FDA Food Contaminants Fellowship

A complete application consists of:

• An application
• Transcripts – Click here for detailed information about acceptable transcripts
• A current resume/CV, including academic history, employment history, relevant experiences, and publication list
• One educational or professional recommendation. Your application will be considered incomplete, and will not be reviewed until one recommendation is submitted.

All documents must be in English or include an official English translation.

If you have questions, send an email to ORISE.FDA.CFSAN@orau.org. Please include the reference code for this opportunity in your email.

*Applications will be reviewed on a rolling-basis.

Five research opportunities are currently available at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN), Office of Regulatory Science (ORS) located in College Park, Maryland.

Under the guidance of a mentor, the selected participant will receive training in the following areas:

• Research experience in the use of isotope ratio mass spectrometry for authenticity analyses
• Development of sample preparation methods for the analysis of complex mixtures for the presence of industrial chemical contaminants, toxins and allergens, or in the development of sample preparation for DNA-based identification of plant and animal species
• Development of separation methods (GC, LC, electrophoresis, and related methods) for the analysis of contaminants and adulterants in foods and dietary supplements
• Development of instrumental analysis methods (IR, NIR, MS, NMR, SPR, and related techniques) for the analysis of contaminants and adulterants in foods, or assist in the development of DNA-based methods for species identification
• Development of data analysis software and software-based approaches for the identification of plant or animal species, or the identification and quantification of contaminants and adulterants in foods and dietary supplements

This program, administered by ORAU through its contract with the U.S. Department of Energy to manage the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, was established through an interagency agreement between DOE and FDA. The initial appointment is for one year, but may be renewed upon recommendation of FDA contingent on the availability of funds. The participant will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience. Proof of health insurance is required for participation in this program. The appointment is full-time at FDA in the College Park, Maryland, area. Participants do not become employees of FDA, DOE or the program administrator, and there are no employment-related benefits.

Completion of a successful background investigation by the Office of Personnel Management is required for an applicant to be on-boarded at FDA.  OPM can complete a background investigation only for individuals, including non-US Citizens, who have resided in the US for a total of three of the past five years.

FDA requires ORISE participants to read and sign their FDA Education and Training Agreement within 30 days of his/her start date, setting forth the conditions and expectations for his/her educational appointment at the agency.  This agreement covers such topics as the following:

• Non-employee nature of the ORISE appointment;
• Prohibition on ORISE Fellows performing inherently governmental functions;
• Obligation of ORISE Fellows to convey all necessary rights to the FDA regarding intellectual property conceived or first reduced to practice during their fellowship;
• The fact that research materials and laboratory notebooks are the property of the FDA;
• ORISE fellow’s obligation to protect and not to further disclose or use non-public information.

The qualified candidate should have received a master's or doctoral degree in one of the relevant fields. Degree must have been received within five years of the appointment start date.

Preferred skills:

• Experience performing analytical chemistry or molecular biology research
• Experience in planning and executing complex scientific studies
• Ability to effectively communicate both verbally and in writing

• Degree: Master's Degree or Doctoral Degree received within the last 60 month(s).
• Discipline(s):
  • Chemistry and Materials Sciences (3 )
  • Environmental and Marine Sciences (4 )
  • Life Health and Medical Sciences (7 )
  • Science & Engineering-related (1 )