This position is a Research Microbiologist/Plant Pathologist within the Cereal Crops Research Unit (CCRU), Madison, WI. The general mission of the CCRU is to conduct research leading to the improvement of cereals, especially barley, develop new technologies to evaluate germplasm, and provide malting quality analyses to public sector breeders and other researchers.

Duties

Identify and characterize microorganisms that impact barley malting quality Utilize a combination of molecular, microbiological, ecological, plant pathological, and genomic approaches to quantitatively characterize the microbial communities during various stages of malting Determine the associations and causative relationships between microbial community composition and malting quality Determine how climate change affect plant and soil microbiomes and influence barley yields and seed quality

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
• 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. QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS Minimum qualification requirements are found in the OPM Qualification Standards Operating Manual for General Schedule Positions. Qualification requirements must be identified for each grade level advertised. Microbiology Series 0403 Individual Occupational Requirements Degree: microbiology; or biology, chemistry, or basic medical science that included at least 20 semester hours in microbiology and other subjects related to the study of microorganisms, and 20 semester hours in the physical and mathematical sciences combining course work in organic chemistry or biochemistry, physics, and college algebra, or their equivalent. OR Combination of education and experience: courses equivalent to a major in microbiology, biology, chemistry, or basic medical science that included courses as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. Basic Requirements for Plant Pathology Series, 0434 Individual Occupational Requirements 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. Additional Requirements 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 research related to the multifaceted relationships between crop plants and microbial communities, and their interactions across diverse environmental conditions; 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 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: - Conducting independent research related to the multifaceted relationships between barley and microbial communities, and their interactions across diverse environmental conditions; AND - Publishing research results in peer-reviewed scientific journals; AND - Presenting research findings at scientific conferences or academic meeting, either in person or virtually; AND - Experience supervising staff to accomplish research objectives 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: Jessica Lang
• Phone: 3092731525
• Email: [email protected]