Research Molecular Biologist / Plant Physiologist / Geneticist
USDA Agricultural Research Service
Application
Details
Posted: 28-Mar-23
Location: Fort Collins, Colorado
Type: Full Time
Salary: $91,753 - $141,836 per year
Area of Focus:
Molecular Biology
Additional Information:
Telecommuting is allowed.
PLEASE SEE THIS POSTING ON USAJOBS: https://www.usajobs.gov/job/715320100
Summary
This position is located on the Soil Management and Sugar Beet Research Unit, in Fort Collins, Colorado.
The incumbent serves in the project titled "Development of Sugar Beet Germplasm Enhanced for Resistance to Important and Emerging Plant Pathogens" within National Program 301, Plant Genetic Resources, Genomics and Genetic Improvement. The incumbent's research assignment focuses on molecular genetics and genomics research using molecular and computational biology tools and techniques.
Duties
Manages a research program, including personnel, equipment, and fiscal resources following agency mission and scientific procedures, requirements, and protocols.
Uses molecular and computational biology tools and techniques to validate candidate disease resistance genes identified from sugar beet and wild relative germplasm.
Characterizes the molecular mechanisms and pathways for candidate resistance genes to develop direct molecular markers for breeding.
Mines genetic diversity in homologous genes from candidate pathways from germplasm collections to guide new trait discovery.
Elucidates molecular genetic interaction between sugar beet germplasm and their major pests/pathogens to support the project goal of accelerating sugar beet breeding for disease resistance and improved sustainability of sugar beet production.
Develops collaborations and communicates technical information pertaining to molecular genetics and genomics research with a variety of individuals, including government officials, scientific and academic communities, etc.
Conditions of Employment
You must be a US Citizen or US National.
Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
Direct Deposit: Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit E-Verify at https://www.e-verify.gov/.
Successful completion of a three year probationary period.
Qualifications
Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including specialized experience and/or education, as defined below.
This is an interdisciplinary position and may be filled in any of the job series/position titles listed.
Basic Requirements (Biological Sciences Series 0401)
Degree: Biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position. Related disciplines include plant molecular biology, plant cellular biology, plant biology, plant genomics or plant genetics. OR
Combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major, as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. Appropriate experience includes first author publications peer-reviewed journals in the disciplines of plant molecular biology, plant cellular biology, plant biology, plant genomics or plant genetics.
Basic Requirements (Plant Physiology Series 0435)
Degree: Botany or plant physiology; or a related scientific discipline that included at least 10 semester hours in plant physiology. Related disciplines include plant molecular biology, plant cellular biology, plant biology, plant genomics or plant genetics.
Evaluation of Education: The 10-semester-hour requirement in plant physiology is specific. Course work is qualifying if it dealt with plant physiology, some phase of plant physiology, or methods and techniques applied in plant physiology work. Other course work in borderline areas will be evaluated on the basis of content.
Basic Requirements (Genetics Series 0440)
Degree: Genetics; or one of the basic biological sciences that included at least 9 semester hours in genetics. Basic biological sciences include plant molecular biology, plant cellular biology, plant biology, plant genomics or plant genetics.
Graduate Education: Genetics, or a curriculum or pattern of training that placed major emphasis on genetics. Graduate study in related fields such as agronomy, horticulture, animal, dairy, or poultry husbandry, entomology, microbiology, plant pathology, chemistry, molecular and cellular biology, and physiology that involved cross-training in genetics is qualifying, provided it placed sufficient emphasis on genetics.
Evaluation of Education: Most students in the field take graduate work because specific training in genetics may be limited at the undergraduate level. Under these circumstances, it may be necessary to evaluate undergraduate course work in genetics in one of two ways, as described below, to determine whether or not it is qualifying.
Courses dealing with genetics, some phase of genetics, or specific techniques that are applied in genetics work are acceptable. This includes courses in genetics, plant or animal genetics, molecular and cellular biology, mathematics and statistics (as they apply to genetics), population dynamics, and certain techniques such as those dealing with irradiation.
Course work consisting of an appropriate combination of basic courses in genetics and cytology or statistics are also acceptable.
The mission of USDA-ARS's sugar beet research of the Soil Management and Sugarbeet Research Unit (SMSRU) is to utilize distinctive site environmental and disease-free characteristics and specifically developed team expertise to: (1) develop new knowledge and adapt biotechnologies to modify host-pathogen relations that affect disease resistance, pathogenesis, and epidemiology in sugarbeet and other plant species pertinent to sugarbeet cultivation; 2) discover new information and techniques to identify and produce genotypes exhibiting superior disease and stress tolerance and agronomic qualities; 3) provide new knowledge that improves production efficiency and biochemical processing characteristics.
