*Applications are reviewed on a rolling-basis.
ARS Office/Lab and Location: A research opportunity is currently available with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Research Service (ARS), located in Beltsville, Maryland.
The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s chief scientific in-house research agency with a mission to find solutions to agricultural problems that affect Americans every day from field to table. ARS will deliver cutting-edge, scientific tools and innovative solutions for American farmers, producers, industry, and communities to support the nourishment and well-being of all people; sustain our nation’s agroecosystems and natural resources; and ensure the economic competitiveness and excellence of our agriculture. The vision of the agency is to provide global leadership in agricultural discoveries through scientific excellence.
Research Project: The Genetic Improvement for Fruits and Vegetables Lab conducts research on bacterial, fungal, and viral pathogens of potato, pepper, and tomato to develop novel disease management tools and host resistance. The participant will join a collaborative group studying major pathogens including bacterial pathogens and tospoviruses that impact Solanaceous crops.
Learning Objectives: Under the guidance of a mentor, the participant will have specific learning opportunities to include:
- Genomic analyses and characterization of diverse populations of bacterial plant pathogens. Analyses will include identification of novel species, functional genomic investigations of virulence gene repertoires, characterization of elicitors of plant immunity.
- Testing novel broad-spectrum RNAi-based tools for mitigation of virus diseases in pepper germplasm.
- Analyses of transcriptomic datasets of plant-pathogen interactions following various treatment or stress conditions.
Mentor(s): The mentor for this opportunity is Christopher Clarke (christopher.clarke@usda.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research, please contact the mentor(s).
Anticipated Appointment Start Date: December 15, 2024. Start date is flexible and will depend on a variety of factors.
Appointment Length: The appointment will initially be for one year, but may be renewed upon recommendation of ARS and is contingent on the availability of funds.
Level of Participation: The appointment is full time.
Participant Stipend: The participant will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience.
Citizenship Requirements: This opportunity is available to U.S. citizens, Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR), and foreign nationals. Non-U.S. citizen applicants should refer to the Guidelines for Non-U.S. Citizens Details page of the program website for information about the valid immigration statuses that are acceptable for program participation.
ORISE Information: This program, administered by ORAU through its contract with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to manage the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), was established through an interagency agreement between DOE and ARS. Participants do not become employees of USDA, ARS, DOE or the program administrator, and there are no employment-related benefits. Proof of health insurance is required for participation in this program. Health insurance can be obtained through ORISE.
Questions: Please visit our Program Website. After reading, if you have additional questions about the application process, please email ORISE.ARS.Northeast@orau.org and include the reference code for this opportunity.
Qualifications
The qualified candidate should be currently pursuing or have received a doctoral degree in the one of the relevant fields (e.g. Plant Pathology, Plant Sciences, Microbiology, Molecular Biology). Degree must have been received within the past five years or anticipated to be received by start of appointment.
Preferred skills:
- Knowledge of plant pathology, molecular biology, genomics, genetics, and microbiology.
- Demonstrated experience in plant pathology and molecular biology techniques (e.g., isolation and culture of bacterial and fungal plant pathogens, plant infections, nucleic acid extractions, molecular cloning, and plant transformation).
- Demonstrated skill and practical experience in bioinformatics (e.g.,RNA-seq and genomic sequencing).
- Demonstrated experience in design of experiments and development of laboratory protocols.
- Ability to recognize the significance of unexpected results, and to make minor modifications to ensure validity of testing and data.
- Ability to perform under the guidance of a mentor as well as part of a team, with good communication skills to keep team members informed.
Eligibility Requirements
- Degree: Doctoral Degree received within the last 60 months or currently pursuing.