Center for Human and Planetary Health Human and Planetary Health

Careers

Research Assistant: Climate change, agroecology, and undernutrition 

Project: Building Climate and Food Security Resilience: The Role of Agricultural Diversification in Mitigating the Impacts of Precipitation Shocks on Child and Adolescent Undernutrition 

Climate change is one of the biggest threats to human health. In sub-Saharan Africa, climate change threatens to put millions at risk of food insecurity. Agroecology is a social movement and approach to food that optimizes the interactions between plants, animals, humans, and the environment. Crop-livestock diversification and integration are agroecological practices that have the potential to benefit human nutrition and increase climate resilience, providing a win-win solution for planetary health. This project uses secondary data to examine whether croplivestock agroecology mitigates the impacts of climate shocks on child and adolescent undernutrition in East Africa. The research assistant will contribute to data cleaning of household panel datasets and a literature review to identify existing evidence on agricultural practices that support climate and nutrition resilience. 

RA (Hourly) Responsibilities: 

  • Organize and link publicly available household panel datasets. 
  • Perform data cleaning and quality control tasks. 
  • Standardize variables across country-specific datasets. 
  • Maintain comprehensive documentation of data cleaning, preparation, and quality checks. 
  • Prepare well-organized and annotated code. 
  • Conduct a literature review of relevant literature and methods. 
  • Assist in data analysis and prepare tables and figures. 
  • Participate in weekly meetings and maintain regular communication on project tasks. 

Eligibility:

  • Stanford upper-level undergraduate or master’s student in good academic standing

RA Qualifications: 

  • Experience with statistical software (Stata or R) is required
  • Experience with data cleaning is preferred.
  • Excellent attention to detail and capacity to deliver high-quality work.
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills.
  • Excellent organizational skills and ability to work independently and collaboratively. 
  • Willingness to learn new skills and adapt to project needs. 
  • A strong interest in food systems, sustainability, nutrition, and/or global health is encouraged.

Commitment and Remuneration: 

  • 10 hours per week (one quarter; extension possible depending on funding availability) 
  • Hourly pay in accordance with Stanford rates.

 To apply: Interested applicants should email Dr. Nathalie Lambrecht (nlambrec@stanford.edu) as soon as possible with a cover letter (max 1 page) and resume or CV. Include the subject line: “Ag-Nutr RA Application”. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Postdoc Opportunity: Plant-based Diets, Food Systems, Health and the Environment

The Stanford Plant-Based Diet Initiative (PBDI) and the Stanford Center for Human and Planetary Health (HPH) are pleased to offer an exciting opportunity for a postdoctoral fellow interested in advancing interdisciplinary research and making an impact on human health and the environment. 

PBDI, based at the Stanford School of Medicine’s Prevention Research Center, led by prominent nutrition scientist Dr. Christopher Gardner and made possible by a generous gift from Beyond Meat, is dedicated to researching the health and environmental benefits of plant-based diets. HPH is a new center based at the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability’s Woods Institute for the Environment, in partnership with the School of Medicine’s Center for Innovation in Global Health. HPH’s focus area, “Food Systems, Health and the Environment” envisions a food system that provides healthy, affordable human nutrition while supporting thriving biodiverse terrestrial and aquatic environments, and reducing carbon emissions from the agricultural sector. 

PBDI and HPH are concerned about a broken food system, unhealthy diets, and their impacts on human health and the environment. They are excited to collaborate in offering an opportunity for a postdoc to advance solution-oriented research in this area. The fellow will have the opportunity to contribute to Dr. Gardner’s current research, The fellow will also be expected to support the formation and development of research ideas that will emerge from a new, interdisciplinary Stanford food systems working group. The postdoc will be responsible for writing proposals seeking funding to expand and sustain these research ideas. 

This fellowship is confirmed for one year, with a flexible start-date no later than September 2025. The position could be extended based on performance and availability of funding. The postdoc will receive a competitive postdoctoral salary based on Stanford University guidelines, and full benefits.

Required Qualifications: 

  • Recently completed PhD, DrPH, MD, or other doctoral degree in a discipline related to nutrition, food systems, or sustainable agriculture. 
  • Experience working in interdisciplinary settings that combine multiple perspectives and disciplines, ideally across topics including nutrition, sustainable food choices, food systems, food security, sustainable agriculture, agro-ecology, and global health. 
  • Excellent oral and written English-language communication skills. 
  • Highly motivated self-starter with the ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
  • Experience securing funding for research is preferred. 
  • Applications from underrepresented minority groups are encouraged to apply. 

Required Application Materials:

  • A cover letter describing your research accomplishments, areas of interest, career goals, and relevant experience. (2 page max)
  • CV
  • Two representative writing samples, ideally one submitted funding proposal and one published academic article.
  • Contact information for three references. 

How to Apply: Submit all application materials to stanford-hph@stanford.edu by May 30, 2025. Please write ‘PBDI/HPH Postdoc Application’ in the subject line of the email.