experiments independently. (45%)
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
environments (1-3 years).
PHYSICAL DEMANDS:
preparing and analyzing data and figures; transcribing; viewing a computer terminal;
extensive reading.
LICENSES/CERTIFICATIONS:
N/A
Additional Job Details
Required Application Materials:
Cover Letter, Curriculum Vitae, List of References (including name, phone number, and email), Unofficial Transcript, Writing Sample (e.g. Project/class report primarily written by applicant as opposed to co-authored publications), Code Samples (e.g. link to code repository primarily developed by applicant).
Best Consideration Date: August 16, 2026
Posting Close Date: N/A
Open Until Filled: Yes
Financial Disclosure Required
No
For more information on Financial Disclosure, please visit Maryland's State Ethics Commission website.
Department
AGNR-Dean-Joint Inst for Food Safety & Applied Nutrition
Worker Sub-Type
Faculty Regular
Salary Range
$65,000 - $75,000
Benefits Summary
For more information on Regular Faculty benefits, select this link.
Background Checks
Offers of employment are contingent on completion of a background check. Information reported by the background check will not automatically disqualify anyone from employment. Before any adverse decision, the finalist will have an opportunity to provide information to the University regarding disclosable background check information. The University reserves the right to rescind the offer of employment or otherwise decline or terminate employment if the information reported by the background check is deemed incompatible with the position, regardless of when the background check is completed.
Employment Eligibility
The successful candidate must complete employment eligibility verification (on Form I-9) by presenting documents that establish identity and work authorization within the timeframe required by federal immigration law, and where applicable, to demonstrate renewed employment authorization. Failure to complete employment eligibility verification or reverification within the timeframe set forth by law may result in suspension or termination of employment.
EEO Statement
The University of Maryland, College Park is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment. Please read the University's Equal Employment Opportunity Statement of Policy.
Title IX Non-Discrimination Notice
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