This position is located within the Agricultural Research Service, Pacific West Area, Horticultural Crops Production & Genetic Improvement Research Unit in Corvallis, OR. In this position, you will be responsible for acquiring and evaluating new blueberry germplasm, and incorporating and developing the germplasm into cultivars for the commercial industry.

Duties

Acquire and evaluate new blueberry germplasm, and incorporate and develop the germplasm into cultivars for the commercial industry. Develop blueberry cultivars with increased yield and fruit quality requiring reduced production and consumer costs. Generate and apply breeding methods to bridge the gap between genetic markers and applied plant breeding, such as high throughput phenotyping for small fruits, genome sequencing, mapping populations, and statistical analysis of complex inheritance. Collaborate with other ARS, university, and private sector scientists including breeders, geneticists, horticulturists, plant physiologists, plant pathologists, and food scientists to build multi-disciplinary team necessary for this research. Analyze, interpret, and disseminate research findings in the form of reports, presentations and publications in scientific journals.

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. Basic Requirements Degree: genetics; or one of the basic biological sciences that included at least 9 semester hours in genetics. Evaluation of Education: 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 or coursework consisting of an appropriate combination of basic courses in genetics and cytology or statistics are also acceptable. 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. 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 plant breeding or genetics which includes using horticultural, molecular biology, or genetic techniques; and publishing independent research results in peer-reviewed journals related to horticulture, molecular biology, genetics, bioinformatics, or botany. 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: experience leading independent plant breeding and genetics research; generating and applying breeding strategies such as phenotyping for small fruits, genome sequencing, mapping populations, and statistical analysis; and publishing independent research results in peer-reviewed journals related to plant breeding and genomics. 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.

Education

Please see above for education qualification requirement information.

Contacts

• Address Agricultural Research Service 800 Buchanan Street Albany, CA 94710 US
• Name: Ehila Melton
• Phone: 5716694043
• Email: [email protected]