USDA-ARS Postdoctoral Fellowship: High Throughput Phenotyping and Marker Discovery in Cranberries

*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 Chatsworth, New Jersey.

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 USDA-ARS Genetics Improvement of Fruits and Vegetables Lab (GIFVL) is pleased to announce the availability of a postdoctoral research appointment in the areas broadly related to genetic marker discoveries, trait development, and germplasm improvement. Disciplines include, but are not limited to, plant breeding, genetics, genomics and computational biology, plant pathology and physiology, biochemistry, agricultural engineering, machine learning, and gene editing. GIFVL is headquartered out of Beltsville, MD, but this opportunity is located in Chatsworth, NJ. The mission of the our unit is Vaccinium spp. (cranberry and blueberry) improvement through interdisciplinary research, breeding, and technology transfer. 

Learning Objectives: The participant will have opportunities to learn advanced phenotyping techniques, genetics, genomics, molecular biology and other scientific disciplines regarding cranberry improvement and apply high throughput sequencing, and other cutting-edge tools in cranberry trait research and improvement. The participant will have opportunities to collaborate and network with peers and scientists from GIFVL and Rutgers University. They will also have opportunities to showcase their research through publications and presentations at professional meetings and outreach activities.

Mentor(s): The mentor for this opportunity is James Polashock (james.polashock@usda.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research, please contact the mentor(s).

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: May/June 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 have received a doctoral degree in one of the relevant fields.

Preferred skills:

• Experience in high throughput plant phenotyping, genotyping, bioinformatics or related disciplines preferred.

Eligibility Requirements

• Degree: Doctoral Degree.