PhD Opportunity: Doctoral Student — Nutrition, Microbiome & Liver Disease

We are recruiting a motivated PhD student to join a newly funded NIH R01 clinical trial investigating whether a whole-food dietary intervention can slow liver fibrosis progression in adults with MASLD. The project combines a randomized crossover trial design with gut and oral microbiome sequencing, metabolomics, and proteomics — offering training at the intersection of nutritional epidemiology, microbiome science, and translational hepatology.

The successful candidate will have the opportunity to lead analyses of multi-omics data, contribute to first-author publications, and gain hands-on experience with clinical trial conduct from startup through completion.

We are looking for someone with:

• Strong interest in nutrition, the microbiome, or liver disease research
• Quantitative skills and comfort with R, Python, or SAS
• Background in epidemiology, biostatistics, nutrition, microbiology, or a related field
• Curiosity, independence, and enthusiasm for collaborative science

Prospective students should apply through the Icahn School of Medicine graduate programs and may reach out to me directly at Xiaotao.Zhang@mountsinai.org to discuss the opportunity.

Internship Opportunity: Research Intern 

We are on the lookout for a dynamic graduate student to amplify our efforts as we embark on a novel project centered on liver fibrosis using the Mount Sinai MASLD/NASH registry. This is a great opportunity for graduate students who want to gain hands-on experience in the field and contribute to innovative research projects. Please reach out to me directly at Xiaotao.Zhang@mountsinai.org if you are interested.