Evidence Analysis Center Doctoral Student Fellowships

Interested candidates should apply online by 11:59 p.m. (Central time) on Monday, August 17, 2026. Applications should include a CV, tailored personal statement highlighting relevant experience and skills that make the candidate a good fit for the fellowship, and a letter of support from their current academic advisor.

Apply for Fellowship | Read FAQs

Questions?

Questions can be directed via email to Nicci Brown, MS, RDN, FAND, Program Director, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation with the subject EAC Fellowship.

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has invested in developing and synthesizing evidence to support evidence-based practice since 2004. The EAC is a branch of the Academy's Research team, and its staff work with content advisors and expert advisory groups to conduct scoping and systematic reviews, evidence-based nutrition practice guidelines, and consensus and position papers.

The topics researched are ones prioritized through member and staff recommendations in addition to evidence-based nutrition practice guidelines and position papers that continually need updating.

The output of this work is used by the policy and advocacy, publications, lifelong learning, and nutrition service coverage teams in their work. Additionally, the journal articles, guidelines, and position statements are used by educators, students, practitioners in a variety of settings, clinical nutrition managers, and grant writers and funders.

In an effort to train more RDNs in the methodology behind scoping and systematic reviews and to address topics prioritized by the Academy's Policy and Advocacy team, an annual EAC fellowship was created and funded by the Academy Foundation through its Research Endowment.

The summer of 2021 was the inaugural year for the fellowship program, and two fellows have worked collaboratively on systematic reviews annually since then.

View our past EAC fellows

As part of the Foundation’s Fellowship program, this project will focus on conducting systematic reviews on topics that have been identified as important for both advocacy and practice.

The fellows will spend six months with EAC staff and content experts in the proposed research area(s).

The EAC staff and this year's EAC Diabetes Research fellow will serve as methodology experts and will mentor the selected RDN fellows and to complete a robust systematic review. The topic area this year is:

• Effectiveness of Nutrition Interventions for Adults Living with Type 2 diabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

With the support of the Academy's RISA team and the EAC Diabetes Research fellow, the EAC Doctoral Student fellows will produce the following outcomes:

• One or more manuscript(s) submitted to a nutrition science, peer-reviewed journal
• Systematic review published within the Academy's Evidence Analysis Library

This fellowship work may also be leveraged to create abstracts and additional papers for publication.

• All fellowship work will be accomplished through telecommuting methods (webinars, conference calls, etc.). Relocation is not required.
• Applicants must be able to commit to a half-time effort (20 hours/week) for the six month fellowship followed by necessary publication activities throughout spring/summer 2027.

• Currently enrolled as a doctoral student in a university nutrition and dietetics program. (Recent graduates of doctoral programs [less than five years] may be considered.)
• Fluency in English, both written and spoken
• Be either:
  • Currently credentialed as a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) by the Commission on Dietetic Registration
  • Currently pursuing the RDN credential, evidenced by enrollment in an ACEND-accredited program leading to RDN examination eligibility

Qualified applicants are required to demonstrate experience and proficiency in the following skills:

• R or SAS statistical analysis
• Conducting scoping or systematic reviews

Additional desirable skills include:

• Self-motivated
• Ability to function at a high level
• Strong interpersonal and team skills
• Ability to exercise sound judgment and make decisions independently

The Foundation will provide funding support for the fellowship as follows:

$15,000 Fellowship Stipend

• The stipend is based on the standard set by other Foundation fellowships.

Additional benefits (health insurance, retirement, etc.) are not available for this position.