USDA-ARS Cover Crop Breeding 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 Madison, Wisconsin.
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 U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center (USDFRC) is an ARS research institution whose mission is providing dairy industry solutions for food security, environmental sustainability, and economic viability. USDFRC scientists build uniquely valuable, science-based research initiatives focused on improving dairy production systems, soil ecology, forage production, forage quality, nutrient management, and ecosystem services.
Research Project: The fellow will have the opportunity to be part of the nationwide Cover Crop Breeding Network to develop cereal rye, hairy vetch, winter pea, and fava bean varieties with improved winter survival, biomass, emergence, and forage use. Under the guidance of a mentor, the fellow will evaluate diverse germplasm in the field, greenhouse, and laboratory for several traits of interest and help select and generate improved lines. The fellow will have the opportunity to contribute to the nationwide cover crop variety trials by collecting, aggregating, and cleaning plot data and coordinating the shipping of seed. The project will focus on cereal rye breeding, including modifying allelopathy and measuring biomass through high-throughput imaging techniques. The fellow will also have the opportunity to contribute to a systematic review on global cover crop species and variety performance by reviewing scientific papers for a public database.
Learning Objectives: As an ORISE fellow at our Center, the fellow will learn the principles of classical plant breeding with an emphasis on multi-environment trials, pedigree selection, and high-throughput phenotyping. The fellow will learn methods of experimental design, field trials, trait assessment, data collection, and seed inventory. The opportunity to clean, analyze and summarize data in R will be provided to the fellow. The fellow will learn protocol development, coordination, and communication skills necessary to conduct nationwide and international collaborations. The fellow will be engaged in a large network of plant breeders, graduate students, and technicians doing similar research around the US through monthly teleconferences and meetings. Attending mentor-approved meetings, workshops, and conferences will also be encouraged.
Mentor(s): The mentor for this opportunity is Lisa Kissing Kucek (Lisa.Kissing.Kucek@usda.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research, please contact the mentor(s).
Anticipated Appointment Start Date: April 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 $3,500 - $4,500 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.Midwest@orau.org and include the reference code for this opportunity.
Qualifications
The qualified candidate should be currently pursuing or have received an associate's, bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree in the one of the relevant fields. Degree must have been received within the past one year or anticipated to be received by 6/1/2027.
Preferred skills:
- Interest in plant breeding, quantitative genetics, and statistical analysis.
- Experience in outdoor research in fields such as plant breeding, agronomy, ecology, soil science, or related areas.
- Enjoys being outside in Northern Midwest weather conditions that can be cold, hot, and wet.
- Organizational capacity for curating, cataloguing, and storing large amounts of samples, such as seeds, plants or DNA.
- Experience caring for plants in the field, greenhouse, and growth chamber.
- Comfort with heavy agricultural field machinery, GPS, tablets, growth chambers, and imaging technology.
- Attention to detail in data collection and record keeping.
- Experience with spreadsheets.
- Team player and comfortable with communication through phone, email, and in person to coordinate with collaborators locally and in other offices and states.
- Consistency, timeliness, and independence.
- Familiarity with scientific literature.
Stipend
$3,500.00 – $4,500.00 Monthly
Point of Contact
Eligibility Requirements
- Citizenship: U.S. Citizen Only
- Degree: Associate's Degree, Bachelor's Degree, Master's Degree, or Doctoral Degree received within the last 12 months or currently pursuing.