Clinical Dietitian / Nutrition and Home Economist in Nutrition Research at the Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports (NEXS)

The Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports (NEXS), University of Copenhagen, is seeking a highly motivated and organized Clinical Dietitian or Nutrition and Home Economist to join two large clinical research projects: ON LiMiT (Optimal Non-Pharmacological Lifestyle Modifications in People with Type 2 Diabetes) and PREPARE CHILD (PRE-Pregnancy Weight Loss and the Reducing Effect on CHILDhood Overweight).

The successful candidate will play a central role in delivering dietary interventions, supporting participants throughout their study journeys, and contributing to participant recruitment and retention. The position offers a unique opportunity to work across two ambitious lifestyle intervention studies addressing major public health challenges: type 2 diabetes remission and the prevention of childhood obesity through improved parental health before pregnancy.

This is a fixed-term position anchored within the research group Lifecourse Nutrition and Health, under the supervision of Faidon Magkos and Christian Mølgaard. The role involves close collaboration with researchers, physicians, dietitians, study coordinators, and students across multiple clinical and academic institutions.

Our research
The research group Lifecourse Nutrition and Health within the Section of Nutrition and Health is part of the Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports at the University of Copenhagen. We investigate the role of nutrition in health promotion and disease prevention across the lifespan, from preconception and pregnancy to childhood and adulthood. Our research includes large randomized controlled trials, dietary intervention studies, assessments of dietary intake and body composition, and evaluations of metabolic health using state-of-the-art methodologies.

Read more about our research here: https://nexs.ku.dk/english/research/nutrition-health/lifecourse-nutrition-and-health/.


Key responsibilities
Dietary counselling and intervention delivery

A substantial part of the position will involve delivering and supporting dietary interventions in both ON LiMiT and PREPARE CHILD.

Responsibilities include:

• Providing individual and group-based dietary counselling to study participants.
• Supporting individuals with type 2 diabetes undergoing intensive lifestyle interventions aimed at diabetes remission.
• Delivering counselling related to very-low-calorie diets (VLCD), weight-loss maintenance strategies, and long-term healthy eating patterns.
• Supporting participants allocated to specific dietary interventions, including carbohydrate-reduced and carbohydrate-rich diets in ON LiMiT.
• Guiding prospective parents participating in PREPARE CHILD through pre-pregnancy weight-loss interventions, food reintroduction, weight-maintenance strategies, and healthy dietary habits during pregnancy.
• Conducting dietary follow-up consultations in person, by telephone, and online.
• Monitoring dietary adherence and helping participants overcome barriers to implementing dietary recommendations.
• Developing educational materials, meal plans, recipes, and counselling resources.
• Assisting with dietary intake assessments and interpretation of dietary data.
• Contributing to participant motivation, engagement, and long-term retention throughout the intervention periods.

Participant recruitment and study coordination
The dietitian will contribute actively to participant recruitment and enrolment across both studies.

Responsibilities include:

• Participating in recruitment activities through advertisements, information meetings, and screening procedures.
• Conducting telephone pre-screening and eligibility assessments.
• Presenting study information to potential participants and answering questions regarding study participation.
• Supporting participant enrolment and scheduling of study visits.
• Maintaining regular contact with participants to maximize retention and compliance.
• Working closely with study coordinators and investigators to ensure efficient study operations.

Clinical research activities

• Assist with study visits and participant assessments.
• Support collection of dietary, anthropometric, and health-related data.
• Maintain study documentation and contribute to data quality assurance.
• Enter and manage study data using electronic research databases.
• Ensure study procedures are performed according to protocol requirements and ethical guidelines.
• Collaborate with investigators and research staff across study sites.
  

Qualifications

Required

• (Professional) Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Human Nutrition, OR Clinical Nutrition OR Dietetics OR Home Economics Specialist, or a related field.
• Authorization as a Clinical Dietitian (or equivalent qualification).
• Experience providing dietary counselling to adults.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to build trust and rapport with study participants.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to work independently as well as within multidisciplinary teams.
• Excellent written and spoken Danish and English.

Desirable

• Experience working with obesity, weight management, type 2 diabetes, pregnancy nutrition, or maternal health.
• Experience delivering behavioural and lifestyle interventions.
• Experience conducting dietary assessments and analysing dietary records.
• Experience participating in clinical research studies or randomized controlled trials.
• Familiarity with REDCap or similar research databases.

Personal qualities
We are looking for a candidate who is:

• Passionate about nutrition and lifestyle-based disease prevention.
• Empathetic and skilled at motivating behavior change.
• Proactive, solution-oriented, and flexible.
• Structured and capable of managing multiple tasks simultaneously.
• Enthusiastic about working with participants over extended intervention periods.
• Committed to delivering high-quality research with direct clinical and societal impact.

Terms of employment
The average weekly working hours are 35 hours per week.

The position is a fixed-term position limited to a period of 24 months (i.e., 2 years). The starting date is 15 January 2027 or as soon as possible thereafter.

Employment will be in accordance with the Joint Collective Agreement between the Ministry of Finance and the Teachers’ Central Organisation and CO10 – The Central Organisation of 2010 (the LC/CO10 Joint Collective Agreement) and the Circular regarding the organizational agreement for nutritionists and home economists, OR Circular regarding the organizational agreement for professional bachelors in Nutrition and Health, OR the agreement between the Ministry of Finance and AC (the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations).

The monthly salary will be based on the number of years of work experience (seniority) with the possibility to negotiate a salary supplement based on prior experience and qualifications. The employer will pay an additional pension to your pension fund.

Questions
For further information please contact the site project PI Prof. Faidon Magkos, fma@nexs.ku.dk.

Application procedure
Your online application must be submitted in English by clicking ‘Apply now’ below. Furthermore, your application must include the following documents/attachments – all in PDF format:

1. Motivation letter explaining how your qualifications align with the job description (max. two pages, single space, font size 12pt).
2. CV incl. education, work/research experience, language skills and other skills relevant for the position.

Deadline for applications: 12 November 2026, 23.59pm CET

We reserve the right not to consider material received after the deadline or via other means, and not to consider applications that do not live up to the abovementioned requirements.

Interviews are expected to be held right after the deadline for applications.

The University of Copenhagen wishes to reflect the diversity of society and encourage all qualified candidates to apply regardless of personal background.