We welcome motivated undergraduate and graduate students interested in nutrition, behavioral change interventions, and public health to join our research team.
Undergraduate students have opportunities to assist with data collection, literature reviews, and community outreach projects, gaining valuable hands-on research experience. For graduate students, we offer mentorship in designing and conducting independent research projects aligned with our lab's focus areas. If you're excited about contributing to cutting-edge nutrition and health research, see the options below to contact us to discuss current openings and how your interests align with our work.
Please reach out to Dr. Buckingham-Schutt at lbschutt@iastate.edu if interested in learning more.
Interested Undergraduate students can
Paid Undergraduate Research Assistants
Opportunities to paid undergraduate research assistants are available on an as-needed basis depending on our ongoing projects. We prioritize students based on 1) ability to commit to volunteering for at least 2 academic semesters; 2) students earlier in their undergraduate career vs seniors; and 3) students in the college of Human Science and Health.
Volunteer for Course Credit
Students can receive course credit. It is recommended to reach out to Dr. Buckingham-Schutt and discuss potential independent study opportunities and number of credits several months before an academic semester begins.
Volunteer Ad-Hoc (Not for credit)
Opportunities to volunteer without course credit are available on an as-needed basis depending on our ongoing projects. We prioritize students based on 1) ability to commit to volunteering for at least 2 academic semesters; 2) students earlier in their undergraduate career vs seniors; and 3) students in the college of Human Science and Health.
NEW! PhD Student Recruitment Opportunity
Nutrition, Food-as-Medicine, and Behavioral Health Research in Rural Communities
Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition
Iowa State University | Ames, Iowa
Anticipated start: Flexible, with a start date no later than Fall 2027
Join the Buckingham-Schutt Lab
The Buckingham-Schutt Lab at Iowa State University is seeking a highly motivated PhD student interested in public health nutrition, nutrition security, food-as-medicine interventions, behavioral change, cancer survivorship, and rural health.
The successful student will contribute to a portfolio of federally funded and developing research projects focused on improving health through interventions that connect food access, nutrition, physical activity, and sustainable behavior change.
This is an opportunity to gain experience across the full research continuum—from intervention development and community engagement to participant recruitment, data collection, implementation, evaluation, statistical analysis, manuscript preparation, and grant development.
Research Opportunities
1. Produce Prescription and Food-as-Medicine Research
The student will contribute to research examining produce prescription interventions and other food-as-medicine strategies designed to improve nutrition security and health outcomes.
Potential work includes:
- Evaluating produce prescription programs supported through USDA GusNIP
- Examining how access to fruits and vegetables influences dietary intake, food security, and health outcomes
- Supporting intervention implementation and evaluation in community and healthcare settings
- Conducting quantitative and mixed-methods research
- Working with community, clinical, and organizational partners
- Translating findings into publications, presentations, Extension resources, and future grant proposals
2. Rural Cancer Survivorship and Walking Intervention
The student will also contribute to an R01-funded intervention focused on rural cancer survivors.
The intervention includes:
- A walking/physical activity intervention
- Individualized or structured nutrition counseling
- Dietary assessment and diet data collection
- Participant recruitment and retention
- Community-based research with rural populations
- Evaluation of behavioral, dietary, and health-related outcomes
The student may develop dissertation research within one or both of these research areas, depending on their interests, background, and evolving project needs.
What We Are Looking For
We are seeking a student who is intellectually curious, collaborative, motivated, and excited about applied research that can improve health in real-world communities. Ideally, the potential candidate will be a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist or interested in becoming one.
Strong candidates may have experience or interest in:
- Nutrition, dietetics, public health, epidemiology, behavioral science, kinesiology, health promotion, or a related field
- Human subjects research and participant-facing research
- Community-engaged or community-based research
- Nutrition assessment and dietary data collection
- Physical activity assessment or intervention research
- Behavioral intervention design and evaluation
- Rural health and health disparities
- Food insecurity and nutrition security
- Cancer survivorship
- Food-as-medicine or produce prescription programs
- Quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-methods research
- Statistical analysis and research data management
- Scientific writing and publication
- Grant writing and research proposal development
Particularly valued skills
The ideal candidate will demonstrate some combination of:
- Strong communication skills with research participants, community partners, and research team members
- Attention to detail in data collection, management, and documentation
- Reliability and follow-through
- Ability to work independently while contributing to a collaborative team
- Comfort learning new research methods and analytical approaches
- Interest in developing an independent research program
- Strong writing skills or a willingness to develop them
- Commitment to ethical, respectful, and culturally responsive research
- Flexibility and problem-solving skills, particularly when conducting community-based research
Prior research experience is highly desirable but not required for every candidate. We are especially interested in students who can articulate a clear interest in using research to improve nutrition and health outcomes in underserved or rural communities.
