This position is located within the Agricultural Research Center (ARS), Southeast Area (SEA), at the Southern Regional Research Center in New Orleans, LA. In this position, you will conduct national and international research on post-harvest processing, product enhancement, safety, and use of agricultural commodities, utilizing a multi-disciplinary team of scientists in six research units.

Duties

Plans and carries out individual experiments within prescribed approaches. Devises, recommends and, with the supervisor's approval, modifies methods that are needed to obtain the information requested. Undertakes routine care, maintenance, and calibration of moderately complex laboratory instruments, e.g. centrifuges, thermal cyclers. Evaluates data and performs appropriate calculations and analyses.

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 https://www.e-verify.gov/
• Pesticide Applicators Certificate or License Required.
• A bachelor’s degree in natural science, a master degree in biology is preferrable.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including time-in-grade restrictions, specialized experience and/or education, as defined below. Time in grade: Current federal employees applying for a promotion opportunity must meet time-in-grade (TIG) requirement of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled. Basic Requirements 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 above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. AND In addition to the basic requirements above, all applicants must also meet the following minimum qualification requirements: 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 experience performing routine preventative maintenance on laboratory instruments; maintaining field and greenhouse plants with pesticides; and preparing research results for inclusion in manuscripts, technical reports, oral presentations, or progress reports. OR Education: Successful completion of 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 biology, genetics, botany, entomology, or other degrees in the biology field. OR A combination of education and 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 experience calibrating moderately complex laboratory instruments, e.g. centrifuges, thermal cyclers, laminar hoods; performing nonstandard DNA/RNA tests and assays; and applying pesticides to greenhouse-grown plants. OR Education: Successful completion of 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 biology, genetics, botany, entomology, or other degrees in the biology field. OR A combination of education and 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 141 Experimental Station Road Stoneville, MS 38776 US
• Name: Jared Foret
• Phone: 7032599390
• Email: [email protected]