USDA-ARS Research, Economic, and Science Security Fellow
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 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), Office of Research, Economic, and Science Security (ORESS), within the Office of the Chief Scientist (OCS), located in Washington, D.C.
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.
The Office of the Chief Scientist (OCS) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) provides leadership and coordination to ensure that research supported by, and scientific advice provided to the Department and external stakeholders is held to the highest standards of intellectual rigor and scientific integrity. ORESS was recently stood up within OCS to provide leadership and coordination to ensure that USDA scientific endeavors promote agricultural and economic prosperity and defend the scientific foundations of agriculture.
ORESS provides holistic leadership across the Department to protect USDA equities from adversarial foreign investment risks and economic statecraft at home and abroad—securing research and technology to be free from malign and undue foreign influence and maximizing U.S. agricultural innovation both at home and with allies and partners. Additionally, ORESS leads and coordinates policies and training resources to prevent unwanted technology transfer, appropriately protect and leverage data and intellectual property, and inform domestic and international collaborations. The mission of ORESS ensures U.S. agricultural innovation funded by taxpayers can be leveraged to maximize the benefit for American agriculture.
Research Project: Office of the Chief Scientist (OCS) is offering a fellow the opportunity to expand their skillset by helping the office in research, economic, and science security to improve the impacts of USDA agricultural science and innovation. Under the mentorship of a Senior Advisor, the fellow will learn about leadership skills, as well as gain experience in developing, documenting, and implementing policy related to research, economic, and science security. The fellow will participate at the intersection of science and policy to learn how to address challenges in appropriately safeguarding USDA investments in agriculture while not slowing down the pace of agricultural innovation.
Learning Objectives: The fellow will gain the following experience(s) under the guidance of a mentor:
- Gain hands-on experience helping in the development of policy, analysis, and projects that enhance the impact of USDA research, economic, and science security.
- Learn to conduct strategic analyses to identify where USDA science can drive the greatest impact and contribute to USDA competing in areas such as plant science, soil health, bioinformatics, protecting agricultural against invasive species, natural resources, remote sensing, advanced manufacturing, and the nexus of agriculture and space.
- Pursue knowledge in coordinating USDA’s research, economic, and research security efforts both within USDA and the interagency, gaining insight into science-policy integration and interagency collaboration.
- Learn processes in the development of strategic research and science priorities, and learn how to implement federal science priorities that deliver the greatest impact.
- Gain deep understanding of USDA’s research enterprise while helping in the implementation of consistent research, economic, and science security efforts across USDA.
- Learn how to effectively communicate through both verbal and oral communication across a diverse audience at USDA, including scientists, policy analysts, administrators, attorneys, and security and counterintelligence professionals.
- Learn about the diverse authorities and measures related to research, economic, and science security and how to strategically implement them for maximum effect. Additionally, learn when and how to develop and implement new authorities and measures related to research, economic, and science security.
Mentor(s): The mentor for this opportunity is Rich Derksen (rich.derksen@usda.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research, please contact the mentor(s).
Anticipated Appointment Start Date: June 1, 2026. 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. The anticipated stipend range is $102,415 - $121,785 annually.
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.
Questions: Please visit our Program Website. After reading, if you have additional questions about the application process, please email USDA-ARS@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 the past five years.
- Citizenship: U.S. Citizen Only
- Degree: Doctoral Degree.
- Discipline(s):
- Veteran Status: Veterans Preference, degree received within the last 120 month(s).
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