USDA-ARS Postgraduate STEM Research Opportunity

*Applications may be reviewed on a rolling-basis.

ARS Office/Lab and Location: A postgraduate research opportunity is available within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Research Service (ARS) with the Crop Protection and Quality Research Unit at the San Joaquin Valley Agricultural Research Center located in Parlier, California.

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 San Joaquin Valley Agricultural Research Center in Parlier, California, provides a state-of-the-art facility supporting laboratory and field research in agricultural sciences. The Crop Protection and Quality Research Unit provides practical and innovative research solutions addressing insect pests, pathogens, and quality loss affecting marketability and market access of horticultural crops.

Research Project: The candidate will collaborate closely with a team focused on improvement of integrated management of navel orangeworm, a key pest of tree nuts (almonds, pistachios, and walnuts). Research goals include improvement of laboratory and field performance of sterile navel orangeworm, improvement of mating disruption and monitoring, and improvement of orchard management tactics for reducing navel orangeworm infestation. The candidate will be part of a research group collaborating with other USDA agencies (APHIS), universities (UC Riverside, the UC Kearney Research and Extension Center), and with frequent interactions with the private sector. Research activities include insect rearing, and conducting experiments on basic behavioral biology, and collection and summary of data from the laboratory and the field.

Learning Objectives: 

• To better understand how principals of area-wide integrated pest management (IPM) can be used to decrease economic loss from the navel orangeworm.
• To enhance collaborative skills as a member of a scientific team.
• To gain skills and experience in entomological laboratory and field research techniques.
• To accrue experience in collection, summary, and reporting of research data.

Mentor: The mentor for this opportunity is Charles Burks (charles.burks@usda.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research, please contact the mentor.

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: September 2023.  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 part-time or full-time (20 - 40 hours per week) and is negotiable.

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 and Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR).

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.PacificWest@orau.org and include the reference code for this opportunity.

Qualifications

The qualified candidate should have received a bachelor's degree in one of the relevant fields.