USDA-ARS Postdoctoral Fellowship in Molecular Plant Pathology
ARS Office/Lab and Location: A postdoctoral research opportunity is currently available with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Research Service(ARS), at the Genetic Improvement for Fruits and Vegetables Lab (GIFVL) located in Beltsville, Maryland.
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 Genetic Improvement for Fruits and Vegetables Lab studies multiple microbial pathogens of potato, pepper, and tomato to develop novel disease management tools. Major pathogens being studied currently are Streptomyces pathogens that cause potato common scab, Verticillium Wilt of potato, and tomato chlorotic spot virus in pepper.
Specific project opportunities will include:
- Characterization of Verticillium resistance genes in potato and generation of disease-resistant potato germplasm through transgenic expression of these R genes.
- Generation of TCSV-resistant pepper germplasm through RNAi-mediated viral resistance.
- Functional genomics and transcriptomics to identify and test novel virulence genes and characterization of Streptomyces pathogen populations.
- Developing novel methodology for screening plant germplasm for disease resistance.
Learning Objectives: The successful applicant will have the opportunity to conduct research with several pathosystems and expand core skills in plant pathology, molecular biology, plant biology, and microbiology.
Mentor: The mentor for this opportunity is Christopher Clarke (christopher.clarke@usda.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research please contact the mentor.
Anticipated Appointment Start Date: September 30, 2022. 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.
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 USDA-ARS@orau.org and include the reference code for this opportunity.
Qualifications
The qualified candidate should have received a doctoral degree in one of the relevant fields (e.g. Plant Pathology, Plant Sciences, Microbiology, Molecular Biology), or be currently pursuing the degree with completion before the appointment start date.
While participants will not enter into an employment relationship with ARS, this position requires a pre-appointment check and a full background investigation.
Preferred Skills:
- Knowledge of plant pathology, molecular biology, genetics, microbiology, and genomics.
- Demonstrated skill and practical experience in molecular biology techniques (e.g., nucleic acid purification, gene amplification and cloning, plant and microbial transformation, qRT-PCR, RNA-seq, genome sequencing, bioinformatics).
- Demonstrated experience in plant pathology techniques (e.g., isolation and culture of bacterial and fungal plant pathogens; plant infections in growth chambers and greenhouses).
- Demonstrated experience in design of experiments and development of laboratory protocols
- Ability to recognize the significance of unexpected results, and to make minor modifications to ensure validity of testing and data.
- Ability to work independently as well as part of a team, with good communication skills to keep team members informed and disseminate results at meeting and in refereed journals.