The incumbent is a Research Chemist in the National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, Functional Foods Research Unit in Peoria, Illinois. The Research Unit conducts basic and applied research on the modification of agricultural materials, particularly cereals, pulses, and oilseed crops, and their interactions in food matrices to enhance the value of agricultural products and develop new uses and market opportunities.

Duties

Plan and conduct research to develop methods for the isolation, modification, and their adaptation in food products and packaging of plant proteins. Isolate and modify plant proteins and other components from raw feedstock and/or from industry crop processing byproducts. Develop new uses for, and new knowledge of, proteins derived from agricultural crops and co-products. Characterize plant proteins in their native state, and modify them by applying chemical, physical, enzymatic, or other techniques to impart desired functionalities. Develop a fundamental understanding between processing and extent of modification, and subsequent characterization of modified products to understand the performance relationships between process parameters, structure, and functionality. Obtain fundamental information on degradation under different deleterious conditions and other physical and molecular properties. Study generated protein isolates for their functional properties and performance in targeted applications. Use applicable methods and instrumentation, such as nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, ultraviolet/visible (UV/vis) spectroscopy, circular dichroism, differential scanning calorimetry, and size exclusion chromatography. Apply the principles of Life-Cycle Analysis (LCA) or similar framework to quantitatively assess the environmental and economic sustainability of developed renewable products or technologies and potential benefits. Investigate physical processing methods such as milling, steam jet-cooking, and extrusion, as well as enzymatic intervention and methods for deflavoring isolated protein fractions. Develop a stakeholder base to advocate for enhancing research and enable commercialization of products to meet mandated technology transfer objectives.

Requirements

• 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.
• Successful completion of a 3-year probationary period.
• 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/.

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 Qualification Requirements for Chemistry Series, 1320: A. Degree: physical sciences, life sciences, or engineering that included 30 semester hours in chemistry, supplemented by course work in mathematics through differential and integral calculus, and at least 6 semester hours of physics. OR B. Combination of education and experience: course work equivalent to a major as shown in A above, including at least 30 semester hours in chemistry, supplemented by mathematics through differential and integral calculus, and at least 6 semester hours of physics, plus appropriate experience or additional education. Additional Requirements: In addition to meeting the basic requirements described above, applicants must also meet additional qualification requirements as stated below. Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. GS-12: Applicants must have a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree directly related to the duties of the position (e.g., degree with research focused on food chemistry, protein biochemistry, chemical engineering, grain science, or biological engineering) OR 1 year of specialized experience (defined below) equivalent to at least the GS-11 grade level in the Federal Service OR a combination of graduate level education and specialized experience. The specialized experience requirements for this position at the GS-12 level are: Conducting independent research related to isolating, processing, and analyzing plant proteins; AND Publishing research results in peer-reviewed scientific journals; AND Presenting research findings at scientific conferences or academic meetings, either in person or virtually. GS-13: Applicants must have 1 year of specialized experience (defined below) equivalent to at least the GS-12 grade level in the Federal Service. The specialized experience requirements for this position at the GS-13 level are: Leading group efforts and conducting independent research related to isolating, processing, and analyzing soy proteins; AND Publishing research results as the primary author in peer-reviewed scientific journals; AND Presenting research findings at scientific conferences, either in person or virtually; AND Working with stakeholders to enhance research efforts and/or writing grant proposals to expand existing programs; AND Facilitating technology transfer to end users. 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. 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.

Education

Please see above for education qualification requirement information.

Contacts

• Address Agricultural Research Service 5601 Sunnyside Ave Beltsville, MD 20705 US
• Name: Heather Lee
• Phone: 301-504-1410
• Email: [email protected]