USDA-ARS Studying Microbial Degradation of Sucrose and Production of Bacterial Exopolysaccharides
Application Deadline
8/28/2026 3:00:00 PM Eastern Time Zone
Description
*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 New Orleans, Louisiana.
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.
https://www.ars.usda.gov/southeast-area/new-orleans-la/southern-regional-research-center/
Research Project: You will engage in research focused on analysis of microbial degradation of sucrose and production of polysaccharides relevant to sugarcane and sugar beet post-harvest storage raw sugar extraction. The research will utilize laboratory-based conventional molecular biology techniques such as recombinant protein expression and purification to produce and study enzymes that produce polysaccharides related to sugar crop processing and production of bio-based products. The research will also include analysis of sugar crop (sugarcane, sugar beet, sweet sorghum) processing products, including sugars and syrups, resulting from experimental projects to improve food product quality and support new uses for sugar crops.
You will contribute to a collaborative, multi-disciplinary research program incorporating biological, biochemical, and engineering analyses aimed at improved sugar crop processing to increase efficiency and consumer product quality as well as development of novel biobased marketable goods from sugar processing co-products.
Learning Objectives: This experience will provide hands-on learning in a multidisciplinary team environment and exposure to research objectives aim at solving challenges related to post-harvest sugar crop processing and development of value-added biobased products. You will develop and implement skills utilizing microbiology, molecular biology, heterologous protein expression and purification, protein analysis, and technical competencies in advanced sample-preparation workflows, agricultural engineering, and data science. This experience includes:
- Mastering biological sample preparation and following experimental design protocols.
- Learning heterologous protein expression, purification, and downstream catalysis of products.
- Learning data organization and management skills.
- Learning to utilize analytical instrumentation to support characterization of microbial products and associated carbohydrate samples.
- Learning to quantify microbial load (colony forming units CFUs) by semi-automated methods.
- Learning collecting, organizing, and processing numerical data from analytical instrumentation, industrial facilities, and experimental analyses.
- Understanding biological and chemical aspects of sugarcane and sugar beet harvesting, transportation, storage, and raw sugar manufacturing.
- Developing scientific communication skills through supporting contributions to presentations and manuscript preparation.
Mentor(s): The mentor for this opportunity is Gillian Bruni (gillian.bruni@usda.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research, please contact the mentor(s).
Anticipated Appointment Start Date: 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 $3,784 - $4,205 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 a bachelor's or master's degree in the one of the relevant fields (e.g. Biology, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Chemistry, or Agricultural or Chemical Engineering), anticipated to be received by 9/1/2026.
Preferred skills:
- Molecular biology experience with PCR, plasmids, cloning or heterologous protein expression.
- Experience with protein samples including quantification, analysis by SDS-PAGE and gel staining, chromatography or protein purification.
- Proficient handling of micropipetters and tips.
- Experience preparing microbiological media and aseptic techniques.
- Experience growing microbiological cultures.
- Experience in analysis of sugars and/or food products using techniques including HPLC, FTIR, and viscometry.
- Proficient with Microsoft Office Software.
- Experience in multidisciplinary research teams, excellent communication skills, and a creative, solution-oriented approach to troubleshooting analytical challenges are highly desirable.
- Familiarity with data science and machine learning applications for analytical chemistry, industrial/agricultural facilities, and techno-economic analysis is considered a plus.
Stipend
$3,784.00 – $4,205.00 Monthly
Point of Contact
Eligibility Requirements
- Citizenship: U.S. Citizen Only
- Degree: Bachelor's Degree or Master's Degree received within the last 60 months or anticipated to be received by 9/1/2026 12:00:00 AM.
- Minimum Overall GPA: 3.50