This position is part of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, The incumbent will be responsible for conducting courses of investigation to achieve specified research objectives and generates and presents authoritative research results that increase scientific understanding of the fundamental principles and scientific applications associated with genomics, metagenomics, pathogen discovery, biodefense, emerging infectious diseases, biosurveillance, and/or microbial genetics.

Duties

As a Interdis Research Biologist/Comp Scientist/Research Microbiologist/Research Geneticist at the GS-0401/0403/0440/1550-13 some of your typical work assignments may include: Defines and conducts courses of investigation to achieve specified research objectives and generates and presents authoritative research results that increase scientific understanding of the fundamental principles and scientific applications associated with genomics, metagenomics, pathogen discovery, biodefense, emerging infectious diseases, biosurveillance, and/or microbial genetics. Manipulating and analyzing large biological datasets from in-house Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) platforms (MiSeq, NovaSeq, MinION), publicly accessible databases, or external collaborations. Using freely available bioinformatics tools as well as developing new software applications and bioinformatics pipelines to solve recurrently appearing problems in Genomics and NGS, biosurveillance, biodefense, and pathogen discovery. Serves as a researcher and project team member, responsible for planning, conducting, and presenting complex courses of investigation in support of assigned DoD programs. Conducts research of substantial complexity requiring significant professional knowledge and imagination in assessing and understanding the problems, developing plans and approaches, devising new methods or extending existing theory to new and unusual applications. Defines and develops promising, new basic research, formulates and recommends research policies and priorities, develops highly complex scientific proposals, and special studies, and defends findings and recommendations. Independently, and as part of a team, troubleshoots complex issues and drafts technical reports and manuscripts. Attends and presents posters and talks at scientific meetings.

Requirements

• Must be a U.S. Citizen
• Occasional travel CONUS and OCONUS may be necessary to accomplish responsibilities. Must be able to obtain and maintain a valid passport.
• Work Schedule: Full-time
• Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service
• Suitable for Federal employment, determined by a background investigation. Must be able to obtain and maintain a SECRET security clearance.
• May be required to successfully complete a probationary period
• Overtime: Occasionally
• Tour of Duty: Flexible
• Recruitment Incentives: Authorized - https://www.dtra.mil/Careers-Opportunities/DTRA-Opportunities/
• Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA): Exempt
• Financial Disclosure: Required
• Telework Eligibility: This position is telework eligible
• This is an Acquisition Workforce position in the Engineering and Technical Management functional area. The incumbent will be required to become certified in the Practitioner tier within 5 years.
• The incumbent is required to acquire a minimum of 40 continuous learning points (CLPs) every fiscal year as a goal and 80 CLPs being mandatory within 2 years.
• Must file a Financial Disclosure Statement
• Subject to pre-employment drug testing and random drug testing thereafter.

Qualifications

You may qualify at the GS 13, if you fulfill the following qualifications: A. One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service as listed below: Expert knowledge of, and skills in, applying principles, theories, and concepts in Microbial/Viral Genomics, Metagenomics, Bioinformatics, Pathogen Discovery, and Computational Biology or related, field - to include direct experience analyzing large genomic datasets. Experience developing an independent line of research particularly in genomics and bioinformatics, metagenomics, pathogen discovery and genetic characterization, emerging infectious diseases, host response to infectious diseases, zoonotic diseases, arboviruses, biodefense, infectious disease surveillance, pandemic preparedness and response, monitoring of viral evolution, bioinformatic tool development, and/or microbial genetics. Expert knowledge developing and/or testing algorithms for processing, analyzing, and visualizing genomic information (to include at least basic proficiency with UNIX and UNIX-like operating systems). Highly desired skills: direct experience in viral genetic analyses - in particular, phage genome analyses including gene annotation; ability to convert Perl codes in existing software to Python or another programming language. 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, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. In addition to meeting qualifications, your application package must reflect the applicable experience to meet the Individual Occupational Requirements for the 0401/0403/0440/1550, series as listed below: 401 Series Degree: biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position. Or Combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. 0403 Series 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. Graduate Education: Microbiology, or specific area of study such as bacteriology, virology, mycology, algology, protozoology, parasitology, immunology, serology, microbial genetics, or soil microbiology; or specific applied fields of microbiology such as clinical and public health microbiology, food tech-nology, production processes, industrial fermentation, pollution, etc. Graduate study in related fields such as experimental pathology, infectious diseases, epidemiology, biochemistry, animal or plant physiology, genetics, plant pathology, and insect disease control, may also be pertinent, provided it has direct application to microbiological work. Evaluation of Education: Microbiology is a broad field of science encompassing a number of scientific disciplines or areas of science, the fields in which this science is applied, and related fields where the work is concerned with or involves microbiology. The scientific disciplines or areas of this science include bacteriology, immunology, serology, algology, mycology, parasitology, protozoology, rickettsi-ology, tissue culture, virology, and similar disciplines or areas of science. The applied fields include environmental, food, dairy, soil, industrial, public health, clinical, and agricultural microbiology, and similar areas in which microbiology is applied. Related fields include taxonomy and systematics, plant, animal, or human physiology or pathology, infectious diseases, epidemiology, ecology, and similar areas of science where the work is directly related or applies to microbiology. Except where the course work deals with a limited and specific segment of the science, where it might be limited in usefulness, most of the work, including that dealing with the development and use of microbiological methods, procedures, and techniques, is qualifying. In interpreting the substantive value of the course work, credit may be given for courses in related fields, depending on the degree to which the courses are related to micro-biological work. 0440 Series Degree: genetics; or one of the basic biological sciences that included at least 9 semester hours in genetics. Graduate Education: Genetics, or a curriculum or pattern of training that placed major emphasis on genetics. Graduate study in related fields such as agronomy, horticulture, animal, dairy, or poultry husbandry, entomology, microbiology, plant pathology, chemistry, molecular and cellular biology, and physiology that involved cross-training in genetics is qualifying, provided it placed sufficient emphasis on genetics. 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. 1550 Series Series Definition: This series includes professional positions which primarily involve the application of, or research into, computer science methods and techniques to store, manipulate, transform or present information by means of computer systems. The primary requirements of the work are (a) professional competence in applying the theoretical foundations of computer science, including computer system architecture and system software organization, the representation and transformation of information structures, and the theoretical models for such representations and transformations; (b) specialized knowledge of the design characteristics, limitations, and potential applications of systems having the ability to transform information, and of broad areas of applications of computing which have common structures, processes, and techniques; and (c) knowledge of relevant mathematical and statistical sciences. Basic Requirements: Bachelor's degree in computer science or bachelor's degree with 30 semester hours in a combination of mathematics, statistics, and computer science. At least 15 of the 30 semester hours must have included any combination of statistics and mathematics that included differential and integral calculus. All academic degrees and course work must be from accredited or pre-accredited institutions. Applicants should have sufficient knowledge to understand the fundamental concepts and techniques of computer science. Courses designed to provide an introduction to computer science techniques and methodologies, to problems of system design, and to other specialized fields are acceptable.

Education

Substitution of education may not be used in lieu of specialized experience for this grade level.

You MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims.

All materials must be submitted by the closing date of the announcement.

GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours that your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study.

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html

Contacts

• Address Defense Threat Reduction Agency 8725 JOHN J KINGMAN ROAD MSC 6201 FT BELVOIR, VA 22060-6201 US
• Name: DTRA Servicing Team
• Phone: 614-692-0259
• Email: [email protected]