Summary

The Children's Nutrition Research Center (CNRC) at Baylor College of Medicine invites applications for a the competitive CNRC Postdoctoral Fellowship in Pediatric Nutrition. The CNRC is an internationally recognized Center for pediatric nutrition research operated in cooperation between the Agricultural Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Baylor College of Medicine, and Texas Children’s Hospital. The CNRC is located in a modern, fully equipped research facility in the Texas Medical Center in Houston, TX.

The goal of the Training Program at the CNRC is to prepare Ph.D. and M.D. postdocs for biomedical research careers in nutrition that focus on pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, and adolescence. Supported trainees conduct research under the mentorship of a CNRC faculty member in basic, translational, behavioral, and clinical pediatric and/or maternal nutrition research, while also benefitting from state-of-the-art training, didactic structure, and a mentoring committee. Research areas include molecular regulation of metabolism, growth, and body composition; developmental determinants of chronic diseases; epigenetic outcomes of nutritional conditions; dietary bioactives; neuroregulation of appetite and metabolism; dietary requirements; behavioral basis of energy balance; and crop improvement.

Job Duties

• Full understanding of framing research questions, research design and methods, and project implemetation.
• Learns and becomes an expert at research techniques involved in your projects and, when appropriate, develops and establishes methods of research, tests and collects data, conducts analysis and evaluation, and writes reports containing descriptive, analytical and evaluative content.
• Exercises independent discretion and judgment in carrying out research activities within the predetermined research scope and methodology.
• Within the predetermined research scope and methodology, conducts research experiments in the field of Nutrition Science.
• Collects and analyzes data, including periodical/literature search and utilizing specialized skills in related field to analyze the collected data.
• Demonstrates proficiency in scientific/manuscript writing for publication in scientific journals, grant writing, poster and oral presentations.
• Attends conferences and seminars.
• Strong publication record and demonstrated experience in research study design and project implementation.
• Mentors research training in laboratory specific research methods.
• Attends courses, seminars, and lectures that integrate the study of research methods and processes.

Minimum Qualifications

• MD or Ph.D. in Basic Science, Health Science, or a related field.
• No experience required.

Preferred Qualifications

• M.D. degree or A Ph.D. degree in nutrition, molecular biology, physiology, genetics, biostatistics, epidemiology, animal science, psychology, sociology, or related field of study.
• Must have less than 5 years of relevant research experience since the receipt of their doctoral degrees.

Other

Duration and Level of Support

Fellowship support is generally for two years, and salary is commensurate with experience based on NIH guidelines.

How to Apply:

All applicants should submit a brief application including a letter of interest and CV at BCM Careers for Req 23824. Questions may be directed to Dr. Nancy E. Moran, Postdoctoral Research Training Program Interim Director, Children's Nutrition Research Center, Baylor College of Medicine, 1100 Bates St., Houston, TX 77030, [email protected]. Letters of interest should indicate what their training goals are and which faculty member(s) in the CNRC they would like to train with. Applicants can view potential mentors at https://www.bcm.edu/research/research-centers/usda-ars-childrens-nutrition-research-center/research/investigator-labs

After review of their letter of interest and CV, competitive candidates will be invited to collaborate with a CNRC faculty member in their area of primary interest to submit Postdoctoral Fellowship Application B ( https://cdn.bcm.edu/sites/default/files/postdoc-applications-_-trainees-table-1.pdf ) which includes an application form, CV, transcripts, recommendation letters, statement of interest, mentor statement, and short research proposal developed with a prospective mentor. The Postdoctoral Fellowship application is due by February 16, 2026, 5 PM Central Time. Completed applications should be submitted to [email protected]. Fellowship start dates are expected to be between May 2026-February 2027, depending on relocation and graduation timelines.

Review

Overall merit of the application will be judged based on the candidate’s qualifications, the training potential of the research project, commitment of the mentor, and alignment with the CNRC mission and objectives of the training program.

More information about the CNRC training program can be found here:
https://www.bcm.edu/research/research-centers/usda-ars-childrens-nutrition-research-center
https://www.bcm.edu/research/research-centers/usda-ars-childrens-nutrition-research-center/education/postdoctoral-fellowship-in-childrens-nutrition/admissions-and-benefits

Important Dates:

• Call for applications – release November 15- January 15th, 2026.
• Application deadline – February 16th, 2026, 5 PM Central Time
• Study Section – March 9th -13th, 2026
• Council Meeting (director) March 16th – 27th, 2026
• Final Decision – April 1st – April 10th, 2026