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• An application
• Transcripts – Click here for detailed information about acceptable transcripts
• A current cover letter, resume/CV, including academic history, employment history, relevant experiences, and publication list
• Three 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.

*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 Geneva, New York.

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 Abiotic Stress Laboratory at Grape Genetics Research Unit (GGRU), USDA is to understand the grapevine response to environmental stresses like cold/freezing, drought, heat, and nutrient stresses. The research goal is to expedite research findings on understanding fundamental plant growth and developmental processes. The participant will help advance physiological and phenological knowledge on grapevine stress responses and enable identifying grapevines tolerant to adverse growing conditions. We seek a highly motivated individual with experience in assessing whole-plant stress physiology responses in laboratory and field with various physiological instruments and genetic analysis.

Learning Objectives: The participant will have an opportunity to gain experience in plant measurements on leaf gas exchange, plant water/nutrient hydraulics, chlorophyll fluorescence, and root system architecture trait identification. The postdoc will be able to establish robust collaborations with faculty at Cornell University, Cornell Agri-tech, Geneva Campus, and USDA-ARS scientists and communicate findings through manuscripts and newsletters.

Mentor(s): The mentor for this opportunity is Dr. Silvas Kirubakaran, Research Geneticist, USDA-ARS Abiotic Stress Laboratory (silvas.kirubakaran@usda.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research, please contact the mentor(s).

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: February 2024. Start date is flexible and will depend on a variety of factors.

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

The qualified candidate should be currently pursuing or have received a doctoral degree in the one of the relevant fields with completion by the start of the appointment.

Preferred skills:

• Ph.D. degree in plant physiology or related area.
• Deep understanding of plant water relations to extreme environmental stresses.
• Hands-on experience in measuring leaf gas exchange, plant water/nutrient hydraulics, chlorophyll fluorescence, and root system architecture adaptation.
• Controlled (greenhouse/glass house/growth chambers) and field research experience.
• Experience with statistical packages (SAS), R, Python, or similar programming skills.

• Degree: Doctoral Degree.
• Discipline(s):
  • Life Health and Medical Sciences (9 )