Research Plant Pathologist

Duties

Summary

This position is located in the United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Cereal Crops Improvement Research Unit in Fargo, ND. In this position, you will be responsible for improving yield and stability of yield of small grains under stress through research on genetics, genomics, pathology, and molecular biology.

Requirements

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. Basic Requirements for Plant Pathology, 0434 Series Degree: plant pathology; or a related scientific discipline that included at least 20 semester hours in basic botany or plant science, and 10 semester hours in plant pathology. Graduate Education: must have been in plant pathology, or in one of the recognized subject-matter fields of plant pathology, or have followed a curriculum or pattern of training that placed major emphasis on plant pathology or one of the recognized subject-matter fields of plant pathology, such as those dealing with particular types of pathogens, diseases of particular kinds of crops, or chemical or biological controls. Graduate study in related fields such as microbiology, entomology, plant physiology, genetics, agronomy, horticulture, forestry, or chemistry may also be qualifying, provided it placed a sufficient amount of emphasis on plant pathology. Evaluation of Education: courses in botany, plant physiology, plant taxonomy, plant pathology, agronomy, forestry, horticulture, or similar subjects may be used to meet the 20-semester-hour requirement in basic botany or plant science. To meet the specific 10-semester-hour requirement in plant pathology, the courses must have been in plant pathology, or have dealt with specific subject matter areas of plant pathology such as those concerned with viruses, fungal or bacterial diseases, host-plant relationships, biotic or chemical controls, environmental or physiological diseases, parasitic diseases, etc. AND In addition to meeting the basic requirements described above, applicants must also meet additional qualification requirements as stated below. GS-12: Applicants must demonstrate at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service or possess a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or possess an equivalent combination of graduate level education and experience. Graduate education must be directly related to the work of the position and must have equipped applicants with the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. The specialized experience requirements for the GS-12 level of this position are: conducting independent research related to plant pathology focused on plant disease resistance; and publishing research results in peer reviewed journals related to plant pathology. GS-13: Applicants must demonstrate at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. The specialized experience requirements for the GS-13 level of this position are: coordinating and conducting independent research in the field of plant pathology focused on host-pathogen interactions of significant bacterial and/or viral diseases of crops; using both classical and advanced molecular genetics and genomic techniques to investigate and develop solutions to key research problems; and authorship of peer-reviewed journals related to plant pathology and collaborating with stakeholders. GS-14: Applicants must demonstrate at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-13 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. The specialized experience requirements for the GS-14 level of this position are: developing, planning, and conducting research in field of plant pathology focused on host-pathogen interactions of significant bacterial and viral diseases of crops; utilizing recombinant DNA techniques, genetic tools (e.g genetic mapping, QTL analysis, GWAS analysis), gene manipulation (e.g. site directed gene disruption, gene transformation, CRISPR-based gene editing); publishing independent research findings as either first or senior corresponding author in peer-reviewed journals; establishing collaborations with internal and external stakeholders; presenting research findings at professional meetings of national stature. GS-15: Applicants must demonstrate at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-14 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. The specialized experience requirements for the GS-15 level of this position are: leading research in the field of plant pathology focused on improving bacterial and viral disease resistance of crops; develop and using bioinformatics pipelines for genome assemblies, comparative analyses, gene expression analyses, annotations, and marker development; publishing independent research findings as either first corresponding author in peer-reviewed journals related to plant pathology focused on disease resistance; establishing collaborations with internal and external stakeholders including scientists and researchers; and presenting research findings at professional meetings of national and international stature.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. To further support your qualifications, it is strongly recommended that you submit a one-page abstract of your MS thesis and/or Ph.D. dissertation. Failure to do so could result in loss of your consideration/referral. Also, please submit a list of names, addresses, and phone numbers of persons familiar with your stature, contributions, recognition; any honors or awards received; memberships in professional or honor societies; invitations to make presentations at scientific/technical meetings; scientific society office and committee assignments; presentations (other than invitation); and publications. Applicants must be available to report for duty at the time a selection is made. Selections are typically made within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement.

Agricultural Research Service is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific in-house research agency. Our job is finding solutions to agricultural problems that affect Americans every day from field to table. What we do matters in science and the world. For more information about Agricultural Research Service, go to https://www.ars.usda.gov/.