This position is located within the Emerging Pests & Pathogens Research unit of the Robert W. Holley Research Center for Agriculture and Health (RHRC) for the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in Ithaca, NY. In this position, you will participate in research that seeks to address a broad range of basic and applied problems in biological control of insects through a variety of laboratory, greenhouse, and field studies.

Duties

Performs a range of experiments designed to provide answers for the research programs dealing with insect pathology. Maintains laboratory colonies of host insects and in vivo and in vitro cultures of pathogenic fungi. Maintains official laboratory notebooks, recording methods and procedures used, any modifications of methodology applied, and the results. Maintains equipment and instrumentation in top working condition, performing routine preventative maintenance and minor repairs, and promptly addressing or reporting signs of malfunction or need for major repair. Records and calculates results, tabulates data, and performs elementary statistical calculations of coefficients of variables, writing scripts for analyses in R and visualizing results using various graphs. Selects and carries out measurements and analyses by applying established or modified methods; performs difficult nonstandard tests and assays.

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 one-year probationary period, unless previously served.
• 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 Requirements Degree: Entomology; or a related discipline of the biological or physical sciences that included at least 16 semester hours in entomology. OR Combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major that included course work as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. Evaluation of Education: Applicants with major fields of study in biology, zoology, or invertebrate zoology may fully meet the basic educational requirements if their academic preparation included substantive instruction (including appropriate laboratory and field work) in basic general entomology, taxonomy, physiology, ecology, general and organic chemistry, general physics, and mathematics or statistics that provided some training in the analysis of variables. AND In addition to meeting the basic education requirement above, all applicants must meet the following minimum qualification requirements: GS-07 Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience must be described for each grade level advertised. The specialized experience requirements for this position are: Qualifying experience for GS-07 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-05 which is directly related to the work of this position and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is participating in a research project related to entomology or mycology; maintaining laboratory colonies of insects and plant cultures; and analyzing and compiling research data. OR Education: Successful completion of one (1) year of graduate-level education. Related degrees may include entomology or plant pathology. OR Superior Academic Achievement: Completion of a 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with Superior Academic Achievement (S.A.A.): Superior Academic Achievement must have been gained in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled. S.A.A. is based on (1) Class Standing applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class, based on completed courses; or (2) Grade-Point Average - applicants must have a grade-point average of 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or (3) Election to membership in a National Honor Society - membership in a freshman honor society cannot be used to meet the requirements of this provision. OR A combination of graduate education and specialized experience as described above. GS-09 Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience must be described for each grade level advertised. The specialized experience requirements for this position are: Qualifying experience for GS-09 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-07 which is directly related to the work of this position and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is leading field or laboratory experiments related to entomology or mycology; operating and maintaining scientific equipment; and preparing results of research findings for inclusion in manuscripts, reports or presentations at scientific meetings. OR Education: Two (2) years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree. Related degrees may include entomology or plant pathology. OR A combination of graduate level education and specialized experience as described above. GS-11 Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience must be described for each grade level advertised. The specialized experience requirements for this position are: Qualifying experience for GS-11 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-09 which is directly related to the work of this position, and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is planning research projects related to entomology or mycology; performs and assists others in scientific procedures in field, laboratory, greenhouse, and containment settings; planning and conducting individual experiments; performs tests and analyses by applying established analytical methods and procedures; and analyzing and compiling research data for presentation. OR Education: Successful completion of three (3) years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree. Related degrees may include entomology or plant pathology. OR A combination of doctoral level education and specialized experience as described above. 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.

Education

Please see above for education qualification requirement information.

Contacts

• Address Agricultural Research Service 10300 Baltimore Avenue Beltsville, MD 20705 US
• Name: Ehila Melton
• Phone: 5716694043
• Email: [email protected]