Grant Opportunities

At the Institute for the Advancement of Food and Nutrition Sciences research serves as the foundation for our actions. See our current grant opportunities below.

Current Opportunities:

Project Focused on Translational Cognitive Health Science

The IAFNS Cognitive Health Committee is seeking a doctoral student or post-doctoral individual to assist with a project that aims to explore communication needs/gaps to improve consumer/patient literacy on the topic of nutrition and cognitive health, through the audience of healthcare professionals (HCPs) and related professional organizations/groups that target HCPs and individuals.

Request for Pre-Proposals on Processing-Induced Changes to the Food Matrix and Mechanisms Impacting Weight

Request for Pre-Proposals for ADME/Toxicology on Erythritol

The IAFNS Working Group on Erythritol is committed to proactively improving the science and evidence basis for decision making by all sectors. Regulators globally are seeking current information on the safety profile of erythritol and a deeper understanding of erythritol exposure (the how much erythritol is added to foods). Industry is seeking to fully understand various low and no calorie sweeteners. And, academic researchers, including those focused on nutrition, are seeking additional hypotheses to test.

Review Of EU Novel Food Submissions And US GRAS Petitions To Identify Opportunities For Use Of New Approach Methodologies For Safety Determinations Of Food Substances

The IAFNS Food and Chemical Safety Committee is pleased to announce it is accepting applications for the above project. The risk assessment of some food substances have been shifting to adoption of a high-throughput, non-animal method strategy for demonstrating safety. These methods, along with new in vitro, in silico and powerful computer modeling tools, are collectively referred to as New Approach Methodologies or NAMs. This proposal seeks to review available safety assessments of food substances to identify classes of food substances that have leveraged NAMs data to support a regulatory approval. This would include a review of safety determinations by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration in its publicly available GRAS database, as well as those from the European Food Safety Authority.

Due date and address information: Proposals are due Nov. 3, 2023. The full Request for Proposals is available here.

Responses can be sent to IAFNS Senior Science Program Manager Neal Saab, PhD, at nsaab@IAFNS.org

IAFNS Graduate Student and Post-Doc Stipends for Research Using the Comprehensive Fiber Database

The IAFNS Carbohydrates Committee is pleased to announce it is accepting applications for the above project.

Publication and travel stipends are available on an ad hoc basis for graduate students and post-docs who complete research based primarily on the Comprehensive Fiber Database developed and maintained by Tufts University with funding from IAFNS.

The database: https://iafns.org/our-work/research-tools-open-data/dietary-fiber-database/

Supported projects may include evidence reviews of fiber and health outcomes and knowledge or gaps analysis of a specific area of fiber as it relates to human health. Other uses may also be considered as long as the database is a primary tool used in conduct and analysis.

Travel Awards: Up to 2 travel awards may be granted annually to reimburse up to US $1,000 each to cover meeting registration or travel for a graduate student or post-doc to present in an oral or poster presentation a project in which the Comprehensive Fiber Database serves as the basis for analysis.

Publications: Awards will be granted on an ad hoc basis up to US $4,000 in the form of reimbursed fees for free access to a peer-reviewed paper accepted for publication by a student currently enrolled in a nutrition or food science graduate program. The same would apply to a post-doc in food science or nutrition who is the first author on a paper for which the Fiber Database is a primary tool for analysis.

Details and full instructions can be found in this form.

Please submit proposals at your convenience. Applications will be reviewed every 8 weeks. For further questions please contact blyle@iafns.org.

Scientific integrity is a core value of IAFNS. Learn how we embed scientific integrity into every step of our research process.

View Current Areas of Work

Learn How We Work

Projects Funded by IAFNS:

IAFNS's mission is to advance food safety and nutrition science for the benefit of public health. View projects funded by IAFNS below, and learn how we embed scientific integrity into every step of our research process.

