Department of Food Science

POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT

Assistant Professor in Emerging Food Technologies

The Department of Food Science at the University of Massachusetts Amherst invites applications for a tenure-track faculty position at the Assistant Professor level. We are seeking outstanding individuals with expertise in food science, including, but not limited to; innovative processing; mathematical modeling and/or big data analysis; plant-based foods to address health and sustainability challenges; natural product separation and analysis; carbohydrate chemistry; packaging; physiochemical properties of foods; personalized nutrition. For more information, including minimum qualifications and application instructions, please visit: http://careers.umass.edu/amherst/en-us/job/502847/tenure-track-assistant-professor-in-emerging-food-technologies

UMass Amherst is committed to a policy of equal opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, age, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, disability, military status, or genetic information in employment, admission to and participation in academic programs, activities, and services, and the selection of vendors who provide services or products to the University.  

FEATURES

UMass sensory scientist researches how diminished taste function can affect cancer patients’ post-treatment diets 

Alissa Nolden of UMass food Science set out to review the literature about the impact of cancer patients’ sense of taste and smell on their “food behavior,” defined as any behavior that affects patients’ overall nutritional health, such as their desire to eat, food preferences and consumption. Nolden’s goal is to develop a better understanding of changes in taste and how that affects cancer patients’ ability to enjoy food and meet optimum nutritional needs during and after treatment.  Her review evaluated 11 studies published between 1982 and 2018 “that psychophysically measured taste and smell function and assessed some aspect of food behavior.” Nolden found a reduced taste function, particularly for sweet flavors, among people with cancer. And that diminished taste was associated with a reduced appetite; avoidance of certain foods, including meat; and a lower intake of calories and protein.  CNS News December 18, 2019