USDA ARS Understanding Sagebrush Steppe Rangeland Carbon Dynamics

*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 Burns, Oregon.

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 O’Connor research group investigates how global and local factors – in particular climate variability, grazing, fire, and invasive species – influence carbon dynamics in rangeland systems. The postdoctoral participant will have opportunities to do research with livestock to understand how livestock grazing alters carbon fluxes and pools. The participant will also conduct research that addresses how we sample heterogenous soils in rangelands, how we do long-term monitoring of rangeland soils, and which soil carbon fractionations are most important for monitoring changes in carbon due to disturbances. 

Learning Objectives: The two research areas will provide opportunities for the participant to learn new skill sets related to analyzing and calculating carbon fluxes and pools, presenting research to ranchers and land managers at research field days, as well as at scientific conferences. The participant will have an opportunity to collaborate as part of a large regional group that is summarizing rangeland carbon management for land managers of county, state and federal agencies. The participant will also have an opportunity to attend a natural resource professional workshop where they will be taught sagebrush ecosystem ecology and current best management practices for pre- and post-fire landscapes.

Mentor(s): The mentor for this opportunity is Rory O'Connor (rory.oconnor@usda.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research, please contact the mentor(s).

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: January 2026. Start date is flexible and will depend on a variety of factors.

Appointment Length: The appointment will initially be for two years, 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 is $73,000 yearly.

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.PacificWest@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. Degree must have been received within the past three years.

Preferred skills:

• Soil sampling methods
• Stable isotope mass spectrometry
• Elemental analyzers
• Carbon fractionation methodology
• Collecting and analyzing soil gas samples
• Nitrogen extraction methods
• Proficient in program R
• Proficient with spatial software (e.g., ArcGIS, R, QGIS)
• Proficient with Microsoft software
• Comfortable doing research in a remote location and in inclement weather

Stipend

$73,000.00 Yearly