Research Scientist, Advanced Food Technologist

Description

Job Description:

Leidos has an opening for an Advanced Food Technologist Research Scientist to support the Human Health and Performance Contract (HHPC), in NASA’s Human Systems Engineering and Innovation organization at the Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX. The Research Scientist will directly support research activities within the Advanced Food Technology (AFT) portfolio, which is responsible for developing requirements, methods and technologies that enable NASA to provide an adequate food system for future space exploration.

The AFT Research Scientist will oversee several multi-year research projects that contribute to the overall body of research that is aimed at reducing the Risk of Performance Decrement and Crew Illness Due to an Inadequate Food System.

Specific activities include new product development, reformulation of existing foods, nutrition stability testing, shelf-life determination, organoleptic characterization of packaged foods and bioregenerative produce, and integration of foods into flight studies or ground-based analogs. Additional activities include (but are not limited to), conducting literature reviews, supporting proposal development, preparing /reviewing technical reports, and preparing presentations, proposals, or quarterly charts. Participation in outreach events, tours, and other activities scheduled by the Public Affairs and Education Offices is also required.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Shelf-life determination – Manage schedules for shelf-life testing, establish analytical testing procedures, oversee activities of the research and development technician to ensure proper execution of analytical tests, analyze shelf-life data, and provide regular updates to NASA customer.
• Research oversight – Includes deliverable tracking, management of project timelines, establishment of research protocols, and coordination/communication of project status to NASA customer.
• Product Development – Activities include, but are not limited to development of powdered nutritional beverages, retorted or freeze-dried foods; flavor and texture optimization; evaluation of novel processing technologies; and assessment of alternative packaging materials.
• Sensory evaluation – Responsible for managing sensory evaluation schedules for all R&D projects; oversight of sensory testing to ensure that all tests are conducted in accordance with Independent Review Board (IRB) protocols for human testing; support panelist recruitment and training; ensure sensory data is analyzed and reported on a weekly basis.
• Technical writing – Conduct literature reviews to remain abreast of industry standards; contribute to proposals and manuscripts for publication; prepare and review technical reports, presentations, and charts, as assigned.
• ISS provisioning support – Support development and reformulation of ISS menu items, and other tasks as assigned.
• Public Outreach - Participation in outreach events, tours, and other activities scheduled by the Public Affairs and Education Office or requested by the NASA customer.
• You may be asked to support various media campaigns, which require media training and compliance with established export control guidelines

Required Education and Experience:

• Master's degree in Food Science or a closely related discipline, and a minimum of 5 years' previous experience in a commercial food production or research setting.
• Previous demonstrated experience with shelf-life determination, food product development, specification development, analytical evaluation, research project management, and data analysis/reporting.
• Must possess a valid driver’s license
• You may be required to travel for this position (up to 20%)

Desired Education and Experience:

• ​PhD in Food Science, Food Engineering, Nutrition, or closely related discipline
• Previous experience with sensory evaluation
• Previous experience managing complex budgets
• Serv-Safe certification
• Experience updating existing ingredient and product specifications
• Experience with nutritional estimation and label generation

Physical Requirements:

• This job requires the ability to lift 40 pounds
• Occasionally exposed to cold environments when retrieving refrigerated or frozen shelf-life samples

Must be able to obtain a Public Trust security clearance; U.S. Citizenship or U.S. Permanent Resident status is required due to length of investigation for non-U.S. Persons.

Pay Range: