USDA-ARS Research Fellowship in Foodborne Bacterial Pathogens
*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 Ames, Iowa.
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 mission of National Animal Disease Center is to conduct basic and applied research on selected diseases of economic importance to the U.S. livestock and poultry industries. National Animal Disease Center: USDA ARS
Research Project: The educational opportunity involves performing research, under the mentorship of a USDA scientist, on human foodborne pathogens, including Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, Salmonella, and Campylobacter. The goal of this project is to better understand how these foodborne pathogens successfully colonize and survive within the gastrointestinal tract of livestock and use this information to develop intervention strategies against these foodborne pathogens that will benefit animal health and food safety.
Learning Objectives: Under the guidance of a mentor, the participant will learn and conduct bacteriological, molecular, and computational analyses to investigate foodborne pathogen colonization, develop and assess interventions to reduce pathogen burden in livestock, and identify and evaluate foodborne pathogens in various sample types. Additionally, the participant will gain experience using various methods, including genomics and MALDI-ToF, to identify and differentiate foodborne pathogens found in pre- and post-harvest specimens.
Mentor(s): The mentor for this opportunity is Joel Maki (joel.maki@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 $40,000 - $60,000 annually.
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 a bachelor's, master’s, or doctoral degree in the one of the relevant fields. Degree must have been received within the past year or be pursuing with anticipated completion by the start of the appointment
Preferred skills:
- Growth, isolation, and handling of bacterial cultures
- Wet lab experience (e.g. pipetting)
- Basic molecular biology (e.g. nucleic acid purification, PCR)
- Good interpersonal skills
- Ability to operate independently
- Self-motivated
- Some experience with bioinformatics is desirable
Stipend
$40,000.00 – $60,000.00 Yearly
Point of Contact
Eligibility Requirements
- Citizenship: U.S. Citizen Only
- Degree: Bachelor's Degree, Master's Degree, or Doctoral Degree received within the last 18 months or currently pursuing.