Sodium and Potassium in the Food Supply: A Model to Predict Intakes and Health Outcomes

The dietary sodium-to-potassium ratio is shown to be more strongly associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and CVD-related mortality than either sodium or potassium intake alone. The aim was to estimate the sodium-to-potassium ratio in the diet of US adults. Institution: USDA Agricultural Research Service Principal Investigator: Alanna Moshfegh, MS, RD Amount Awarded: […]

Trans Fatty Acids and Cholesterol Levels: An Evidence Map of the Available Science

The aim of this project is to characterize the existing literature regarding intervention trials on industrial trans fatty acid intake as a substitute for cis-monounsaturated fatty acids or saturated fatty acids and resulting changes in LDL- or HDL-cholesterol. Institution: Biofortis Principal Investigator: DeAnn Liska, PhD Year Awarded: 2014 Read more: Trans fatty acids and cholesterol […]

Correlation of Surrogate Bacteria and Salmonellae for Validation of Spice/Herb Pathogen Reduction Processes

Spices and herbs are obtained from plants that are grown in open fields and later subjected to a drying process that often involves sun drying in open environments. Therefore, bacterial pathogens are likely to be present in these products. Despite implementation of preventive measures, outbreaks of foodborne disease and recalls have been linked to spices. […]

Development of a Fiber Database and Evidence Map

Thousands of studies have been completed on a wide range of fiber and fiber-rich foods examining a wide range of health outcomes. The aim of this project is to develop a comprehensive database of fibers to enable efficient conduct of systematic evidence reviews linking specific fibers and fiber sources with high potential human health outcomes. […]

Protocol and Surrogate Validation for the Inactivation of Salmonella on Spices

Worldwide, spices are used to enhance the flavor of foods. In many cultures, spices are considered ready-to-eat and are added to foods after cooking, creating some risk for consumers if the spices have been contaminated with human pathogens. Several outbreaks of foodborne illness, associated with the consumption of spices have occurred; furthermore, numerous recalls of […]

Low-Calorie Sweeteners and Body Weight and Composition

Replacement of caloric sweeteners with lower- or no calorie alternatives may facilitate weight loss or weight maintenance by helping to reduce energy intake. However, past research examining the relationship between low-calorie sweeteners (LCSs) and body weight has produced mixed results. The aim of this study was to systematically review and quantitatively evaluate randomized controlled trials […]

Toxicology and Risk Assessment of Chemical Mixtures

The IAFNS Food and Chemical Safety Committee invests in the training and education of future scientists and leaders in the fields of food and chemical safety and food toxicology by supporting a Summer Fellowship Program for doctoral students. This project focused on Toxicology and Risk Assessment of Chemical Mixtures. Institution: University of Cincinnati Summer Fellow: […]

Nutrition-Toxicity Interactions in Daphnia pulex: Developing an Alternative Model Organism for Early Life Exposures

As a well-known eco-toxicological model organism, Daphnia pulex may also offer advantages in human health research for assessing long-term effects of early life exposures to coupled stressors. This study will serve as a proof-of-concept for the use of Daphnia pulex as a screening model organism for long-term effects of exposure to multiple stressors in early […]

Future Research Needs Assessment for Fructose/Sugar and Health Outcomes

The aim of this project is to identify research gaps and prioritize research needs related to dietary sugars and potentially related health outcomes. Institution: Tufts University Principal Investigator: Mei Chung, PhD Year Awarded: 2013 Read more: Research needs and prioritizations for studies linking dietary sugars and potentially related health outcomes Learn more about the IAFNS Carbohydrates […]

Forging an Understanding of the Double-Edged Iron Sword and Immunity

Upon infection, the host and pathogen compete to acquire, utilize and store essential iron. The goal of this project is to understand how iron nutrition contributes to infectious disease pathogenesis and clinical outcomes. This information can be utilized to determine how to best intervene in regions with high dual burdens of iron deficiency malnutrition and […]

Evaluation of Food-Relevant Chemicals in ToxCast Phase II

The IAFNS Food and Chemical Safety Committee invests in the training and education of future scientists and leaders in the fields of food and chemical safety and food toxicology by supporting a Summer Fellowship Program for doctoral students. This project focused on the Evaluation of Food-Relevant Chemicals in ToxCast Phase II. Institution: Michigan State University […]

« Previous
1
…
7
8
9