Maternal diet and the gut microbiome in Columbus, Ohio

We are seeking an undergraduate research assistant to help with recruitment, data collection, and analysis of a study on maternal diet, pregnancy cravings, and the gut microbiome across pregnancy. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to: recruitment/enrollment of participants via phone or email, data entry, scheduling of study visits, assembling biospecimen collection kits for participants, and picking up biospecimens from participant homes. There will be opportunities for the undergraduate research assistant to develop a senior thesis with the data from this project and receive independent research class credits. There will also be opportunities for training in specific data collection and statistical methods (depending on the student’s interests) with the supervision of the lead faculty member (Dr. Holdsworth) and the postdoctoral scholar (Dr. Daiy). The study will begin Summer 2025 in Columbus, OH. The research assistant must be available for approximately 10 hours/week for data collection throughout Summer 2025, Fall 2025, and Spring 2026. The research assistant should be able to travel to participants’ homes within a 10-mile radius of OSU main campus, preferably with a personal vehicle. Preference is given to Anthropology majors and majors related to human biology, but open to all majors.