"Research Associate"

Job Description

The part-time salaried RD Dietary Counselor/research associate (RA) will support an NIH-funded behavioral intervention trial focused on weight loss and weight loss maintenance in adults aged 50+ years. The dietary counselor will provide one-on-one weight management counseling to participants on a weekly basis in-person during the 12-week weight loss phase, and on a monthly “virtual” basis during the 12-month maintenance phase. The counselor will also be responsible for data collection, specifically dietary intake assessment and collection of 24-hour dietary recall data, weighing and recording participants' body weight using study procedures, and collecting self-monitoring logs from participants to track adherence to self-monitoring recommendations for body weight, diet, and physical activity. The dietary counselor/RA will assist with updating all study counseling materials as needed, and training, onboarding, and supervising new dietary counselors. The counselor will be responsible for periodic staff retraining and conducting quality assurance checks for all study dietary counseling activities and all data collected by the study counselors.

The dietary counselor will meet regularly with the dietary counseling team and will meet twice per month with the full research team and PI. The dietary counselor must be detail-oriented, reliable, responsible, flexible, able to work independently, and maintain a professional demeanor with study participants.

Required Qualifications

Master’s degree in Nutrition and/or Dietetics, RDN credential (An exception may be granted for individuals with bachelor’s degrees and significant relevant experience); Experience providing medical nutrition therapy focused on adult weight management in older adults

Preferred Qualifications

Previous experience working in human clinical research, CITI Human Subjects Research Training certificate, ServSafe certificate.

Overtime Status

Exempt: Not eligible for overtime

Appointment Type

Restricted

Salary Information

46,226 to 53,967

Hours per week

32

Review Date

02/20/2026

Additional Information

The successful candidate will be required to have a criminal conviction check.

If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact Dr. Brenda Davy at bdavy@vt.edu during regular business hours at least 10 business days prior to the event.