Director - Plants Human Health Institute

About The Department

The Plants for Human Health Institute’s mission is to provide a global center for discovery and health benefits. The continuum of plant genetics to crop breeding strategies, to foods and food processing, and ultimately to diet and health is a complex path. PHHI leverages world‑leading expertise in nutrition, food, and plant sciences to discover and deliver innovative plant‑based strategies for advancing human health.

PHHI is unique in that it supports an in‑house outreach component, a group of NC State Extension personnel that works with institute faculty and Cooperative Extension agents and specialists statewide to deliver educational resources to enrich the lives and economy of North Carolinians.

The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) at NC State supports the Plants for Human Health Institute with faculty from the departments of horticultural science; food, bioprocessing and nutrition sciences; plant and microbial biology; animal science; and molecular and structural biochemistry. This transdisciplinary interaction strengthens the efforts of individual faculty.

PHHI is part of the NC Research Campus in Kannapolis, NC, (112 miles west of NC State’s main campus in Raleigh) that comprises eight dedicated research centers from seven UNC System schools and Duke University. Each university research center brings unique expertise within the transdisciplinary research community, with the overarching focus on health, nutrition, and biosciences innovation.

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The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the Plants for Human Health Institute (PHHI) seeks a candidate with specific expertise in the discovery and translation of plant and food innovations for disease prevention and organizational administration. The Director will provide leadership to uphold PHHI as the premier global center for the discovery and translation of the links between plants, disease prevention, and health maintenance.

The candidate should have an academic record of accomplishment that would qualify them for academic rank as a tenured Professor. The position also requires a research program focused on the discovery and delivery of innovative plant‑based solutions to advance human health.

This individual will be an established, world‑renowned academic in the area of plant‑based nutrition discovery and innovation for advancing human health, and whose primary responsibilities will be in the areas of administrative leadership, research, and training, while establishing a broad set of partnerships and collaborations, both within and beyond the university. The successful candidate will be expected to set and support bold, innovative research goals as well as lead a world‑class Plants for Human Health Institute aimed at advancing and applying plant‑based solutions for human health.

The position is critical to College departmental research, leadership, and training missions; the formal appointment is administration (60%) and research (40%).

• Provide strategic leadership and vision to promote and advance PHHI’s cutting‑edge research, training, and extension programs.
• Foster the PHHI’s national and international profile and visibility by building…