To submit your application, scroll to the bottom of this opportunity and click APPLY.

A complete application consists of:

• An application
• Transcript(s) – For this opportunity, an unofficial transcript or copy of the student academic records printed by the applicant or by academic advisors from internal institution systems may be submitted. Click here for detailed information about acceptable transcripts.
• A current resume/CV, including academic history, employment history, relevant experiences, and publication list
• Two educational or professional recommendations
• A copy of an abstract or reprint of an article

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

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*Applications may be reviewed on a rolling-basis. The mentor for this opportunity is actively reviewing applications as they are submitted.

ARS Office/Lab and Location: A postdoctoral research opportunity is available with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Research Service (ARS) at the National Animal Disease Center (NADC) in the Food Safety and Enteric Pathogens Research Unit in Ames, Iowa.

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 research team is seeking a motivated and independent fellow to join our project to investigate host-microbe interactions for the discovery of antimicrobial resistance transfer mechanisms involving multidrug-resistant Salmonella, analyses of genomic and phenotypic factors of emerging and/or persistent Salmonella outbreak isolates, and the development of antibiotic alternatives that will benefit food safety and public health. A major emphasis for this research opportunity is placed on the use of genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic and metabolomic approaches to solve these research problems. 

Learning Objectives: The learning objectives for the fellow include developing skills in novel bioinformatics-based tools for analyzing and interpreting genomic, metagenomic, and/or gene expression datasets from animals and microbes, particularly in response to emerging Salmonella foodborne outbreak issues.

Mentor(s): The mentor for this opportunity is Dr. Shawn Bearson (shawn.bearson@usda.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research project, please contact the mentor(s).

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: As soon as a qualified candidate is identified.  Start date is flexible and will depend on a variety of factors.

Appointment Length: The appointment will initially be for two years.

Level of Participation: The appointment is full-time.

Participant Stipend: The participant will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience. The anticipated stipend is $75,284 annually. Travel allowance and health insurance stipend supplement are provided.

Citizenship Requirements: This opportunity is available to U.S. citizens only.

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.

The participant does not become an employee of ARS or ORISE. However, this position requires a pre-employment check and a full background investigation. 

Questions: Please visit our Program Website. After reading, if you have additional questions about the application process please email ORISE.ARS.Midwest@orau.org and include the reference code for this opportunity.

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

Preferred Skills:

• Experience in bioinformatics and computational analysis across prokaryotic and/or eukaryotic systems, with experience addressing complex biological questions related to bacterial genome organization and function, gene regulation (host and bacterial), and microbial community structure in the context of host–pathogen interactions in food animals.
• Ability to perform bioinformatic and statistical analyses of genomic, transcriptomic, and/or metabolomic data to support systems biology modeling of host–pathogen interfaces, host–microbiota interactions, and host immune responses.
• Capability to establish and maintain data processing pipelines with appropriate quality control procedures for high-throughput data streams.
• Enthusiastic and self-motivated with good communication skills and a strong work ethic. 

• Citizenship: U.S. Citizen Only
• Degree: Doctoral Degree.
• Discipline(s):
  • Life Health and Medical Sciences (48 )
• Veteran Status: Veterans Preference, degree received within the last 120 month(s).