USDA-ARS Postdoctoral Fellowship in Avian Virology

*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 Athens, Georgia.

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 the US National Poultry Research Center is to provide leadership in solving current and future problems in the management of viral diseases of poultry using basic and applied multidisciplinary, team approaches thereby benefiting the poultry industry and consumers.

Research Project: The purpose of this project is to characterize the antigenic breadth of avian reovirus (ARV) strains and to identify mechanisms of virulence and pathogenicity in the same avian reoviruses. The selected applicant will be a part of our effort to:

• Perform whole genome sequencing (WGS) on ARV isolates and assemble the resulting contigs using bioinformatic methods;
• Characterize the ARV major antigenic protein sigma C through antigenic cartography, and
• Characterize individual ARV genes for their ability to contribute to viral immunoevasion and host immunosuppression.

The selected candidate will have the opportunity to interact with a multidisciplinary team within the US National Poultry Research Center in Athens, GA, and will have the opportunity to present research findings within the center and at professional meetings.

Learning Objectives: This environment offers opportunities to learn the techniques necessary to manipulate ARV in vitro and produce infections in vivo, to produce recombinant viruses and viral vectors, and to interact with scientists and technicians within the group to develop new projects.

Mentor(s): The mentor for this opportunity is Steven Conrad (steven.conrad@usda.gov). If you have questions about the nature of the research, please contact the mentor(s).

Anticipated Appointment Start Date: 2024. 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.

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 ORISE.ARS.Southeast@orau.org and include the reference code for this opportunity.

Qualifications

The qualified candidate should be currently pursuing or have received a doctoral degree in the one of the relevant fields. Degree must have been received within the past four years, or anticipated to be received by 12/31/2024.

Preferred skills:

• The ideal candidate will have familiarity with one or more of the following areas: molecular biology, bioinformatics and computational biology, in vitro culture of cell lines, virology, and animal science.

Eligibility Requirements

• Degree: Doctoral Degree received within the last 48 months or anticipated to be received by 12/31/2024 12:00:00 AM.