USDA ARS Cattle Geospatial Tools Fellowship
*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 Fayetteville, Arkansas.
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: Each year in the US more than 2.5M cows die from health issues, costing the cattle industry $1.5B. Current Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) protocols do not allow for the use of remotely sensed data for daily animal checks; though, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV)-based data have the potential to rapidly check animals and serve as a tool for farmers, ranchers, and researchers. Current research is being done by PI to automate imaging and spectral data to develop and validate algorithms for estimating heat stress, counting animals, and estimating mass in real-time. Although research is needed to integrate One Health assessments across the soil-pasture-animal continuum for real-time surveillance and precision applications.
Learning Objectives: The candidate will gain hands-on experience and advanced knowledge in utilizing cutting-edge geospatial tools, including UAV-based sensors and satellite reflectance data, to develop an innovative real-time application within a drone. This application will enable the estimation of animal weight, body conditioning, animal counts, and overall animal welfare, with potential applications in IACUC protocols. Additionally, the candidate will learn to integrate these findings with pasture health assessments in pasture-livestock systems (cattle and sheep). Through this process, the participant will acquire expertise in real-time pasture surveillance techniques for evaluating animal welfare (such as animal counts, weight, body temperature, and scoring) and forage allowance (mass and nutritional value), contributing to the sustainable management of the US’s largest land-use category—pasture systems, which account for 60% of the world’s agricultural land.
Mentor(s): The mentor for this opportunity is Amanda Ashworth (amanda.ashworth@usda.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research, please contact the mentor(s).
Anticipated Appointment Start Date: February 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 $5,000 - $6,000 monthly.
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 ORISE.ARS.Southeast@orau.org and include the reference code for this opportunity.
Qualifications
The qualified candidate should be currently pursuing or have received a doctoral degree in the one of the relevant fields.
Stipend
$5,000.00 – $6,000.00 Monthly
Point of Contact
Eligibility Requirements
- Citizenship: U.S. Citizen Only
- Degree: Doctoral Degree.