Graduate Program
The student will pursue a PhD through Iowa State University's Graduate Program in Nutritional Sciences. Visit the website to learn more: https://www.grad-college.iastate.edu/programs/nutritional_sciences
The program is interdisciplinary and provides opportunities to work across nutrition, food science and human nutrition, animal science, kinesiology, statistics, physiology, biochemistry, and related disciplines.
Students develop an individualized Program of Study with their major professor and POS Committee. PhD students complete advanced coursework, research training, teaching experiences, a preliminary examination, dissertation research, and a final dissertation defense. The program requires a minimum of 72 graduate-level semester credits, including at least 36 credits earned at Iowa State University.
This training environment is particularly well-suited for students interested in combining: Nutrition science + behavioral intervention + community engagement + implementation and evaluation + public health impact
Funding and Benefits
This position is intended to provide a fully funded PhD opportunity for up to five years, contingent on satisfactory academic progress and successful performance of assistantship responsibilities.
The funding package includes:
- Full graduate assistantship salary/stipend
- Tuition coverage for up to five years
- Graduate research assistantship support connected to funded research projects
- Opportunities to develop independent dissertation research
- Training in research design, implementation, data collection, analysis, scientific writing, and grant development
- Opportunities to present research at professional conferences and publish in peer-reviewed journals
For this specific opportunity, the anticipated commitment is full salary and tuition coverage for up to five years, subject to the formal assistantship offer, satisfactory academic progress, and applicable university requirements.
About the Buckingham-Schutt Lab
The Buckingham-Schutt Lab is led by Lyndi Buckingham-Schutt, PhD, Assistant Professor of Community Health and Nutrition in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition and Health and Human Sciences Extension and Outreach Specialist in Food and Health at Iowa State University.
The lab's research focuses on:
- Public health nutrition
- Nutrition policy
- Nutrition security
- Food-as-medicine strategies
- Behavioral change interventions
- Prevention and management of diet-related chronic conditions
- Rural and community health
- Implementation and evaluation of interventions
- Individual- and policy, systems, and environmental-level approaches
The lab uses an Individual + Policy, Systems, and Environmental (I+PSE) Framework for Action to assess determinants of health, develop and implement solutions, and evaluate their impact. The overarching goal is to conduct applied research that improves nutrition and health outcomes while contributing to sustainable changes in programs, policies, and systems.
Graduate students in the lab are mentored to develop independent research expertise while contributing meaningfully to collaborative projects. Students may gain experience in data collection, intervention implementation, literature review, community outreach, research design, data analysis, scientific writing, and dissemination.
Who Might Be a Good Fit?
This opportunity may be especially well-suited for someone who says:
- “I want my research to have a direct impact on people's lives.”
- “I am interested in nutrition beyond the individual level.”
- “I want to work with communities rather than only laboratory data.”
- “I am interested in both diet and physical activity.”
- “I want to understand how interventions work in real-world settings.”
- “I am interested in rural health or health disparities.”
- “I want to develop expertise in nutrition, behavioral change, and public health research.”
- “I want to be trained to become an independent researcher, academic, Extension professional, public health scientist, or research leader.”
How to Express Interest
Interested applicants are encouraged to email Dr. Lyndi Buckingham-Schutt at lbschutt@iastate.edu to discuss their background and research interests.
Please include:
- A brief description of your academic and research background
- Your anticipated timeline for beginning a PhD
- Your research interests and how they align with the lab
- A CV or résumé
- Optional: a brief description of a research question you would be excited to pursue
Start date: Flexible, with the goal of having the student begin no later than Fall 2027.